G.I. Joe Classified Series

Just so everyone is aware I grabbed them on my way to Oklahoma for a work meeting and I should be back early Friday to ship them out. Driving today so I may not be very responsive. Just didn't want anyone to think I've ghosted them.
 
My Walmart just updated its Classified pegs but they are still a wave or two behind. At this rate maybe Crystal will show up on the pegs around December. Thankfully he will just be an impulse buy if I ever see him in the wild. A little frustrating that some stores are getting good stocks of him and other stores like the ones around me are months behind.
 
My Crystal Ball order is still in the "preparing" stage. Along with Spirit Spider.

You would think they would fill preorders first and then send stock to stores...
 
Well, dang.
Crystal Ball AND my Combat Armor CC order from a couple days ago have actually shipped! Spirit Spider too.
Of course these are all significantly more recent orders than the original orders for the exclusives, which are all canceled/delayed. Makes no sense.
 
Going back a little to the discussion about what other non-vintage figures could be added to the line to mix it up and pad it out.

There’s a choice that’s bound to be a little polarizing, but what about current athletes?

Just like getting Sgt Slaughter and the Fridge in the old line, they could always do a current day football player or wrestler.

Really first one to come to mind is CM Punk. Very popular wrestler, who’s already set up to be in Cobra with his Cobra shoulder tattoo and Arashikage forearm tattoo. John Cena’s also always been vaguely military themed, but he’s crossing into movie star status and might be harder to sign for a one-off GI Joe deal.

Trying to think of any NFL players who would be widely liked enough to appeal to the most number of people. That 80’s Bears team was so popular, it doesn’t feel like they have a modern equivalent.
 
Boy Wonder said:
Really first one to come to mind is CM Punk. Very popular wrestler, who’s already set up to be in Cobra with his Cobra shoulder tattoo and Arashikage forearm tattoo. John Cena’s also always been vaguely military themed, but he’s crossing into movie star status and might be harder to sign for a one-off GI Joe deal.
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Regardless of what I'll say below; even entertaining this idea makes these two probably a hard no. CM Punk is not only currently getting action figures from Mattel, but also works for WWE that jealously guard things like merchandising of their 'brands.' Which, for them, means people. There's basically no way I see Punk getting an action figure outside of the Mattel WWE line until he retires and gets a Legends contract. And I don't see Hasbro wanting to do it because of the Mattel connection.

Cena has the same 'works for WWE' problem for the moment - but maybe not too much longer. The other potential problem is that he's got an ongoing DC show and the DC licensing is going to, you guessed it, Mattel. So again, Hasbro would be in a position of putting a guy Mattel has double-rights to make action figures of into their own action figure line.

Now, if you've ever wanted to see Seth Rollins as a Ninja Turtle, I've got fuckin' news for you.....



Boy Wonder said:
There’s a choice that’s bound to be a little polarizing, but what about current athletes?
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Absolutely not. The last thing I want is any more 'celebrity cameos' in G.I. Joe. We're very lucky that Sgt. Slaughter never really became super problematic. Can you imagine if instead of Slaughter the big name for Joe had been Hogan? My god, ew. Especially now when so many different celebrities are so divisive in one direction or another, it's a recipe for disaster, in my book. Or at least even more endless online arguing.

If anything, I'd love to see popular -characters- become Joes. Imagine if Hasbro convinced the Big Movie Business Guys to let them Joe-ify John Wick or Rambo? Yes, played by real celebrities, but with that level of separation that they're engaging with the character, not the actor. Or actual Classified versions of the original Predator team?
 
I mean, Hasbro attempted an entire line based around current athletes, so they obviously have no issue with attaching their brand to them.

Now would Steph Curry in a flak vest with a machine gun sell better than him in basketball gear? I can’t say.

Now what I can say is that obviously we all have different interests in what we’ll buy. I have zero interest in anyone from modern comics. Didn’t get Helix, Shooter, or the red haired ninja guy. But would I buy CM Punk or Jalen Hurts (Go Birds) in army fatigues? Absolutely.
 
For pro athletes I initially thought Ray Lewis would fit the bill - Hall of Famer, very famous - of course theres the complicating fact that he probably murdered a guy 25 years ago - so no.

Travis Kelce is ubiquitous enough that I could see him agreeing to do it if he were asked. He's been doing a lot of acting, he's got a high profile and stature even beyond NFL circles.

As for Baseball players.. Aaron Judge? H e could be called Slugger - they used the name previously for a tank, but we're not likely to get that specidlfic vehicle in classified, so repurpose the name...

And i bet theres a ton of NBA players that would jump at the chamce to be Joes. Shaq would push everyone out of the way trying to he the front of that line.
 
Boy Wonder said:
I mean, Hasbro attempted an entire line based around current athletes, so they obviously have no issue with attaching their brand to them.
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I would argue there's a degree of separation there. Then, you're just making an action figure of a real person in their real uniform, kind of devoid of endorsement. If we're making action figures of the people on this team, these are the guys we make because they are factually the guys on this team. The same way Mattel makes action figures of wrestlers because they are the active or past wrestlers for that promotion. There's not necessarily a subtext of endorsement to who they are.

When you take a real guy out of that context and turn him into a hero character in your world - that IS an endorsement. It reads very differently.


Boy Wonder said:
But would I buy CM Punk or Jalen Hurts (Go Birds) in army fatigues? Absolutely.
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Mattel actually did a CM Punk figure in his G.I. Joe attire, remember? That was cool. Would I buy a CM Punk in Classified? Yeah, I would. But I don't think you'll convince me it's necessarily a good idea, or smart for Hasbro, or something that would ever work with all the licensing rights.


PantherCult said:
Travis Kelce is ubiquitous enough that I could see him agreeing to do it if he were asked. He's been doing a lot of acting, he's got a high profile and stature even beyond NFL circles.
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Can. You. Fucking. Imagine.
Like, his relationship with Tay-tay already has right-wingers losing their minds. If he became a Joe, HissTank would fucking explode or have to make even more new rules about what you can and cannot talk about.
 
Not to yuck anyone's yum, but the only thing real people as GI Joes would do for me is save me money. I already feel just a bit dicey buying movie figures of real people. But hey, if it makes Hasbro money and lets them make more cool weird Joes stuff no harm there.
 
Sonny Landham lived in the town I went to college at. I can see if anyone I know has intel on his next of kin.

NECA had a hell of a time even making the couple Predator figures that they did, but it does have me thinking about some similar figures I’d buy, of the pre-Joe era Stalker, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow,and their little team. Done up in their Vietnam style gear.
 
Maybe a 2-pack.

TG-shaq-homepage-xl.png
 
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