"The greatest fun you ever had !" -- 1964 ad introduced GI Joe to a generation who has been at war

[KurtNYC]

ever since:

This old ad says so much in it's simplistic 60 seconds. It introduces kids to the idea that spending a lot on military equipment leads to "the greatest fun you ever had." If you have enough equipment "you can set up exciting battle action whenever you want."

The ad is presents a fantasy version of war that is not that far from the "no boots on the ground" and 'precision bombing' fantasies of today being sold to adults.

[CentralMass]

1. I was born in 1960 and my brother in '58.

We had G.I. Joes figures and the accessories . The favorite toys among boy back then tended to be Cowboy or military related. We had plastic old west toy rifles that had "bullets" that you place and adhesive "cap" (made of paper with a little fit of gun powder) that would make a bang when the trigger was pulled while the plastic bullet would come out the barrel at a very low velocity. We also had things like plastic Bazooka's that propelled a shell using rubber bands an impressive distance.

I have to say that playing with these things didn't make either one if us war mongering gun toting nuts. Neither my brother or I have ever owned guns, but we both have fired them and have friends who have hunted since we were kids. We are both democrats.

My father was a marine in the South Pacific during WWII and he was a life long democrat who actually become more liberal the older he got.

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. GI Joe didn't turn me into Gunnery Sergeant Hartman

Barbie didn't turn my niece into Valeria Lukyanova

[EEO]

3. Those old G.I. Joes look way cooler than the ones now.

Funny how there don't seem to be any non-white ones...

[malthaussen]

4. I still have one of mine in a box somewhere.

And some of the associated crap. I never throw anything out.

Our cats used to love chewing on those guys. Lots of missing fingers.

-- Mal