A lot of us have stories of kids going to TRU and seeing them know a little of joe lore etc,

but what I saw today convinced me that the movie will basically put joe back on the map regardless of how newer generations will like it.

I teach and am a camp counselor.

Today during our physical activities, I saw one kid go to another who he is friendly with,

"Hey lets play, I am Snake Eyes, and you are that other white ninja guy."

Of course I explained how that "other guy" was Storm Shadow, and then was basically flooded with 20,000 questions on why "if they are brothers they are fighting,"

After for the past few weeks (since some of the older campers know I am a Joe nut) being bombarded with questions on the movie and what I think about it and will I like it etc.

Seriously . KIDS PLAYING AND PRETENDING TO BE JOES? How many of us thought this idea obsolete even 1 year ago? Maybe 2?

Its all the movie. It has to be. The commercials did it, and the movie will probably follow suit.

Tell me that isn't too cool for words?

Now sure after the fact I had to get into a discussion about how Snake Eyes would destroy Luke and the Joes Star Wars, once they got that anti-force matter from the EU, but even so,

Joe has made a ton of inroads towards getting regular kid "joes" interested in them again, if kids are actually doing that (they may have before btw).

Tomorrow I will give the kid a Snake Eyes fig for being a decent kid (though he does like to pick fights and pull little pranks. Plus he takes Karate, but yea, I digress).

What ya think guys?

Isn't that super cool?

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I was at Target today and saw a kid who was about 6 get super excited at the Snake Eyes mask and sword set, so yeah I think the young'uns are buying into it.

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Yup and THIS is why even if you think the movie sucks you should still be excited that they made it.

This is GI Joe's big break. It's going to introduce a whole new audience to the GI Joe mythos. More fans = better sales = nicer product and more leverage for the Joe design team.

It's a total win.

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Ever since the ROC toys dropped and more trailers are shown on tv, every time I go on a Joe hunt(which is almsot daily) the toy aisle's have been crowded with kids & parents checking out the toys and talking about how they can't wait for the movie. First time since the 25th Joe's came out, that I've actually had competion buying Joe's. Even my own kids are really pupmed up for GI Joe as I've been trynig to get them into Joe since the 25th line came out.

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My 5-year-old is so excited about this movie...and so is my 22-year-old sister. She's gone as far as demanding that we go see it on release day. I joked with her that the only reason she wanted to see it was for the guys. She then told me that she'd been watching all the trailers and checking out info on Joe on the net. Made me smile a bit. This coming from one of the two sisters that insisted Barbie and Joe were boyfriends and girlfriends when they were little.

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I've seen kids excited over the toys, but I've also seen parents steer their kids away from the G.I.Joe stuff and make them look at Transformers. "Those don't do anything, these change into a robot. You like robots". Almost exactly word for word from parent to parent. Actually it's over in the yuppie section of town with the soccer moms and their kids that I hear this. I figure that'll change when the "in thing" is to like G.I.Joe after next week.

But yeah I am seeing kids looking at the stuff and wanting some of it. Mostly the dress up stuff and the pretend play (water gun, comlink, etc.). Accelerator suit Duke does look like he's selling to some degree.

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Agreed. I loathe this movie, but at the same time I'm ecstatic that kids are discovering GI Joe again. I honestly can't imagine growing up without playing GI Joe.

Timeout. Shreveport has a yuppie side of town? What do they do, go on sprees at the outlet mall's banana republic? Get a babysitter for the evening and go chug some at the blind tiger? Sorry, i just found this fascinating for some reason since i've never heard this side of shreveport before.

And sadly I haven't seen any parents with kids buying the joes, but I have seen parents loading up on toys (not just the figures, but the more kid-friendly stuff like that green suit duke figure)...and, *gasp* some have been non-caucasians! So yeah I'm getting stoked that it will do well, and that parents will at least let their kids see the movie.

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Kids pretending to be Joes!
HA! Seems like the movie will have a very positive effect on a new generation.

Nice!

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Well from a Canadian perspective...and even then I'm limiting that to my watering holes - the local Wal*Marts and TRU around here - I do see more parents/kids in the toy aisle. What kinda has me scratching my head though is that all these stores have the ROC units displayed on islands, and the overflow in the toy aisle. I'm not a huge fan of the island display because the shelves are tightly spaced for the carded figures and I haven't seen any kid stand there reaching through the shelves for a fig. The parents/kids I've seen go straight to the toy aisle and look at Bakugon lol.

The TRU at 7 & Yonge (Pete should know that one!) has a nice LCD presentation on the history of G.I. Joe and movie clips - great marketing. And I think TRU did well with their recent sale on alpha vehicles and figures (which ended up costing what normal 25th would cost). However it looks like the Night Chicken will be our new Big Ben/White Out packs from 2000

It's irrelevant if I like the movie or not, but they are pushing the marketing and I can appreciate that. After the last 9 years of half-assness for this brand, it's nice to see some dollars being invested in G.I. Joe again.

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My local Wal-Mart has been Joeless for years (and still is, unfortunately) but when I asked the person working toys, she actually complained that she hadn't received anything from corporate yet because there were kids in there every day asking for Joe stuff... it's awesome.

Justin

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Yeah if you're familar with the area, it's the Youree Drive, Broadmoor area of town. As soon as you get in that area you start seeing the soccer bumper stickers, the "my kid plays ___", and all the usual yuppie stuff. All of course stuck to a massive SUV. Not to be political, but you'd never see an Obama sticker or anything Democratic on the back of a vehicle there unless they came from another area of town. More Starbucks than you'd ever think to see. 3 of the Starbucks are right across the street from each other. Yeah if you drove up in that area you'd see what I mean.

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Oh that's not a cool story, that's a super ultra mega cool story!

I know everyone isn't happy about every change, heck I'm still not too happy with Cobra Commander myself so far. But I think it's cool that not only will kids in the US be playing GI Joe but now that anyone from any nation can be part of the Joe team we will have kids world wide playing GI Joe.

Not just things by the script but you know how kids are so they will be making up their own adventures as well. Really it's hard to ask for more than that because it's so cool that kids now will have the same gateway to imagination that we had even if Joe and Cobra had to be changed around a bit for the times.

Guess it doesn't hurt that I'm all excited about the movie myself. I mean I still love the old chapters of GI Joe but there is just something exciting about a new chapter and getting to explore familiar characters again like it was the very first time. It's just like being a kid again except comic books were cheaper and easier to come by, but after no movie related toys I wanted it's like being a kid seeing so many GI Joe and Cobra figures I want on the toy shelves again.

Another good sign: non-Joe 3-3/4"-4" military-themed lines are seeming to make a resurgence. Rather than just the standard The Corps! or Forces of Valor stuff, other lines are hitting. Today I was in Target and saw a line called Fearless Force or something like that. Snagged a few of them for fodder. Joe-scaled AND it has a back-story (some time in the near future, global war, mysterious gang of baddies emerges, only one force can stop them...) I don't know, something about seeing that reminded me of the '80's with Joes, Remco, The Corps!, etc all being on the shelves.

lol. nah, just old job had a call center/support office around downtown somewhere.

anyway yeah i noticed the knockoff line today too and more kids & parents clamoring for the figures. if only someone at hasbro had listened a few years ago....wait, then we would've gotten valor vs. venom never-ending. way to have better timing on this, hasbro.

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