![]() © Copyright Hassenfeld Bros., Inc., Pawtucket, R.I. |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
The United States military has always had its share of paperwork or red tape before it could begin to move. G.I. Joe was no exception. Although the amount of literature on the subject has been quite limited in past years, it is now beginning to flourish. New books on Joe come out all the time with the most recent being Derryl DePriest's great book on Joe. Even long before authors began publishing books on our hero, Joe himself had his own military paperwork when he was enlisted in 1964. There were field manuals, cartoon book advertisements, colorful salesman brochures, how-to pamphlets, instructions, and more. |
|
||||
I have attempted to include a complete list of all Joe related publications that I myself am aware of. If you know of a publication that is not listed here, please let me know so that I might include it. I know there are probably more out there. | ||||
![]() | Action Figures of the 1060s | John Marshall | 0764304283 | Some G.I. Joe, Big Jim, Maj. Matt Mason and more. |
![]() | Action man - On Land, Sea, and in the Air | N.G. Taylor | 1872727999 | N.G. Taylor’s startlingly lifelike photography recreates the authentic Action Man experience, with lifelike settings and those ‘action poses’ that we can all remember. Every detail is described fully in this authoritative text, making it invaluable for collectors and more than justifying Action Man’s claim to be the “best equipped, most realistic model fighting man the world’s ever seen.” N.G. Taylor is an avid collector of Action Man after seeing a Blue Peter preview of the first ‘action soldier’ in 1966. He has been perfecting his technique of photographing the figures since1990. |
![]() | Action man - The Gold Medal Doll for Boys 1966-1984 | Francis Baird | 1872727360 | Frances Baird gives an authoritative account of this best-selling toy, illustrating the different variations introduced during its 18-year life. |
![]() | Action man - The Ultimate Collectors Guide: Volume 1, 1966-1969 | Alan Hall | 1901706141 | No review. |
![]() | Action man - The Ultimate Collectors Guide: Volume 2 1970-77 | Alan Hall | 190170629X | No review. |
![]() | Action man - The Ultimate Collectors Guide: Volume 3 1978-84 | Alan Hall | No review. | |
![]() | Collectible Action Figures, Identification and Value Guide | Paris & Susan Manos | 0891456686 | Contains a lot of great color closeup photos. It covers all the Joes except the 3 3/4". Also includes Captain Action, MArx, and Big Jim. Retails for $17.95. I recommend it, as it has some really great photos. Review by Kenton Falerios. |
![]() | The Collectible G.I. Joe | Derryl DePriest | TBD | This is one spectacular book. Beautiful photography of all Joes accessories through the use of dioramas. Includes variations, year by year breakdown of sets, diorama settings, real world pricing and more. Books ordered from Derryl included a last minute addition of more variations and accessories that didn't make it into the book. |
![]() | Collector's Guide to Dolls in Uniform | Joseph Bourgeois | 0891456597 | no review. |
![]() | Collectible Male Action Figures | Paris & Susan Manos | 0891456686 | Second Edition: Same as above, but now includes Big Jim and some Mego. |
![]() | Command Post Yearbook | Hasbro | n/a | This is the magazine sent to all who joined the G.I. Joe Club. It has some great old advertising and pictures of that Joe figures and accessories. |
![]() | The Complete Encyclopedia To G.I. Joe | Vincent Santelmo | 0873412257 | Another great one. I especially like the reproduced paperwork manuals, advertising, and instructions. |
![]() | The Complete Encyclopedia To G.I. Joe | Vincent Santelmo | 087341456X | This is Vincent's second edition to original version. The book has been updated to include GI Joe and accessories from 1964 to 1997. There are even some nice color photos in this revision. Some of the values in the Hall of Fame price guide are a bit inflated. I don't think anyone will pay $75 for a Target version Duke MIB. Overall, the book is a valuable tool for the Joe collector. |
![]() | The Complete Encyclopedia To G.I. Joe | Vincent Santelmo | 0873418743 | This is Vincent's third edition to original version. The book has been updated to include GI Joe and accessories from 1964 to 1997. There are even more nice color photos in this revision. Another great book and a valuable tool for the Joe collector. |
![]() | The Official 30th Anniversary Salute to G.I. Joe 1964-1994 | Vincent Santelmo | 0873413016 | This is a great book with many sharp black and white as well as some color photos. It covers the whole history of Joe, from vintage, through the 3 3/4" years and finally Hall of Fame. I personally think they wasted all the color photos on the HOF when they should have used them for the vintage shots. |
![]() | GI Joe Official Identification and Price Guide | Vincent Santelmo | TBD | No review. |
![]() |
Field Manual for Collecting G.I. Joe 1963-1969 | Harold L. Fowler | 0963415115 | Out of print. This is a hard book to find and was only printed once, despite any claim to the contrary (verification comes straight from the author), in 1992 by Pen 'N Quill Publishers. It has some valuable information not found in other GI Joe publications. I personally like the military field manual style of the front cover. |
![]() | G.I. Joe and Other Backyard Heroes 1970-1979 An Unauthorized Guide | John Marshall | 0764302019 | This is currently unavailable at many book stores. I had to get my copy through Barnes and Noble's website. Retail price is $29.95. The book covers more than just G.I. Joe (Mego, Big Jim, Universal Monsters, Lone Ranger, Star Wars and some others). It's a good book for Joe in that it does have large color pictures of mint in box items. Be aware, however, that this only covers items in the Adventure Team series and later. I was not disappointed. |
![]() | G.I. Joe: The Complete Story of America's Favorite Man of Action | John Michlig | 0811818225 | Great story of the beginnings of G.I. Joe including spectacular photography of early pre-production items and their creators. Nice quality heavy duty paper. This is a great follow-up to Michlig's first book that was included with the Masterpiece Edition figures. Well worth the $29.99 price. |
![]() | GI JOE The Story Behind the Legend | Don Levine and John Michlig | 081181484X | Hey, if you collect GI Joe, you probably already have this one since it came with the first Masterpiece Edition figures at Target, some book stores, and later Sam's Club. Great history of how GI Joe became GI Joe. There's some great photos and artwork so pull it out and actually read it! |
![]() | GI JOE Documentary - The Story of America's Movable Fighting Man | Third Wave Teleproductions | n/a | This is a fantastic story of the birth and history of GI Joe! Running time is 110 minutes. It is also available in VHS video format. |
![]() | G.I. Joe Value Guide, 1964-1978: Dolls, Gear & Equipment | Carol Moody | 0875883303 | This is currently out of print, but you can still find it now and again in antique stores and on eBay. I finally picked one up on eBay. There are some nice color and black & white photos of joes and equipment mint in the package. There are also some interesting hand sketches of equipment. I assume these are by the author. All in all, it's an interesting book and a good resource to have for your collection. |
![]() | GO! GO! GI JOE 1960 & 1990 | Hidefumi Maruyama | Printed in Japan | You guessed it (or maybe you didn't)! This is printed in Japan and ALL of the writing is in Japanese. This book is GREAT! It has color photos of many joes from 1964 thru Hall of Fame and into the Classic Collection. It even includes store exclusives. It has a great photo section on how to set up the backpack w/entrenching tool and sleeping bag. It also shows closeups (about as close as I'll get) of the rare A.S., S.P. and M.P. radios. Aahhh! It appears to me that the section showing helmets are Cotswold issue. |
![]() | Hasbro's G.I. Joe America's Movable Fighting Man 1964 Catalog Reprint | Hasbro | n/a | This is a reprint of the original Hasbro 1964 G.I. Joe catalog. It has some great color pictures of that year's accessories. Oh what I wouldn't give for Mr. Peabody's Go-Back machine! Some nice diorama photos. |
![]() | Headquarters Quarterly | Joe Bodnarchuk | n/a | This was a monthly magazine designed around G.I. Joe. Usually had great information and pictures of vintage joe items. I'm not sure if this is still published. |
![]() | Lee's Action Figure News & Toy Review | Lee Publications | n/a | Like Tomart's, Lee's has great color photos and news of the latest releases. The price guide values are just that...a guide. Please try to use them that way (at least for GI Joe and some others). |
![]() |
GI Joe Collector's Club Magazine | Brian Savage | n/a | The GI Joe Collector's Club eliminated Master Collector and developed this nice monthly color comic book style club newsletter. If you're not a member, JOIN NOW! Each month includes valuable Hasbro and club news articles. |
![]() | Modern Toys - American Toys 1930-1980 | Linda Blake | 089145277X | Some G.I. Joe. |
![]() | The New Official Identification Guide to GI JOE | James DeSimone | 096359561X | Great color pictures of complete sets with info on some variations (not all of them though). This is a good guide to use if you need to quickly see whether or not your figure is complete. |
![]() | Tomart's Action Figure Digest | Tomart Publications | n/a | This is a monthly magazine available usually only at comic book or action figure toy stores. It has all the latest news and photos of GI Joe and other toys. Great coverage of Toy Fair during that part of the year. |
![]() | Tomart's Encyclopedia & Price Guide to Action Figures A-Team to GI Joe | Bill Sikora & T.N. Tumbusch | 0914293273 | This book covers more than just GI Joe (thus the title). It's part of a several volume series on action figures. It does have some very nice color photos of Joe items in the box or with the original box. |
![]() | Tomart's Price Guide to G.I. Joe Collectibles | Jeff Kilian and Charles Griffith | 0914293222 | Great detailed descriptions. Includes 1964 to 1993 (3 3/4" and early Hall of Fame. |
![]() | Toy Shop | Krause Publications | n/a | This is a bimonthly newspaper dedicated to...TOYS! Every other issue contains an article on GI Joe usually written by Vincent Santelmo. This is a great publication if for nothing else than to try to get a handle on what market prices are for Joes. |
![]() | Toy Wars: The Epic Struggle between G.I. Joe, Barbie, and the Companies That Make Them | G. Wayne Miller | 158062104X soft 0812929845 hard | No Review. Retail Price: $12.95 |
![]() | White's Guide to Collecting Figures | Collecting Concepts, Inc. | n/a | This montly magazine usually has a very good GI Joe article written by Ben North. It covers a wide variety of figures especially Barbie. Again, the price guide values in here are just a guide. |
![]() |
Warman's G.I. Joe Field Guide | Karen O'Brien | 0873499840 | Warman's G.I. Joe Field Guide features four decades of collectors' favorite "good guy" in this easy-to-carry reference. This reference provides current pricing information and tips, including 400+ color photos, for identifying G.I Joe figures including the basic G.I Joe, talking G.I Joe and 3.75 inch Joe. |
These were released beginning in November 1964 and continued through July 1967. They could only be found in DC comics on the inside front or back covers. Some ads were put on the iterior pages and were colored. There were 32 ads (26 original plus 6 repeats). | |||
TVs New Hero! G.I. Joe! black and white ad | |||
As Seen on Your TV! #1 ad black and white | |||
repeat of ad #1 | |||
As Seen on Your TV Screen! #2 ad color | |||
G.I. Joe Fighting Man... color ad | |||
Two Million Joes are in Action! color ad | |||
These Four G.I. Joes are Waiting for You! color ad | |||
Join the Fun with G.I. Joe! color ad | |||
repeat of ad #8 | |||
repeat of ad #8 | |||
|
|
| |
G.I. Joe Making News Everywhere! | |||
Have You Heard the Big News about G.I. Joe? | |||
Hear This! Read This! | |||
Mountain Troops Andy & George ad | |||
|
|
|
Five Star Jeep Andy & George ad |
Deep Sea Diver Andy & George ad | |||
Combat Squad Gets Decorations Andy & George black and white ad | |||
A Front Line in the Backyard Andy & George ad | |||
Platoon Wins Inspection Commendation Andy & George black and white ad | |||
Assignment: Outer Space Andy & George ad | |||
New Man Joins Platoon Andy & George ad | |||
Battlegrounds of the World Andy & George ad | |||
20 Fathoms Under the Sea Andy & George ad | |||
repeat of ad #25 | |||
Capture Hill 79 color ad | |||
repeat of ad #28 | |||
Action-Fun & Plan from G.I. Joe color ad | |||
Dive into an Underwater World... color ad | |||
repeat of ad #31 |
These were released beginning with the Adventures of GI Joe in 1999. | |||
Perilous Inferno | |||
|
![]() Some images are © Copyright Hassenfeld Bros., Inc., Pawtucket, R.I. |
|
G.I. Joe Marine Manual (® British Crown Colony) | |
G.I. Joe Air Manual (™ ™ British Crown Colony) | |
G.I. Joe Navy Manual (™ ™ U.S.A.) | |
G.I. Joe Army Manual (® Japan) | |
G.I. Joe Counter Intelligence Manual | |
G.I. Joe Duke Manual | |
G.I. Joe Stalker Manual | |
Talking G.I. Joe - Command Post Yearbook | G.I. Joe Snake Eyes Manual |
1967 Releases - Command Post Yearbook | G.I. Joe Cobra Commander Manual |
Miscellaneous Sets - Command Post Yearbook | G.I. Joe Rock 'N Roll Manual |
Service Academy Sets - Command Post Yearbook | G.I. Joe Flint Manual |
G.I. Joe Goes Where the Action Is - Yearbook | G.I. Joe Ace Manual |
G.I. Joe Destro Manual | G.I. Joe Storm Shadow Manual |
G.I. Joe Gung-Ho Manual | G.I. Joe Rapid-Fire Manual |
|
![]() Some images are © Copyright Hassenfeld Bros., Inc., Pawtucket, R.I. |
|
Dragon Wehrmacht Infantry NCO | |
GI Joe Talking Pilot | Ultra Corps Snowmobile |
GI Joe M8 Light Armored Car | Ultra Corps Base Tent |
GI Joe 37MM Anti-Tank (front) | Power Team Elite foldout brochure |
GI Joe 37MM Anti-Tank (back) | GI Joe Secret of the Savage Swamp |
GI Joe Force Recon | |
GI Joe Voice FX Duke (side 1) | GI Joe Voice FX Duke (side 2) |
Snow Job Arctic Trooper | Cobra Cobra Eel |
|
![]() Some images are © Copyright Hassenfeld Bros., Inc., Pawtucket, R.I. |
|
Wal-Mart 5 Kung Fu Grip figures | |
Joseph Colton Mail Away Form small version - side 1 | |
Joseph Colton Mail Away Form small version - side 2 | G.I. Joe Tuskegee Pilots |
"30th Anniversary Salute to GI Joe" - side 1 | Target WWII 50th Anniversary newspaper ad |
"30th Anniversary Salute to GI Joe" - side 2 | Target Masterpiece Edition newspaper ad |
Target Exclusive Arctic Recon Vehicle magazine ad | KB Toys Airborne M.P. magazine ad |
G.I. Joe Classic Collection George Washington | G.I. Joe D-Day Figure |
G.I. Joe Historical Commanders Series | G.I. Jane Female Helicopter Pilot |
G.I. Joe Heroism, Bravery, and Valor | G.I. Joe Shuttle Astronaut |
D-Day G.I. Joe Newspaper Ad | 21st Century WWII Series second Ad |
G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Normandy Ranger in color | G.I. Joe 1997 Convention |
U.S.S. Connecticut Limited Edition G.I. Joe version 1 | G.I. Joe 1998 Convention |
U.S.S. Connecticut Limited Edition G.I. Joe version 2 | G.I. Joe 1999 Convention |
U.S.S. Connecticut Limited Edition G.I. Joe version 3 | 21st Century Coming This Summer |
21st Century Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way… Humvee | 21st Century This is the Real Deal |
21st Century Ultimate Full Action Combat Vehicle | 21st Century Ultimate Soldier Navy S.E.A.L. |
TRU 24 Mar 2002 advertisement | FAO Schwartz Navy S.E.A.L. |
TRU Lost Squadron internet ad | TRU Get one Free Oct 15, 2000 |
21st Century 2000 Catalog | 21st Century WWII Series first Ad |
Hasbro Toy Fare Booklet | 21st Century first convention Ad |
Disney Adventures Magazine Article Booklet | Toys R Us Buy 1 Get 1 Free Ad #2 |
Target Scramble Pilot Advertisement | FAO 2001 Timeless Cadets |
Ames Nov 2001 Double Duty Ad | GI Joe Audie Murphy & 10th Mountain |
GI Joe Electra Glide Motorcycle | Search & Rescue Firefighter |
New Adventure TeamMummy's Tomb Ad | GI Joe Club Free GI Joe |
Target 24 Mar 2002 Advertisement | 2002 SOTW Jeeps |
|
|
![]() |
One of the paper items in all GI Joe action figures was the small instruction sheet that explained how to remove Joe's boots. It was easy to leave the foot in the boot or split the boot seam if the boot was not removed correctly. The very first instruction sheets were little more than typed rather than professionally printed sheets. These typed sheets are the rarest versions. This is one example of some of the first boot removal instructions that came in action soldier, sailor, marine, and pilot boxes. It almost appears as a mimeographed printing. |
![]() |
The second early version does not have the mimeographed look, but still is pretty rough and even appears to be unevenly cut. These are not impossible to find and do come up every so often on eBay. They can be a bit pricey for what they are, but even the regular boot removal instructions are hard to come by as they were probably thrown out long before the original box. |
![]() |
The is the version that most of us remember coming in our GI Joe figure box. This was a more professionally printed sheet. |
|
![]() |
|
|
|
|
G.I. Joe Adventure Team Sets |
Mobile Support Vehicle |
Intruder Strong Man |
Stolen Idol |
Adventure Team Astronaut |
Mummy's Tomb |
Training Tower |
Kung Fu Grip |
GI Joe Air Force |
Capture Hill 79 |
|
|
![]() |
![]()
|