What the fuck were they thinking?
Ecology became in fashion, the concepts of toxic stuff and hazmat suits worked well with bright colors which were also in fashion, and it was also easy to come up with actions and novelty features.
>>11911572/thread
>>11911535tax credits and comparable that the government was giving out to companies that would push Pro Eco messages, same thing happen with the War on Drugs. Captain Planet as a brand murder Eco tax breaks for how ridiculous it was to try and push a pro environmental show by making a lot of plastic toys and merc and GIJoe's two parter "The Greatest Evil" killed the anti-drug because they went way over the top with scaring kids by having the drug lord die from ODing in front of GIJoe that it upset parents to the point they no longer saw the messaging as useful. Money dried up so all those programs went cause they never cared about the kids or the environment, just the money.
>>11911535guys in neon hazmat suits shooting goo is peak toys desu, you just dont get it
>>11911535I do like that big tank he comes with. A big appeal of G.I. Joe was the finger candy
>>11911535Competing with Captain Planet
>>11911585Yeah I bet you love seeing men shoot goo
>>11911535I wish I could drop by the store tomorrow and buy one of these.
I love the neon Joe era, the brighter the better.
The only thing wrong with this figure is his head sculpt making him look like Jim for accounting. Otherwise it seems solid to me.
>>11911535There was a brief period in the 90s where corporate America realized plundering the planet until it's an empty husk was a bad idea.But now they all have Doomsday bunkers they think they can live forever in so fuck the oceans.>>11911583This too. Although I think Ted Turner was 100% genuine with Captain Planet.
>>11911535I frikin love EcoWarriorsI had tons of them:Cesspool, Toxozombies, Flint, the blue guy with the beard.
>>11911759>>Doomsday bunkersAnd when we find them stuff the air vents with poop & shit and concrete.>>11911810>>blue guy Ozone
>>11911535Toxo Zombie is awesome you retarded fag
>>11911535Wasn’t this the line with the dolphin that squirted water and the scuba diver with color-change paint on his chest?
>>11911870Yeah, It was the Eco Warriors version of Deep Six.
I don't care who you are, this shit right here is badass.
>>11911874Thought so. I had that one not really knowing much about that line. I just liked whales and dolphins and wanted a dolphin figure that scaled roughly with my other figures. That dolphin was fun.
>>11911680It was goofy watching the DIC-era cartoons where the Joes are in bright colors with bright-colored "military vehicles" while trying to be serious. And you can tellt hat things had gotten cheaper with the transition from clear vinyl stickers to paper stickers.
>>11911874>>11911817The flaw with figures that squirt water at each other is those screws rusted up quickly.
>>11911874>Color change battle damageWhy don't they do fun gimmicks like that anymore?
>>11911874>the dolphin was supposed to be a killer whale but the hasbro suits got nervous about potential parent reactionsThere's so much that went into the creation into these toylines that just isnt a thing anymore. Nobody would bat an eyelash at something like that now. >>11912088Is there a word for that? Over the years I've become fascinated by the sight of it. All these different properties just gassing out and limping along to diminishing returns. Even failing used to be done with style.
>>11911887Agreed. I know ARAH die hards loathe all the 90's stuff but you cant argue hasbro's designers didnt try their damndest to keep up with the trends. If they were smart that Gi Joe FPS they released a few years ago would have gone all in on the fortnite influence.
>>11911680I'm going to get shit for this but honestly, a playmates o-ring Gi Joe line would be a blessing nowadays. If they bought out Super 7 and just rereleased all their shit at cheaper prices while improving the QC kids and collectors alike would go nuts. You'd get cheap vehicles again and the line wouldnt be rape priced either, it'd be a win win.
>>11911712>The only thing wrong with this figure is his head sculpt making him look like Jim for accounting.A number of GI Joe figures were modelled on Hasbro employees, so there's a chance that's actually close to the truth.
>>11913217>Is there a word for that? Over the years I've become fascinated by the sight of it. All these different properties just gassing out and limping along to diminishing returns. Even failing used to be done with style.The odd truth is that as much as people make the assumption you just did, GI Joe was actually doing fairly well in the 90s, and Hasbro suddenly pulling the plug appears to have had more to do with the money they spent on acquiring Kenner and the Star Wars license, something had to give, and that something ended up being GI Joe. Then they turned GI Joe over to Kenner design team to relaunch and we got GI Joe Extreme, which seemed like more of an attempt to compete with the figures McFarlane was making.
>>11913237Odd how often they resorted to that back then. I've heard similar tales about transformers in the lead upto beast wars. It makes ypu wonder what changed in their corporate culture. >we got GI Joe Extreme, which seemed like more of an attempt to compete with the figures McFarlane was makingThe hate for Extreme makes alot more sense to me than the hate for EcoForce, Star Brigade, and the other late run additions. Extreme was so distinct from ARAH it might aswell have been a new IP. Sgt Savage seemed like the smarter brand revamp but far as I can tell it fizzled out fast. Even Cops N Crooks didnt last long. Must have been a brutal decade for them outside of star wars, batman, and transformers.
>>11913268>Sgt Savage seemed like the smarter brand revamp but far as I can tell it fizzled out fast.I think Hasbro themselves smothered Savage in the crib.
I dunno, even removed from an pro-eco context, I always thought hazmat suits were awesome as a kid. Probably has to do with those old Pentium II commercials.
>>11911759He genuinely believed Georgia guidestones shit. Fuck Ted Turner. He's in hell now. WCW was kino tho.
>>11911535Eco Warriors is an allegory for toxic femininity, which began in the 90's. 36 years of hell it has been. Only a fascist dictator can save us now.
>>11913281Really? I'm not in the know on many of the details on Savage. I just got into the toyline fairly recently. Please, if you dont mind, enlighten me.
>>11913545I imagine they ended it fast because they thought GI Joe Extreme would be a safer bet. What fools time makes of us all...
>>11913268>Sgt Savage seemed like the smarter brand revamp but far as I can tell it fizzled out fast. >awkward middle size scale with weird proportions and dull color and character designs that made everything look the same and cheap as fuck. >smarter brand revampListen you can like what you want but it was a fucked up line start to end. Risky as fuck so props to them taking the risk. >>11913281>>11913545It had very weak sales, I grew up when that came out and it got to the point that discount stores were glutted with the the figures going for 3 for $5 and even the figure pack with the VHS went as low as .50. That said Hasbro just bought Kenner at the time Savage was badly floundering so they had no reason to try and save it so they axed it to have Kenner work on Extreme which was better received but that's like saying a kid would rather be sick with a cold than cancer, neither line did all that well and it wouldn't be until 2002 line that they seem good sales for a few years.
>>11913570No the ran it hard with a TV show pilot that no one picked up. There was no "safer" bet there was "please god love this kids!" to "fuck they hate it! save us Kenner!" funny enough there was a loot of push back to the idea of going back to the old style O-ring figures in the 2000s because it would highlight just how stupid the teams were in the 90s that all these new scales and styles were just a bad idea from the tried and true Joe vs Cobra 4(ish) inch figures with vehicles.Random note but this happens a lot in toy companies where egos will just destroy brands for decades because some team lead or higher up just refuses to think their idea was a bad one.
>>11911535yellow amogos
I hate 5poa. I hate pre-posed figures. I hate gimmicks that impact the posing and articulation. But these guys look rad as fuck.
>>11913893I think the winning ticket would've been to bring this level of sculpt to the O-ring style. Even sizing up the O-ring figure scale. The big weakness of the Classic Joe figures was that they began to look too soft in the 90s.
>>11913893You think super 7 is working on these?
>>11911874Kind of looks like he's battling the dolphins kek
>>11913268>>11913281>>11913586shame too cause the Sgt Savage pilot video is some wonderfully wacky mid 90's stuff;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnSLqMU_0PQ
>>11911535there are fans who like that shit but it's literally when the line started to fade into obscurity.
>>11913893the cartoon wasn't bad if you can uncover a version that doesn't have shitty video quality
>>11913268I think Extreme and Sgt Savage might have had more of a chance if they'd carried over even just a few of the core characters that fans knew instead of making such a clean break from the past. Though it's entirely possible that it would have still been a situation like New Adventures of He-Man where it was too much of a change for the old fanbase, and too soon a relaunch to attract a new one.>>11913587The two waves of Sgt Savage toys and the apparently single wave of Extreme were all released in 1995, which makes it look like Hasbro must have decided to pull the plug on Sgt Savage before it even had a chance on shelves. The single Sgt Savage cartoon episode was only available on a video tape packed with one of the figures, no idea if you're right about them trying to get it broadcast on TV and failing, but either way that's all it got in terms of tie-in fiction aside from two mini-comics that were packed with figures. Hasbro did get the actual Joe Kubert to draw those comics thoughever.In contrast, Extreme got more of a push with a comic mini from Dark Horse, followed up by a second volume in 1996 that was meant to be ongoing, but also ended at #4 when Hasbro pulled the plug on Extreme, but it also had a 2-season cartoon that lasted into 1996, the comics and cartoon were meant to support the planned 2nd wave of toys that were in development, but they ended up outliving the toys.Sgt Savage himself got carried over into Extreme though.>>11913957Whatever else is said about GI Joe Extreme, Iron Klaw was a really cool villain design and I doubt many people would object to him getting added as a villain to regular GI Joe, especially when compared to the OCs the Classified design team has been coming up with.
>>11913570Having not grown up with 90's Joe in any of it's variations, everything they released that decade just grips my imagination in ways modern toys havent for the better part of decades now. While I still believe Hasbro fumbled ARAH nightmarishly, there's alot about Extreme and Savage that click with me. You'd think they would have found footing somewhere. They're effectively hasbro's ripoffs of X-force and the Gamma Corps respectively. >>11913586All they did back in the day was take risks. I recognize your grander point but frankly that's part of the appeal for me. That said I wish the Savage vehicles had seen more reuse. There's just so much going on in that toyline, sad it didnt pan out. Ofcourse both options are far preferable to the slog of failure we've been dealt for the past twenty years now. Why they slept on the o-ring nostalgia in the late 2010's I'll never understand. They fumbled that TF crossover so hard too. For the love of god somebody get Gi Joe in better hands. >>11913587What other examples can you name? MOTU and Gi Joe seem like the poster children of that sad phenomenon.
>>11913893I picked up the camo Savage for the express purpose of making a Kenner styled John Matrix to pit against my Terminators. I cant recommend these guys enough. Even the preposed ones just radiate passion in a way most boy's lines havent in a long time. The vehicles, from what I've seen, seemed prime for reuse aswell. If their aliens 3 line hadnt skewed towards adult collectors I can imagine alot of extreme floating that line.>>11914022Oh you're preaching to the choir. What I've seen of Extreme also won me over fast. Odd that neithet hasbro nor shout! have attempted to clean up Extreme and get it back out there. You'd thing the streaming revenue alone would make the venture worthwhile, but nowadays even MASK has disappeared from streaming.>>11914031At this point part of me wonder how things would have fared if Extreme and Savage alike had been introduced in the DIC series. Think of a red sky tmnt equivalent to Gi Joe.
>>11914037>MOTU and Gi Joe seem like the poster children of that sad phenomenon.Transformers is well documented of waves of that short of infighting several youtube channels even ones that don't focus on toys and cartoons have noted that due to the infamy of the stories like how in 2010 Bill Rawley was just insentient of things like Green Optimus Prime and how much they needed to make all the products one large connected story and the damage that had on the brand for the next five years. >>11914039>had been introduced in the DIC seriesThe DC series quality was at all time lows by those points anon, they were also getting somewhat exploitive with licensors in how they honor their agreements such as getting the agreed upon amount of episodes of GIJoe by having back to back clipshow recaps as the last two episodes. There is a reason Hasbro didn't use them again.
Eco warriors wasn't that bad. EW Toxo Viper was the best version of the troop AND gave us the very the first Zombie figure in the GI Joe line. Plus Cesspool is a pretty popular figure in his own right.The Joe side did get totally screwed. Flint's figure was decent but Ozone and Clean Sweep were utter dog shit. We should have gotten a hazmat version of Lady Jaye, a new Airtight and maybe a new Crankcase for an EW vehicle for the Joes based on the AWE Striker but with a water gun canon.
>>11914111Ozone wasn't dogshit. And got some near recolours too. Never had Clean Sweep, but I don't see the problem with him.
>>11911535I dont think that they look bad. And they thought a gimmick will bring the kids back.
>>11914337
>>11914337>he's in the machine for your good, not his
>>11914346>the machine>dolphinUh oh, Ecco flashbacks.
>>11914337The Septic Tank kicks so much ass
>>11914346Lol
>>11914385But the nozzle is limp?
>>11914337I'm not big into GI Joe but i think these look fucking awesome. It's like if 90's super soakers got accompanying action figures. You know, besides this guy.
>>11914546It wins me over on looks alone
>>11914579Oh fuck, I forgot all about this guy. I remember seeing him on store shelves and being completely baffled by the very concept.
>>11911874I never had this version of Deep Six, might need to find one loose for cheap.
>>11913893I still hate these pre posed figures too, they dint balance well and obviously you are very limited with how you can actually play with them. Yeah they might look really cool but they aren't much for play
>>11914337>those day-glow flourescent colorsDamn that looks bad.
>>11915065yeah but it's the 90s, so 'bad' means 'good'
>>11914339I love how this artwork confirms the Toxo-Zombies can operate complex machinery, and can take pleasure in the misfortune of others.
>>11912092>he didn't have a dry box to dehumidfy his g.i. joes
>>11913217What was the issue with killer whales? Wasn't Free Willy popular around this time?
>>11916113Killer whales have been controversial for decades thanks to Sea World and their horrible treatment of them.
>>11913347Toxo-Viper v2 was such a cool figure. Definitely makes the top 5 viper list.
>>11916117Oooh, so the concept of G.I. Joe holding one in captivity for military operations. That's silly.
>>11916113From what I remember the suits were made uncomfortable with the word "killer" being on the toy packaging.
>>11916730They could have gone with orca instead
>>11914579wow this is sick
>>11914375We got Sparkster of Rocket Knight Adventures not too long ago. Who owns the rights to Ecco these days? A not-Ecco and not-Vortex Drone would be a fun set of figures for a chink company to do.
>>11914546>"Sorry, Joes, but I'm not here to shoot the shit. Oh wait, YES I AM!"
>>11916770I guess they didnt think that far ahead. Really, it was such a waste of that sculpt aswell. How I miss aggressive buddy accessories.
>>11917035SEGA owns the IP, but has an agreement with the original team to develop new content. I believe they're making at least a new collection of the original games.I'd love to get a quality dolphin figure, ecco being the ideal.
>>11917035It's still Sega but because Sega went bankrupt twice and is now entirely out-of-touch japs none of their good IPs will ever get used. Or at least not in a way worth mentioning, looks at phantasy star, vomits
>>11916730Kinda odd. "Killer" whales? That's not appropriate for children's toys. Toxic waste zombies? Approved!
>>11914546>90s the concept of spewing sewage water is a villianous contamination>2020s regulations are changed so that sewage water can be used more freely on cropsHmmmm.
>>11917121In the 90s we thought "acid rain" was going to melt skyscrapers, sizzle em right away as we watched
>>11917060I'd like a quality female dolphin toy if you're picking up what I'm laying down
>>11917135Shit was nuts. According to 90s "educational" media acid rain was a literal superacid downpour, and the dissipation of the ozon layer meant that short term exposure to direct sunlight would kill you like some kind of vampire. But by giving you terminal cancel. The environment is important, but this was pure fearmongering. And it's not like we were passing policies or had a say in them. We were just the masses.
>>11917121In the 90s didn't have open borders importing millions of people to make droughts a hundred times worse, forcing us to settle for lower quality of water to accomodate the forced population growth that's above what nature can provide for on its own.
>>11918872>>11917135Acid rain does accelerate building erosion. It effects stone mroeso than anything else, though.
>>11918872>the dissipation of the ozon layer meant that short term exposure to direct sunlight would kill you like some kind of vampire. But by giving you terminal canceli live in australia, one of the countries most affected by the hole in the ozone layer, and given the number of people i know/have known who have been diagnosed with skin cancer the depiction may be extreme in the short term but can be more allegorical than is comfortable in the long term
>>11918957Our wireless realm for phone and internet is all microwaves. The more of it we have and the higher the energy levels for 3G, 4G, and 5G, the more microwaves there are all around us. It's not quite th same microwaves used for cooking burritos, but we're still surrounded by and slow-cooked by microwaves 24/7. That's a HUGE factor for the rise in skin cancer as well as other types. No one likes talking about that because of how dependent we've become on our phones and internet.
>>11919030Mate, take your cooked garbage and fuck off. Your horse shit might work on crunchy granola shit lib grandmas and dozen bumper sticker libertarians but I've seen too many people get diagnosed and treated to tolerate it . My dad, and many of his coworkers and friends, didn't spend over 20 years getting melanomas removed from from their face, arms and legs because of mobile phones
>>11914039Looking at the Extreme toys again, I like a lot of the 90s designs, and some of the vehicles look cool, but I can see why people weren't happy with the limited articulation, as being really well articulated figures in comparison to everything else was always a big deal for earlier GI Joe toys.I wonder if it would have helped to carry over some of the old cast, instead of creating Lt Stone, Black Dragon, Mayday and Freight, use Duke, Snake Eyes, Scarlett and Roadblock, maybe Joe Colton instead of Sgt Savage.
>>11920641Yeah I know exactly what you're getting at. It was just a far cry from ARAH. Pivoting to riding X-men's coat tails when legacy fans just wanted more meathead military action probably didnt help things. Part of me still believes Extreme would have had stronger legs as an original IP, but then again I love Sgt Savage and he didnt fare any better than Extreme did even with the ARAH articulation. GI JOE just seems destined to languish in failed reimaginings.
>>11911535Someone thought yellow and green was a great color combo and went balls deep with it. (Looks like my diabetes riddled yellow piss and by gross green snot mixed together)
>>11911535Just leftist losers training children to hate and fear Nuclear power so the coal and oils companies are protected. (Toys are made with plastic made from oil) https://youtu.be/Ni2Vr7T0XUE?is=tpUvzHOfqiCJSsvK
