[Rumor] Hasbro Canceling G.I. Joe toyline?

[Old_Nash]

Received this rumor today and trying to find some more information.

I don't find any more information. But much of my contacts said the last JoeCon, Derek speak some sadness in his speech.

If someone have more information, please, tell me.

Thanks.

 

 

[fenrir72]

Maybe just a realignment of resources. Not to mention the mess IDW did on G.I. Joe.

Trouble is with the popculture environment, every MultiNational conglomerates are so afraid to step on noisy minority blowhards who NEVAH purchase their products in the first place!

Just stick to the formula that made the line great Hasbro! Be proud of the RAH heritage. Yooooooooooooooooo Joe!

 

[Roy Focker]

They haven't release new product in years.  The club isn't going to be making anything so the line is pretty much dead.   Hasbro has provided very little support to it.  They are working on a Snake Eyes movie.  I'd expect them to bring back the toys for the movie release.

[TangledThorns]

Kids playing with toy guns and soldiers?! Muh triggered feelings!!

This news, rumor or not, has motivated me to find and buy GI Joe toys for my kids.

Edited December 27, 2018 by TangledThorns

[nightmareB4macross]

I hope this is only a rumor. GI Joe has always been one of my favorite toy lines.

[RavenHawk]

13 hours ago, fenrir72 said:

Maybe just a realignment of resources. Not to mention the mess IDW did on G.I. Joe.

 

What mess? I haven't read IDW's GIJoe stuff in about 3 years or so (maybe more like 5), but I remember liking it before that.

[M'Kyuun]

I never had many GI Joe toys, but even by today's standards, the vast majority were so well designed that the originals could be rereleased and I think they would still appeal. The original cartoon, not so much. I thought they struck a good balance with GI Joe: Resolute a few years back. It was a bit of a reboot, and I liked the direction they took with it- it was well written, a little grittier, and the art style wasn't the oversimplified Teen Titans-esque direction that has become so prevalent in the US. However, I don't recall seeing any toys for the line

I haven't been a fan of the live action movies, and I don't read the comics, but it doesn't sound like either is fueling the line successfully. It's a shame, really, b/c those old toys were amazing, are still amazing, and it'd be great if Hasbro found a good formula for a show to find a new audience, and of course, sell a lot of toys, both old and new. There's definitely potential there, although I think today's generation would rather play soldier with a controller instead of action figures. 

Edited December 27, 2018 by M'Kyuun

[RavenHawk]

The old Marvel comics were really way better than they had any right to be, and IDW kept the old series going while doing a new/rebooted one. The new one was really good last I read it, and the old one... well, I still have my copies of the Snake Eyes trilogy.

[Knight26]

The 80s GI Joe comics were, and still are, awesome.  The rebooted comics I could never really get behind, and I was OK with the IDW continuation but just haven't had a chance to read in a while.  While I am sad to see the toyline finally utter its last gasps, it was inevitable with the current political climate.  Though if my dream of  Kelly-Mattis 2020 ticket comes true then GI Joe could have a huge resurgence.

[sh9000]

My favorite lines were 25th Anniversary and Pursuit of Cobra.

[TehPW]

The very best? playing 80's Swivel Arm Battle Grip Joes with a 70's Space: 1999 Eagle. Oh the times I had in my back yard as a minion...

Edited December 29, 2018 by TehPW
I cans Spells! eeeerrrrhhh

[Mog]

The Joe lines have been pretty much non-existent at retail stores for about 3 to 5 years now. 

About the only new product being pushed out has been the monthly Fan Club Figures.

Roy Focker's right:  They're in the early stages of making a Snake Eyes movie, so there is the possibility of them producing toys/figures in support of the film's release.

But they need to stick to the "war vet with horrible luck" origin and not drift too far off from that basic story.  Balance Snake's commando and ninja sides.

[Mommar]

It’s weird they haven’t released more toys.  In the Hasbro circles lots of toy collectors have been pushing for six inch, Marvel Legends/Black Series-style, figures for years and years.

[TehPW]

Something to think about: When I was 9-10, I didn't have fancy computers, Play Stations and the like. The market range for toys is rather narrow once a kid gets a game system...

[Mog]

I know Joes originally started as a 12-inch line, but I’m one of those collectors who wouldn’t follow them into a new 6-inch line for the following reasons:

1)  Don’t want to restart recollecting figures at a new scale, nor deal with the billions of Snake Eyes, Duke, Cobra Commander, and Destro figures that will get released and re-released by Hasbro.  Also, you can fit two to three times more 3-3/4 inch figures in the same display space as you would the 6-inch scale figures.

2)  At the 6-inch scale, they will more than likely never ever release any vehicles for that line.  Lot of those Joe vehicles are inconic, and they’d be cutting themselves off from some potential revenue opportunities.

[M'Kyuun]

I also think, if they keep the line alive, they should stick to the 3-3/4" figs, both for space and vehicle compatibility reasons (and cost). As I mentioned, I think Hasbro would do well to reissue some of the old vehicle molds, as the vast majority of those toys still look viable today. Perhaps the Skystriker could be updated to more closely resemble the F-22, but otherwise, straight reissues in most cases would serve and save on new molds and machining, allowing more of the line's budget go into figure designs/accessories. 

Sigma 6 was a 6" figure line, and I don't recall there being much in the way of vehicles for the figures, although the figures came with some cool accessories. IIRC, the line didn't do well, although I personally thought the figures were cool. I still have my Snake Eyes around here somewhere. 

Mog's mentioning the original 12" figs brings to mind a rather poignant point: Hasbro was just a small company that primarily existed off of its board games until someone at the company saw potential in some articulated wooden art dolls, creating military uniforms and guns for them. The line became a big hit, and in the 80's following Kenner's lead with their 3-3/4 Star Wars figs, went the same direction. They owe their early success and growth into a major corporation to GI Joe, so I hope that they don't let that legacy die.