G.I. Joe is a line of military-themed articulated "action figures" produced by Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces with the Action Soldier (Army), Action Sailor (Navy), Action Pilot (Air Force) and Action Marine (USMC). The G.I. Joe trademark has been used by Hasbro to title two different toy lines. The original 12-inch line begun in 1964 centered around realistic soldier action figures. This line was known as Action Man, and later Action Force in the United Kingdom, which evolved into a separate entity. In 1982, the line was relaunched in a 3 3/4-inch scale complete with vehicles, playsets, and a complex background story involving an ongoing struggle between the G.I. Joe Team and the evil Cobra Organization. This franchise has spawned numerous media properties such as comics, cartoons and films.
