G.I. Joe

In the early 1960’s Don Levine, Director of Marketing and Development of Hassenfeld Brothers, had reasons to be pleased. His company was one of America’s leading toy manufacturers and its “Mr. Potato Head” had been a big success. But Levine was envious of the success rival Mattel was having with its Barbie dolls and he was determined to come up with a similar toy for boys.

In 1962 inventor Stan Weston pitched an idea to Levine—a “rugged looking doll for boys,” whose arms, legs, and torso were moveable. Levine liked the idea and took it to his boss, company CEO Merrill Hassenfeld. Hassenfeld rejected it. Not willing to give up, Levine created prototypes of Weston’s idea, complete with interchangeable military uniforms and accessories, and showed them to Hassenfeld. This time Hassenfeld loved what he saw, and he approved production of the toy.

The company, which would soon change its name to Hasbro, knew that because dolls were considered toys for girls, boys would not want anything called a “doll” and neither would their parents buy one for them. So even though the company’s patent referred to their new toy as a “toy figure or doll having movable joints that closely simulate the movable portions of the human anatomy,” the company's retailers and marketing department were strictly forbidden to use the word "doll" when referring to the new toy, which they called "G.I. Joe." Instead, the company coined a new term: “action figure.”

Released in early 1964 as “G.I. Joe, America’s Movable Fighting Man,” the toy was an instant success. Within two years it was accounting for two-thirds of Hassenfeld Brothers’ profits. Although redesigned numerous times over the years, Hasbro is still producing and selling G.I. Joes today.

G.I. Joe, the world’s first “action figure,” was released on February 2, 1964.