G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Season 1 title screen
Format	Animated television series
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	140
Production
Running time	30 min.
Broadcast
Original channel	First-run syndication
Original run	September 16, 1985 – November 21, 1986
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a half-hour American animated television series based on the successful toyline from Hasbro and the comic book series from Marvel Comics. The cartoon had its beginnings with two five-part mini-series, then became a regular series that ran in syndication from 1985 to 1986.

Mini-series

The first G.I. Joe cartoon series was produced by Marvel and Sunbow Productions to follow the success of the toyline by Hasbro. G.I. Joe premiered as a five-part mini-series on September 12, 1983, and with the success of that animated introduction, a second mini-series was aired, G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra, on September 10, 1984.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

This five-part pilot mini-series was alternately aired under the title "The MASS Device" during the series' syndication. COBRA steals an experimental teleportation unit, known as the MASS device, which has the ability to transport matter to any global location, using a satellite to relay the teleportation beam. G.I. Joe must stop COBRA by creating a MASS system of their own, but first they'll need to gather the three rare elements that power the device, which consist of radioactive crystals, heavy water found in the depths of the ocean, and fragments from a giant meteorite. The elements are located in three different environments; thus, the story is structured in a way that showcases the Joes and their different specialties.

G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra

COBRA has returned in force, armed with a new weapon created by Destro — the Weather Dominator, which is able to manipulate storm systems. Damaged in a preliminary battle, the device breaks into three pieces which scatter across the world. The G.I. Joe team must recover the pieces before COBRA can reclaim them to rebuild their weather weapon. Noticeably similar in structure to the first mini-series, The Revenge of Cobra has the Joes and COBRA sent to dangerously exotic locations that allow team members to showcase their unique abilities. It also has familiar plot echoes, such as Duke being captured and forced to fight in the Arena of Sport, Destro being the lone COBRA operative to escape the climax, and the same closing dialogue.

Main series

Following those initial two mini-series, the regular series aired in September 16, 1985, debuting with a third five-part story, The Pyramid of Darkness. A public safety lesson was usually featured at the end of each episode, using G.I. Joe characters in brief scenarios to impart safety tips to children. These lessons gave birth to the catchphrase: "And knowing is half the battle."

In each episode's opening title sequence, during which iconic theme song is played, a deep-voiced announcer (famed voice actor Jackson Beck) states that, "G.I. Joe is the code name for America's daring, highly-trained, Special Mission force. Its purpose: To defend human freedom against COBRA, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world."

Because the cartoons were produced as a vehicle to sell the toys, each episode typically focused on a particular G.I. Joe character, giving almost everyone a moment in the spotlight. The animated series was not directly tied to the comic book produced by Marvel Comics, although several concepts, such as the October Guard, Springfield, and Serpentor were all featured in the comic book and the animated series.

Season 2

Season 2 featured WWF professional wrestler made cartoon hero Sgt. Slaughter, who appeared in the five-part season-opener Arise, Serpentor, Arise! The general consensus amongst fans of the G.I. Joe series is that the program reached its peak in its second season with the introductions of Sgt. Slaughter and Serpentor.^[1]

Cancellation

Sunbow's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series ended on November 20 1986 after spanning a total of 95 episodes. For various reasons, Sunbow Productions did not continue production for a third season and the company folded. Despite G.I. Joe's success, no other studio offered to produce.

Other G.I. Joe series

In 1989, DIC Entertainment produced a second G.I. Joe series, starting with a 5-part mini-series titled Operation: Dragonfire. Despite mixed reaction from fans, a regular series was broadcast in 1990, also lasting for two seasons to yield 44 episodes.

The next few years, various cartoon tie-ins to the G.I. Joe franchise were released but they had no bearing on the A Real American Hero mythology. Former ARAH Executive in Charge of Production Lee Gunther's new studio Gunther-Wahl Productions was contracted and created a new series titled G.I. Joe Extreme in 1996 featuring new characters and villains. As with the 1985 and 1990 series, this series was distributed by Claster.

Suspension of Disbelief

The series entails suspension of disbelief in that neither G.I. Joe nor Cobra characters are seriously injured despite routinely engaging in all-out battles with laser rifles and heavy weapons, with a requisite story device of all characters ejecting to safety from doomed vehicles. In the few cases where characters are hurt (such as Duke), others react with shocked disbelief. Apart from the "deactivation" of synthoid agents and Cobra B.A.T.'s being blown apart, no character of either Joe or Cobra was ever shown killed during the course of the series. Physical fighting, however, was shown in heavy abundance.

Films

Main article: G.I. Joe: The Movie

G.I. Joe: The Movie was released direct-to-video on April 20, 1987. G.I. Joe: The Movie was intended as a theatrical release to be closely followed by Transformers: The Movie. However, the G.I. Joe film encountered unexpected production delays which allowed the Transformers feature to be released first. Due to the poor box office performances of the Transformers film and the My Little Pony film, G.I. Joe: The Movie was relegated to direct-to-video status before later being split into a 5-part mini-series for television syndication.

1994 saw a direct-to-video release for Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles.

In 2003, Reel FX Creative Studio produced a cartoon based on A Real American Hero. Although it was only a direct-to-video CGI movie, G.I. Joe: Spy Troops managed to spawn a second movie, G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom, in 2004. Any planned follow-ups, however, have been shelved to make way for Hasbro's latest incarnation in the G.I. Joe universe, G.I. Joe: Sigma 6. Although Sigma 6 is superficially connected to A Real American Hero, its continuity is self-contained and Hasbro is not expected to return to A Real American Hero.

Voice cast

Alternate titles

In foreign broadcast, the series was renamed:

• Action Force (UK title)
• Chijô Saikyô no Expert Team G.I. Joe (Japanese title)
• כח המחץ (Koach HaMahatz) (Israeli title)

See also

• List of G.I. Joe episodes
• G.I. Joe
• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
• G.I. Joe (comic)
• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1989 TV series)
• G.I. Joe Extreme
• G.I. Joe: Sigma 6
• G.I. Joe casualties

References

1. ^ G.I. Joe - General Comments in G in in Jump The Shark

External links

• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (miniseries) at the Internet Movie Database
• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero at the Internet Movie Database
• G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra at the Internet Movie Database
• G.I. Joe: Arise, Serpentor, Arise! at the Internet Movie Database

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