Monday, March 9, 1964: G.I. Joe

Hasbro introduces "America's Movable Fighting Man" at the American Toy Fair in New York. The "action figure" was on store shelves and in catalogs for the Christmas season.

-- Image from 1964 Sears Christmas catalog, courtesy of gijoe.ebcutler.com; link below. 

Note: The date of the toy's introduction is a matter of some debate; several resources say it was February 9. Lacking any evidence to the contrary, I'm going with March 9, based on the toy fair opening that day.

* Summary from Collectors Weekly: @

* "The GI Joe Story" (Toy Collector magazine, Page 67; June 2007): @

* "Macho in Miniature" (Smithsonian magazine, August 2002): @

* "The secret history of G.I. Joe" (Tom Engelhardt, August 2013): @

* "From Vietnam to the New World Order: The G.I. Joe Action Figure as Cold War Artifact" (Roger Chapman, Studies in The Social Sciences, Page 47; May 1999): @

* The Beachhead (G.I. Joe site): @

* G.I. Joe Collectors' Club: @

* "Toy Figure Having Movable Joints" (from Google Patents): @

* 1960s Christmas catalogs (from GIJoe.ebcutler.com): @

* "Visions of Christmas Sales Captivate Toy Buyers" (New York Times, March 10, 1964; subscription required): @ 
* "Military Toys Come Under Fire" (Herald Tribune News Service, March 11): @
* "Toy makers accept stronger code guides" (Broadcasting magazine, Page 52, March 16): @
* "Toy Wars: The Epic Struggle Between G.I. Joe, Barbie, and the Companies That Make Them" (G. Wayne Miller, 1998): @
* "G.I. Joe: The Complete Story of America's Favorite Man of Action" (John Michlig, 1998): @

* "Warman's G.I. Joe Field Guide: Values and Identification" (KP Books, 2005): @ 

* Promotional film shown to buyers at toy fair: @  

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