Types of G.I. Joes

1964-1969

• G.I. Joe debuted in 1964. The prototypes for these toys were called Rocky, Skip and Ace, nicknames for marines, sailors and pilots. The universal name of G.I. Joe (grunt infantry) was introduced before the line went to market. The initial figures had a trademark on the right buttock and the accidental placement of the thumbnail on the underside of the thumb.

Adventure Team

• The adventure team was released in 1970 and continued through 1976. Hasbro sought to minimize the war aspect of the toy during this time and introduced clothing with less of a military influence, as well as a new "AT" logo, which stands for adventure team. Hasbro also introduced its first African-American G.I. Joe and a realistic hair material rather than the earlier molded type.

Stars and Stripes Forever

• In 1997 and 1998, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of G.I. Joe, a set of classic figures from the line's past were introduced exclusively for Toys R Us. The figures bore the features of the original figures.

Real American Hero

• From 1982 to 1994 Hasbro produced the Real American Hero line in 3 1/4 inch scale, a new size of the G.I. Joe figures, which were originally 12 inches high. Hasbro stopped production of this smaller size in 1994 and released some of the higher-selling smaller figures in the original 12-inch size.

Re-Issues and Media Tie-Ins

• In 2000, Hasbro reissued 3 3/8-inch G.I. Joe figures and some vehicles. The line lasted until 2002. Between 2007 and 2009, Hasbro issued newly designed and sculpted 4-inch figures. In 2009, the Resolute figures were introduced to coincide with the release of the "G.I. Joe" animated series. In 2009, the Rise of the Cobra G.I. Joe line was introduced to go along with the movie of the same name.