1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: Hey everyone, it's Josh and for this week's s Y 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: s K Selects, I've chosen a partial history of Action Figures, 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: our episode from November two thousand sixteen, and it is 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: a really, really in depth look at action figures. I mean, 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: we talked about different types of plastic molding for goodness sake, 6 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: but it's also chuck full with nostalgia and good feelings 7 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,080 Speaker 1: and lots of warm memories between me and Chuck about 8 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: our childhood's playing with action figures. So I hope you 9 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: enjoy it. We certainly did, so you should too. Welcome 10 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: to Stuff you should know, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey, 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, and there's 12 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: Charles W. Chuck Bryant. Jerry's right there to my immediate right, 13 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: and that makes this stuff you should know, the podcast, 14 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: the podcasts. That's right. I'm excited it about this particular 15 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: podcast Chuck put together this episode. I should say, well, 16 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: do you want to go ahead and announce the title 17 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 1: for the people that maybe didn't read it, it is, uh, well, 18 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: you you're going to select the title. It's the title. 19 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: Oh geez, I don't know, um everything you ever wanted 20 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: to know about. Actually some stuff about action figures that 21 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: you may already know, and some stuff that made the 22 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: light you well that's a working title. Huh yeah. Yeah, 23 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: but we're talking about action figures. That's the point of 24 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: of what I think that exercise just was. Yeah, I 25 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: was gonna say everything you wanted to know, but this, 26 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:40,759 Speaker 1: I mean, we could do there. I'm sure there are 27 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: entire podcasts on action figures, for sure. And if you do, 28 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: if you have a podcast on action figures right in, 29 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: let us know, we'll we'll tweet it out for the 30 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: people whose boat this floated. This this one definitely follows 31 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: in the vein of um the Barbie episode, which I 32 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: have to say is one of my par Neil favorites. 33 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: I love the Barbie episode. Yeah, and Barbie actually makes 34 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: an appearance in this one. Do you like to play 35 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: with dolls? Uh? I like to play with action figures. 36 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: I played with barbies. I had older sisters, so like 37 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: I was, I played with Barbie's whether I wanted to 38 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: or not, So I made the most of it. But 39 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: I don't remember my sister having Barbies, but surely she did, right. Yeah, 40 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: she was a girl in America from the sixties on. Yes, 41 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: she had a Barbie. Oh no, my sister grew up 42 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: in the Soviet Union. Oh well, there you go. She 43 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: had um Martina. There probably wasn't Martina. But I mean 44 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: that was a pretty good episode. And this one's kind 45 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,799 Speaker 1: of similar. It's it's got it all and like I said, 46 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: Barbie kind of pops up in the beginning. She actually 47 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: inspired action figures um like basically directly when when Mattel 48 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: I think it was Ruth Handler who invented the Barbie doll, right, yes, 49 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: and when she when she and Mattel released it. It 50 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: was just a huge, enormous hit. And one of the 51 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: big reasons Barbie was number one such a hit and 52 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,119 Speaker 1: number two so appealing to toy companies was that when 53 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 1: you bought a Barbie, you're buying experience wasn't over. There 54 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: were always like more clothes and shoes, and like my 55 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: sister had the pool that you could hang out with 56 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,639 Speaker 1: and it had like a shower that actually worked. There's 57 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: just a ton of extra stuff to buy, and so 58 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: when you bought a Barbie, you wanted all the other 59 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: stuff too, and toy companies wanted to figure out how 60 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: to do that with boys toys, but they just couldn't 61 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: quite figure it out because no one had ever come 62 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: up with a doll for boys. And that's kind of 63 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: what it required, was coming up with a doll for boys, 64 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: and no one had cracked that nut. But Barbie made 65 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: the whole thing all the more appealing. I guess. Yeah. Finally, 66 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: this dude name Stan Weston who actually knew Miss Handler 67 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: and uh, he was in the toy racket, and um, 68 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: I guess I shouldn't call it a racket. It's a 69 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: bit of a recket. It's a bit of a recket. 70 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: So he said, like you were talking about, like, you know, 71 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: there's tons of money to be made here. Uh. He 72 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: was a military history buff and so he had this, 73 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: you know, the light bulb went off over his head, 74 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: and he says, what if we could come up with 75 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: a soldier doll, or perhaps even a series of soldier dolls? Uh, 76 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: and maybe not call them dolls. Actually he didn't, he 77 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: didn't come up with the name. To be fair. His 78 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 1: boss at Hasbro VP Don Levine or Levine. Uh. In 79 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,039 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty three, he was pitched this idea and he 80 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: went nuts over it. And he's the one that said 81 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: maybe we should call them action figures, right, yeah. Stan 82 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: Weston approached um uh uh yeah, Don Levine at like 83 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: that toy fair and said, I got a great idea, 84 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 1: and apparently he gave him a hundred thousand dollars just 85 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 1: for the idea, and then he he since he worked 86 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: with Hasbro, He's like, guys, I've I've got a good 87 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:01,280 Speaker 1: idea here. So that roughly translates into about seven hundred 88 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: and eighty two thousand dollars in today money, which is 89 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 1: good though for an idea. But of course, anytime you're 90 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: the schmuck that comes up with the idea that you 91 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 1: sell for even seven hundred and eighty two grand and 92 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: it goes on to be like hundreds of millions of 93 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: dollar business, you probably always kind of feel like I 94 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: got taken for a ride a little bit. I'm sure 95 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,719 Speaker 1: Stan Weston was like, I'll have millions of good ideas 96 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: like these that I can sell for seven hundred and 97 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,599 Speaker 1: eighty thousand dollars a piece. I'm sure he may have. Yeah, 98 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's certainly not one like G I Joe. Right, Well, 99 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: that's what we've been talking about. We've talked about G 100 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: I Joe a lot on this show, so, uh, it 101 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,839 Speaker 1: feels appropriate that we sort of go down that rabbit hole. 102 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: We're gonna be talking about action figures. Well, so, well, yeah, 103 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:51,799 Speaker 1: because G I Joe is the one that started, literally 104 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:56,040 Speaker 1: started the action figure craze. Every action figure that's out there, 105 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 1: from like um Action Jesus to uh to the Marvel 106 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: Superhero Action figures to every action figure came from G 107 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: I Joe. And if you want to get feminist about it, 108 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:13,040 Speaker 1: every action figure, including G I Joe, ultimately came from Barbie. Yeah, 109 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: it's a good way to look at it. So, uh, 110 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: all right, here's the deal that I never knew. G 111 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: I Joe uh debuted in nine before Christmas. It's almost 112 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: as if they had planned that. Uh the original. I 113 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,599 Speaker 1: knew all this stuff. The original was twelve inches and 114 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: had twenty one moving parts. And the thing I did 115 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: not know was that G I Joe was the collective 116 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:41,839 Speaker 1: name of all four of these Armed Forces dolls. You 117 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: didn't know that. I thought the guy was Joe. No, 118 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 1: the the for my era, the guy, the main guy 119 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,960 Speaker 1: was Duke, and for your era, the main guy was Rocky. Well, 120 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,720 Speaker 1: it depends on which one you had. Okay, so that 121 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: was that was Rocky was the Army and the Marines. 122 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 1: Skip Skip was the Navy guy, and Ace was the 123 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: Air Force guy, the fighter pilot. Right, So they they 124 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: ran out of names after name three, circle back to Rocky. 125 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: They ran out of names. And they all were identical 126 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: except for their clothing. Yeah, as far as I know, right, didn't. 127 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: Wasn't their head different? Was the same? Was it the 128 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: same face for each one? It was literally just their 129 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 1: clothes were different. You know, I don't know. I'm going 130 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: for my own memory, which is that they were all 131 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: the same dude, and they were all Franco Harris. Well, well, no, 132 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: well they came up with an African American when at 133 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: one point in the sixties I think, yeah, yeah, they 134 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: changed with the times. But to my recollection, those original dudes, 135 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: and maybe I got in on the second wave. Maybe 136 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: the original sixties ones were different, but I only knew 137 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: Franco Harris, I got you, So maybe I just had Rocky. 138 00:07:55,680 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: Maybe so Rocky or Rocky which one? Yeah, Rocky not Rocky. 139 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: So um, they come out with this this toy and 140 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: it's the first one of the big differences with G I. 141 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: Joe because there were toy soldiers before. But did you 142 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: ever have those like little plastic ones, a little plastic 143 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: green men. You dump them out of the bucket and 144 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: one had a bazooka and he was always the best one. 145 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: And but but they were on like little molded plastic 146 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: stands and you couldn't do anything with him except slide 147 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: them around or whatever does have been around forever. Well, 148 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: you could do a lot more with him if you 149 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: had imagination and uh, a lighter and a can of 150 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:38,839 Speaker 1: hair spray. Actually was delighted. It was toy Story right 151 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:42,439 Speaker 1: where they had those those guys come to life. Right. Uh, 152 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,320 Speaker 1: that was like really really cool to me when I 153 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: saw that on screen. Uh, these because you know, like 154 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: you said, you can never move them, so you see 155 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: those little dudes actually come to life was pretty pretty awesome. 156 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: You were like, yeah, I've been dreaming of this day. 157 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: I kinda was thank you. Dream Works. That's where they 158 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: got the name. Was it dream Works or was that Pixar? 159 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 1: Is Pixar right, Probably got it wrong. That's all right, 160 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: it's a Pixar. We're still going to get emails anyway, 161 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: even though we just corrected. They're they're all working dreams, 162 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: So Um, I read this great article called geez what 163 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: was it called? Uh, Now now you know the history 164 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 1: of G I Joe and knowing it as half the 165 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:29,719 Speaker 1: battle from Smithsonian dot com written by Jimmy stamp was 166 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: that his name the Stamper, the Stampster. So UM, I 167 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: didn't realize this, But you can't. You can't copyright a figure, 168 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: like a human figure. So that was sort of an 169 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: issue when people started to do knockoffs of G I Joe. 170 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: But apparently early on in the process, G I Joe 171 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 1: was well known for that scar on his face and 172 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,199 Speaker 1: I didn't even know this. He had an inverted thumbnail. 173 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: And both of these were because of errors in p auction. 174 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: But those flaws were what allowed them to go after 175 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: people for copyright infringement. That's right, that's crazy. Yeah it is, UM, 176 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 1: And yeah, I guess they were. They were natural, like 177 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 1: they didn't plan them or anything like that, but they 178 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: just were happy accidents, I guess. Um. And actually over 179 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: it also elsewhere chuck that UM G I Joe was 180 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 1: so successful as we'll see that by the seventies, UM, 181 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: there were so many knockoffs that Hasbro released its own 182 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: line of knockoffs of cheaply made G I Joes to 183 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: compete with the knockoffs and and dilute their market share. Yeah, 184 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: it was called Defenders, and they were just these really 185 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: cheaply made versions of the big G I Joes. Well, 186 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: it was a huge hit though. Um it says here 187 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 1: that they accounted for almost sixty six percent of Hasbro's 188 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 1: profits in that's insane, That is nuts. And that was 189 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: the year it came out right yeah, like right out 190 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: of the gate. It was a really big deal. And 191 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: again one of the reasons why it was because you 192 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 1: had toy soldiers before, but this guy could move. He 193 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 1: had I think like or twenty nine moving parts, um 194 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: or different parts, and he was articulated so he could 195 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 1: lift up his hand in karate chop you. Although he 196 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: didn't get the kung fu grip until the mid seventies. Yeah, 197 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: that's where I came in. Okay, so he had kung 198 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: fu grip when you knew G I Joe, Uh, yeah, 199 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: very much, gotcha. It was so kung fu right, but 200 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: he still looked like Frank o' harris, but he still 201 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: looked like regulars. Yes. And then the other big innovation 202 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 1: was the was not an innovation at all. It was 203 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: following the Barbie model, but for boys it was it 204 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:40,199 Speaker 1: was that this this doll, which no one called the doll. 205 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: In fact, um, I believe Hasbro wouldn't do business with 206 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: you if you were going to call it a doll. 207 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: As a retailer, they would just be like, well, you 208 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: don't get any g I Jos. This is an action figure. 209 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 1: But on the package itself. And I don't know if 210 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:57,200 Speaker 1: you remember this or not. Um I don't because I 211 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,959 Speaker 1: wasn't born yet. But there were pictures of the other 212 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: dudes and the other outfits you could get. So when 213 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: you bought one g I Joe, you as a kid 214 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: were made immediately aware, whoa, whoa, whoa, there's other g 215 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 1: I Joes out there, and I wanted to collect them all. 216 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 1: Some little kid came up with that collect them all 217 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: phrase just in his little brain. Yeah, some little kid 218 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: named middle age marketing executive Don Levine. So not only that, 219 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:26,200 Speaker 1: but they had, you know, like Barbie, they had all 220 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 1: manner of um other things that you could collect them by. Um. 221 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: I had the had the jet pack, which um you 222 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: would attach to a string to simulate jet packing and 223 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: send flying like between two trees. Uh. And then I 224 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: had the uh, the submarine. It was like a sea wolf. 225 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: It was really cool. How big was the submarine? If 226 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: you're playing with twelve inch g I Joe's it was 227 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: um to take up the size of like the family room. Well, 228 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: this is not gonna mean anything that anyone at home, 229 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,400 Speaker 1: but it's about the size of this lamp on our desk. Oh. 230 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,559 Speaker 1: So it was like a one man sub Yeah, I 231 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: feel like it was. I can't remember exactly I feel 232 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: I feel like it was about the size of us. Um, 233 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: a little smaller than a bowling ball. How's that like 234 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: a child's bowling ball. Yeah, because he had to sit 235 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: in it, you're right. And he was a big dude, 236 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:18,560 Speaker 1: even though you would you know, in a set of position, 237 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 1: he was smaller. Uh. And then I had the uh 238 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 1: six wheel or eight wheel, I can't remember all terrain vehicle. 239 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 1: Well that's nice, and that's about all that we were. Uh, 240 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: that's about all we could afford. That's but that was 241 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 1: probably quite an outlay from your parents. It was great. 242 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: And that was over time, you know, right, several Christmas 243 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 1: is right? Yeah, And this was, like I said, I 244 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: came in on the seventies. But um. In the sixties, 245 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: they actually, uh G I Joe did not do very 246 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 1: well because of the Vietnam War. Um, and it was 247 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,320 Speaker 1: actually kind of I think it was actually went away 248 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:56,200 Speaker 1: from production for a while. Yeah, it did. They just 249 00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 1: they basically retired, and I think the Vietnam War hurt sales, 250 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: so they took him out a little bit, and then 251 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: they re released him again, um, and kind of rebranded him, 252 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:11,080 Speaker 1: I think too, as rather rather than a soldier, they 253 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 1: rebranded him as an adventurer. Right, so this machete is 254 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 1: not for cutting off the hands of U Srpa who 255 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: leads us into danger. It's for um, you know, cutting 256 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: through vegetation and on a jungle adventure to save sherpas 257 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: who were for some reason live in the jungle. Now. Yeah, 258 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: and they, like you said, they called him adventurer or 259 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: the naval officer was called an aqua nat And I 260 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: very much remember that being the deal. Like, I didn't 261 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: think of him as a soldier. I thought of him 262 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: as you know, well, I thought his name was Joe 263 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 1: because I guess it was a dumb little kid. But 264 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: I guess Rocky the g I Joe adventure guy right 265 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: slash Franco Harris right, and G I Joe. Actually, I 266 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 1: was taken from a movie called the Story of G 267 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:03,000 Speaker 1: I Joe. That's where that came from. Did you ever 268 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: see that? No? No No, have you? No? Okay, I'm just curious, 269 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: So chuck, G I Joe is Uh, he starts to 270 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: do kind of poorly because of Vietnam. They take him out, 271 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 1: they re release him, um, and he doesn't do very 272 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: well when they bring him back out, even though he's 273 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:25,160 Speaker 1: an adventure right. Um, So G I Joe left. They 274 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: stopped making G I Joe's for a while, and it 275 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: created It left this big vacuum that was just waiting 276 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: to be filled, and it was filled by a little 277 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: company named me Go. And we'll talk about me Go 278 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: after this break. How about that sounds good? As watch 279 00:15:41,640 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: skuld know all right? Is it mego or mego? I've 280 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: been saying mego in my head just because I'm a 281 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: dumb American. No, well, I think mego is probably how 282 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: they say it in the UK. Was that where it 283 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: came from? No, they're American. I say mego to be honest, 284 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: I have no idea. I'm sure there is a right 285 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: way that Tommy Mego would love to tell you about 286 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 1: but or Tommy mego. But yeah, I I've said I've 287 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: said mego in my head, but I don't know which 288 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: one is correct to tell you the truth. All right, 289 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: well we'll just proceed Fussie, I'll say mego, you say mego. 290 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: Let's just call the whole thing off, So go ahead 291 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 1: with me go. So so, um g I Joe is gone. 292 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: But again this was you said. It accounted for like 293 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 1: six it hasbro sales just in the first year, and 294 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 1: he was a hit year after year after year for 295 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 1: many years. Right, um, And even when they brought him back, 296 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 1: sales were terrible compared to the initial stuff, but they 297 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: were still making money off of them. Um. So this first, 298 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 1: the world's first action figure made a huge impact. And 299 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 1: when the world's first action figure wasn't around anymore, well, 300 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 1: there was a void that was to be filled. And 301 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 1: this company called meg decided, and I think one or 302 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy two, that a pretty good place to start 303 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 1: would be releasing a line of action figures that were 304 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: based on superheroes. And they released, um, a line of 305 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 1: superheroes called the World's Greatest Superheroes Action Figures, and I 306 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,360 Speaker 1: think nineteen seventy two, and it was a pretty big hit, 307 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: like right off the bat. Yeah. And what they did 308 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 1: was they were super smart and kind of had a 309 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: lot of vision and said, I think where it's at 310 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 1: is not necessarily creating characters from whole cloth that kids 311 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,920 Speaker 1: don't know of, but licensing very famous characters and selling them. 312 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 1: So they got a hold of licenses for uh, Spider 313 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 1: Man and the Hulk and Batman and Wonder Woman and 314 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,080 Speaker 1: Iron Man and Cap in America. Yeah, and not just yeah, 315 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 1: if you'll notice that's DC and Marvel characters in the 316 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 1: same line, Like that's unheard of today. They did not 317 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: discriminate back, you know they did. It was a wonderful time. Uh. 318 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: And not only that, but they said, you know, we're 319 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:18,359 Speaker 1: making money hand over fist selling these action figures. Um, 320 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:22,200 Speaker 1: what if do you think kids would actually buy villains 321 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: like the Joker? And do you think they would buy 322 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:29,880 Speaker 1: side characters like Robin and Bat Girl and other villains 323 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,000 Speaker 1: like the Riddler and things like the Batmobile and the 324 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 1: Batcave play set. And before you knew it, they were 325 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: pumping out things like, uh, Bruce Wayne's Foundation building. I 326 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:43,159 Speaker 1: know that was the real thing or what was The 327 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:46,439 Speaker 1: other weird one the store, Oh they had they had 328 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: an exclusive with the Montgomery Reward store, so it wasn't 329 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: like it wasn't a store, but at the at Montgomery 330 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:58,520 Speaker 1: Ward only, Oh, you could buy the non superhero versions 331 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:03,200 Speaker 1: of superheroes like Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne, which is like, 332 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: all right, you sit there in your cubicle and that's 333 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,359 Speaker 1: what you do. Well, the rest of us are saving 334 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: the world. That's what you do with that action figure. 335 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:13,199 Speaker 1: All right, that makes much more sense. I thought they 336 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:15,640 Speaker 1: had a Montgomery Ward play set. That's what I thought 337 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:18,359 Speaker 1: at first. Two like Bruce Wayne worked there or something, 338 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 1: which of course he didn't even work. I don't know 339 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 1: what I'm thinking. So this gave orders. They were making 340 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: tons and tons of money. Um. In nineteen seventy three 341 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: they moved into movies with their Planet of the Apes line, 342 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:36,119 Speaker 1: which was some plastic primates, and then the Astronaut that 343 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: was taller and that was a huge hit. Yeah. And 344 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:42,440 Speaker 1: the other thing about me Goo to Um was that 345 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: all action figures have been like twelve inch twelve inches 346 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,439 Speaker 1: tall up to that point, and Migo's line was eight inches, 347 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: So action figures are starting to shrink a little bit, now, 348 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: that's right. Uh. And the one uh, the one actually 349 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: had even though I have no idea why I had 350 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:05,879 Speaker 1: the Star trek Um Enterprise Bridge and then I guess man, 351 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:07,560 Speaker 1: I know I had Spock and Kirk and a couple 352 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,200 Speaker 1: of others. But you know, I'm well known to not 353 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,399 Speaker 1: have ever seen any Star Trek at all except for 354 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: maybe one movie or something, So I have no idea 355 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: why I got that. I mean, if it was a 356 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:25,920 Speaker 1: cool action figure, had some weird I had a weird 357 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: wizard action figure when I was a kid. But you're 358 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: into weird wizards, you still are, well I am now 359 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: as a grown up. I wasn't as a kid. I 360 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 1: was like, what is this thing? Gotcha? Some weird wizard? Well, 361 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: I don't know why I had it. But the Star 362 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,879 Speaker 1: Trek uh that their collection was that was another big hit. 363 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:47,239 Speaker 1: So they were just they literally kind of uh I mean, 364 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:49,240 Speaker 1: G I Joe and Barbie of course kind of spawned 365 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: this thing, but it seems like Mego really took it 366 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:58,199 Speaker 1: to another level. Yeah yeah, um, they kind of they 367 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: kind of. Yeah, action figures were cool and G I 368 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 1: Joe had really started something, but Mi Goo um, yeah, 369 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: they just they established it forever, permanently, And they also 370 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: showed other companies to like, hey, man, go get yourself 371 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: a license and stick to it, like get creative, like 372 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 1: with the Star Trek license that they had. Clearly the 373 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,880 Speaker 1: toy designers had actually watched Star Trek episodes because one 374 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 1: of the play sets was from Um, one of the 375 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 1: sets from an episode of Star Trek, the Apple episode. Um, 376 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:35,879 Speaker 1: Like you don't necessarily see there. You didn't see that 377 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,399 Speaker 1: before with action figures, it was more like, hey, you 378 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,160 Speaker 1: you know this guy, just buy them. This is like 379 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,160 Speaker 1: you're into Star Trek and so are we, and here 380 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:48,439 Speaker 1: is some awesome play sets based on your love of 381 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 1: Star Trek. So Migo definitely broke the mold in that 382 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:56,199 Speaker 1: in that sense as well. Um. But they also like 383 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,639 Speaker 1: they were it for action figures, like nobody could compete 384 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 1: with me Go. Um. They would buy stuff from Japan 385 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,720 Speaker 1: and then turn them into new stuff here. Um, there 386 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:06,920 Speaker 1: was just no competing with me Go in the US, 387 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: even though a lot of people were. But they they 388 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: also dropped the ball in the most spectacular fashion anyone 389 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: could ever drop the ball in the action figure world. Yeah, 390 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 1: like they it's almost it's almost an elegant end of 391 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: the story because it literally makes you cringe when you 392 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: read it. And there's two different versions, but both of 393 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: them are like, oh man, yeah, I think there's really 394 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:31,879 Speaker 1: only one version. I literally could not find a single 395 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: source other than this one guy's blog who claimed the 396 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,320 Speaker 1: other version. But um, what we're talking about and if 397 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:41,119 Speaker 1: you know action figures, you probably see this coming. Uh, 398 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:45,679 Speaker 1: they declined the Star Wars brand and allowed Kenner to 399 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 1: pick it up. Yes, so how though, which story is true? Well, 400 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: the story that I think is true is that they 401 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,199 Speaker 1: didn't want to invest and they said that, you know, 402 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: we're not going to throw our money at every little 403 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 1: thing that comes along to be a little more discerning. Yeah, 404 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,560 Speaker 1: that one hurts. That hurts more than the other story. 405 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: The other version was that like, um, the people who 406 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: could sign the contracts were out of town when George 407 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: Lucas came by to offer him the franchise. And now 408 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,119 Speaker 1: that I'm saying it out loud, like, yes, that's a 409 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: ridiculously dumb story. Them actually turning down the Star Wars 410 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:21,879 Speaker 1: line is it's even better. It's even sweeter, Like, man, 411 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:26,399 Speaker 1: what were you guys thinking? But I mean, there's lots 412 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:30,120 Speaker 1: of stories like that because somebody lacking foresight, yeah them. 413 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:33,640 Speaker 1: The other story is completed by the supposedly they weren't there. 414 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:37,120 Speaker 1: So Lucas went to another uh, went to Kinner who 415 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:40,119 Speaker 1: was in the same building in New York. And I 416 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 1: guess the people that could sign their name were there, right, 417 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:45,480 Speaker 1: But I can't find that anywhere else except for this 418 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: one blog where this guy says it's true. But I 419 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: would love to hear from someone if they if they 420 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:55,400 Speaker 1: have inside, like verifiable knowledge of that for sure, George Lucas, 421 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:58,880 Speaker 1: just let us know, and I mean verifiable, not that's 422 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: what I heard. I read the same blog exactly. I 423 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:04,359 Speaker 1: knew your nerd voice is going to come up in 424 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 1: this episode. Well sure of course. Um So if you 425 00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: if you have a love of Mego or you just 426 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:12,200 Speaker 1: want to know what we're talking about, also go check 427 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: out um the Mego Museum online m e g O Museum, 428 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 1: And it's just basically like this wonderful online museum dedicated 429 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:23,800 Speaker 1: to everything that Migo ever put out. It's pretty cool. 430 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:25,840 Speaker 1: I wasn't even around when these things came out, and 431 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:30,080 Speaker 1: they still somehow make me nostalgic, you know, exactly, Alright, 432 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 1: So Uh, let's jump back a little bit to ninety six, 433 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 1: and um, we're gonna explain how they went from eight 434 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 1: inches even though they were still making the eight inches 435 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,960 Speaker 1: after sixty six, how they eventually got down to the 436 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: three and three quarters inch. Uh. G I Joe was 437 00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: licensing their stuff out to other countries all over the place. 438 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:52,440 Speaker 1: That was a UK company who released it under the 439 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: name Action Man uh and eventually they licensed it to 440 00:24:55,960 --> 00:25:00,040 Speaker 1: Japan to a company called Takara. They went on to 441 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 1: create some action figures based on G I Joe, and 442 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 1: then due to the oil crisis in the early seventies, 443 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,480 Speaker 1: they started developing smaller versions. Uh So at three and 444 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:15,639 Speaker 1: three quarters inches they developed Microman released him in nineteen 445 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: seventy four, and that kind of led to this new thing, 446 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:25,879 Speaker 1: which was smaller dudes three and kids didn't care. No, no, 447 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: not only did we not care. So now we're starting 448 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,880 Speaker 1: to enter my wheelhouse. Not only did we not care. 449 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,720 Speaker 1: These smaller ones are vastly superior to the older ones. 450 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:40,240 Speaker 1: Oh you think, yeah, so a lot of stuff. But 451 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:42,919 Speaker 1: I would say this is the one thing that divides 452 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: us more frequently than anything else, is whether the original 453 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:48,879 Speaker 1: Big G I Joes or the second wave small g 454 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,000 Speaker 1: I Joes are better? All right? Let me ask you, sir, 455 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:53,920 Speaker 1: have you ever held in your hands and played with 456 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:56,120 Speaker 1: a twelve inch G I Joe with a kung fu grip? 457 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:00,880 Speaker 1: I would uh would not touch one, so you can't 458 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,360 Speaker 1: even say that. Have you played with the small one? Yeah? Man? 459 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:06,879 Speaker 1: I had tons of small action figures? Okay, all right? 460 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 1: Oh did you have the Star Wars stuff? So you 461 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: think the big one superior? Well, yeah, it's twelve inches, 462 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: it's articulates nineteen different ways. I like the small ones. 463 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:20,920 Speaker 1: I always will, even after playing with the big one, 464 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: which I have not never will. I just know that 465 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,400 Speaker 1: the small one is vastly superior. I don't know if 466 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:30,040 Speaker 1: it's because I am nostalgic for the small ones and 467 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: the old ones seemed weird and dusty and moldy or 468 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,719 Speaker 1: something like that, but the small one seemed better to me. 469 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 1: All right, At the very least you have to you 470 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:44,720 Speaker 1: have to admit the wave of G I Joe's that 471 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,840 Speaker 1: were released when I started playing with them, just the 472 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:52,439 Speaker 1: line itself was better, regardless of the size of them. Right, Well, 473 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 1: let's go ahead and talk about thought. Because G I 474 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 1: Joe changed a lot um once it became a cartoon, 475 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 1: and we're going to talk about some really cool political 476 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:04,400 Speaker 1: stuff that had no idea went into this. But um, 477 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,159 Speaker 1: G I. Joe became a cartoon series. This was in 478 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: the early eighties, So this is when I had kind 479 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:14,119 Speaker 1: of quit playing with action figures for the most part. Okay, 480 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:17,800 Speaker 1: because eighty four I was like thirteen, and you know, 481 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,359 Speaker 1: I was moving on to you know, check out this mustache. 482 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: Yeah I was. I was skateboarding by that point, and 483 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,879 Speaker 1: I thought it was like Super Bowl skateboarder. Yeah. Uh, 484 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 1: maybe I still played a little bit. So your only 485 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,480 Speaker 1: your neighborhood best friend knew about it, your school friends 486 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,040 Speaker 1: did exactly. Uh so G I. Joe was a cartoon. 487 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: Then they for the first time basically it became a 488 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:44,720 Speaker 1: commando team, an anti terrorist commando team that had all 489 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 1: kinds of characters and they had finally had a common enemy, 490 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:52,119 Speaker 1: which was of course Cobra. Yes, led by Cobra commander. 491 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,600 Speaker 1: And this was your right in your wheelhouse, correct. Yeah, 492 00:27:55,600 --> 00:28:00,240 Speaker 1: so in ninety three I was like seven, So yeah, 493 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 1: this was I was really just primed and ready. I 494 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 1: would just let's go Joe. And plus also the other 495 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,439 Speaker 1: thing too. That I had that you didn't have was 496 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:16,160 Speaker 1: the cartoon that not only like blew up the back 497 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:18,920 Speaker 1: stories because each this new wave of G I. Joe 498 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:23,440 Speaker 1: when they released it, um, they each character now had 499 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,600 Speaker 1: its own name and it wasn't Rocky or Rocky. It 500 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:32,680 Speaker 1: was things like um Duke or shipwreck or Blowtorch or 501 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 1: barbecue or Dusty um. And then the bad guys had 502 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 1: their own their own names to like Cobra Command or 503 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:45,360 Speaker 1: Serpent or Tomax or z Mott um or uh, the 504 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,000 Speaker 1: whole the whole gang, right toe cheese? Who was that? 505 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 1: Tomax and z Mott? They were evil twins? Who were 506 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:55,680 Speaker 1: they were? Basically they were like, um, if if Cobra 507 00:28:55,760 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: Commander had hired Patrick Bateman and then owned him a 508 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 1: mirror version of him, it would be Tomax and z 509 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 1: A Mott Interesting and none of this stuff right right? Okay, 510 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 1: so I do because I grew up with it. But 511 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: but I also had it pounded into my head every 512 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 1: day after school watching the G I. Joe cartoon, And 513 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:21,520 Speaker 1: that was the huge innovation that really just created this uh, 514 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,040 Speaker 1: this other world for kids like me to just lose 515 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,640 Speaker 1: yourself in with the action figures, because now you didn't 516 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: even need to use your imagination. You could just be like, oh, 517 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 1: I saw this on the G I. Joe cartoon today, 518 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 1: So let's act that out right. And none of this 519 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: would have ever happened had it not been for Ronald Reagan. 520 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 1: That's right, And that sounds weird, uh, But here's the story. 521 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 1: So in the late seventies, there was a lot of 522 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:53,160 Speaker 1: concern about kids, uh, and advertising about advertising two children. 523 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 1: So the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission, got a task 524 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: force together and they said, should we ban or regulate 525 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 1: this marketing to children? They put together six thousand pages 526 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: of testimony from sixty oh the oral testimony, sixty thousand 527 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 1: pages of expert testimony from all these experts on child 528 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,600 Speaker 1: psychology and health and nutrition because I had to do 529 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:19,680 Speaker 1: with you know, food and sugary candies and stuff like 530 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: that too. And the conclusion across the board was that 531 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: young children cannot they are cognitively unable to understand the 532 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:33,320 Speaker 1: the intent of selling ads. They can't distinguish that from reality, right, 533 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 1: Like if you dress up a cartoon as an ad, 534 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: the kid is he just thinks it's a cartoon, she 535 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: does exactly. Or if the ad is a cartoon rather 536 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 1: than the kid doesn't know. They just think I'm still 537 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: watching cartoons on my TV. My brain hasn't made that switch. 538 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 1: But man, could I go for some Smurf cereal exactly. 539 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 1: So it was a big deal at the time. So 540 00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:59,800 Speaker 1: there were all these recommendations basically and how to regulate 541 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: and restrict advertising that were They basically said it was 542 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 1: unfair and deceptive to kids. UH. For older kids, they said, 543 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 1: they can tell the difference, but maybe we should have 544 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 1: uh warnings on the ads and disclosures saying that this 545 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: is a commercial message. And so what happens when you 546 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:22,200 Speaker 1: do this in America? The private sector said no, no, no, no, no, no, no. 547 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:25,200 Speaker 1: I want to be able to sell as much sugary 548 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: garbage to kids as I want. You can't restrict uh 549 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: free trade, free trade in business. And so we're gonna 550 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,320 Speaker 1: raise a record at the time sixteen million dollars to 551 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 1: lobby against this. And well and they were helped out 552 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,800 Speaker 1: in no small part by getting the right guy into 553 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: the White House. Right. So in one of the first 554 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:50,240 Speaker 1: things Ronald Reagan did was he appointed a new chairman 555 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 1: of the Federal Trade Commission. And this, uh, this was 556 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,960 Speaker 1: a move that basically said, you know what, there's gonna 557 00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: be no regulation whatsoever, got to leave these markets for 558 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 1: you can do whatever you want. Uh, And that is 559 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:10,360 Speaker 1: basically how all of these cartoons were born. G I Joe, Transformers, Smurfs, 560 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:14,560 Speaker 1: care Bears, Rainbow Bright so very short, kid, you name it. 561 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: It basically became marketing and selling things and cartoons became 562 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 1: one and the same. Finally. Yeah, and one of the 563 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: other things that definitely helped G I Joe two was 564 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 1: the UM I don't know if it was formal or informal, 565 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:31,120 Speaker 1: but there was basically a band on UM on warlike 566 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:35,640 Speaker 1: cartoons and warlike toys that was brought back under the 567 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:39,520 Speaker 1: same ease of restrictions by the ftc UM, so that 568 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:44,600 Speaker 1: I think the percentage of warlike toys that was sold 569 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 1: in the early eighties went up like three d from 570 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:53,080 Speaker 1: one year over the other from eighty four, I think. Um. 571 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:55,440 Speaker 1: Whereas before it was like no, we don't G I 572 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,880 Speaker 1: Joe's an adventure. Remember, It's like, no, G I Joe 573 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 1: was gonna cut Cobra's head right off. So that's a 574 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty that's one of the first, uh, one of 575 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:05,800 Speaker 1: the first big things Reagan did when he got in 576 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: office flashboard in November. One of the last things he 577 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:13,840 Speaker 1: did was he vetoed a new measure because basically they 578 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:16,400 Speaker 1: saw what was happening. All of a sudden, kids were 579 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 1: being bombarded with war cartoons and uh, just terrible sugary 580 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 1: packaged food all over the place. Like the restrictions were 581 00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:30,040 Speaker 1: nowhere to be found. So UH, Congress came back and said, 582 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 1: you know what, this is out of hand. Here's a 583 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:37,040 Speaker 1: measure that will restrict once again and impost some some 584 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: legislation on this programming aimed at children. Uh. It passed 585 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:46,240 Speaker 1: the House by seventy eight, passed unanimously in the Senate, 586 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 1: and Reagan vetoed it and said, uh, basically, what one 587 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:51,640 Speaker 1: of the things they were trying to do. They were 588 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:56,080 Speaker 1: trying to limit programming to uh advertising to ten point 589 00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:59,000 Speaker 1: five minutes an hour on the weekends and twelve minutes 590 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:03,200 Speaker 1: an hour in the weekdays, and also provide, uh require 591 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: broadcasters to provide educational and informational programs as a condition 592 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:11,279 Speaker 1: of renewing their licenses. So Reagan veto that and said, 593 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:14,080 Speaker 1: no way, UH, we're not gonna do that. We're gonna 594 00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 1: keep it as is People that were in favor of 595 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,880 Speaker 1: this went crazy. Basically they were saying, like, how can 596 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:23,360 Speaker 1: you guys say you're the party of the Children and 597 00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,839 Speaker 1: Education and then veto is something that is clearly going 598 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:31,319 Speaker 1: to help protect our children. That was messed up. Man, 599 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:33,400 Speaker 1: I had no idea about that one. Yeah, And not 600 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:38,319 Speaker 1: only that, the what happened was along with this deregulation, UM, 601 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:43,520 Speaker 1: the toy companies and the cartoons, they actually they kind 602 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:45,880 Speaker 1: of got in bed together and they said, you know 603 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 1: what if you show, uh, if you schedule as a broadcaster, 604 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:53,880 Speaker 1: UM our cartoons that sell toys, will give you a 605 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,120 Speaker 1: profit on those toys. If you run these G I. 606 00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 1: Joe cartoons, then we'll give you a little cut of 607 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:02,880 Speaker 1: what we're selling. Plus also we'll buy ads on those 608 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 1: cartoons are on your network too, to sell those those 609 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:09,959 Speaker 1: toys when you show these cartoons. I imagine you know, yeah, 610 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 1: because I remember watching G I. Joe Real American Hero 611 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:18,280 Speaker 1: that cartoon, which I have to say it was created 612 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 1: in in large part to sell G I. Joe's true, 613 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:25,399 Speaker 1: but it had it had great story arcs that had 614 00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:29,600 Speaker 1: overarching story arcs that went from episode to episode. Uh. 615 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,839 Speaker 1: The individual ones were good, like, the voice acting was good, 616 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:36,040 Speaker 1: the animation was pretty good. Same with Transformers to like, 617 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:38,839 Speaker 1: it was pretty pretty good cartoon. So at least they 618 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:43,399 Speaker 1: were putting time and effort and thought into this. But uh, yeah, 619 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,600 Speaker 1: it's pretty despicable marketing to kids in general. Actually, I 620 00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:49,880 Speaker 1: read a blog. Um I'm certainly glad you were a 621 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:54,319 Speaker 1: satisfied viewer, but I read this blog that basically said that, 622 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:56,759 Speaker 1: um Man, I wish I could find it. Maybe i'll 623 00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:59,279 Speaker 1: post this when we release it, that that the de 624 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:04,040 Speaker 1: regulation and killed the creativity and killed in children's cartoons, 625 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 1: and that they said that before you know it, they 626 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:10,759 Speaker 1: were just like things were knockoffs of one another. They 627 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,359 Speaker 1: didn't care about I guess. I mean, you were a kid, 628 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:15,359 Speaker 1: so maybe you didn't realize it, but that was too 629 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,319 Speaker 1: stupid to know it was going on. They said that, 630 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:19,840 Speaker 1: you know, you can see a clear demarcation line between 631 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:23,359 Speaker 1: really good storytelling and then storytelling that was clearly just 632 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:26,640 Speaker 1: geared to sell things. I guess I don't. I'm trying 633 00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:30,480 Speaker 1: to compare like what cartoons were in the seventies, and 634 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 1: like they were great, they weren't high art though again, 635 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:36,040 Speaker 1: I'll go back to that hair Bear bunch. Well, they 636 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:39,399 Speaker 1: loved the hair bears. They were drug fueled, but there yeah, yeah, 637 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 1: that was a big one. But there, I mean, their 638 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:44,000 Speaker 1: plots were pretty simple. It was the same plot that 639 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:46,480 Speaker 1: you would see on a Yogi Bear cartoon or like 640 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:50,520 Speaker 1: a Huckleberry Hound cartoon. Um, Scooby Doo was interesting and 641 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:52,880 Speaker 1: it was pretty cool, but it was basically the same 642 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:56,960 Speaker 1: storyline every single time, like what what Scooby Doo? And 643 00:36:57,040 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 1: I'm not trying to argue in favor of Corporate America 644 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 1: marketing to kids and ruining creativity, but like you don't 645 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:09,000 Speaker 1: there weren't any overarching storylines aside from Scooby being crazy 646 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,680 Speaker 1: for Scooby Snacks and Scooby Doo. And there definitely was 647 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:14,200 Speaker 1: in G I. Joe, like when they went around the 648 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:16,360 Speaker 1: world and took the d n A of all of 649 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:20,640 Speaker 1: these great these great dictators and conquerors like Alexander the 650 00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:23,759 Speaker 1: Great and Um Napoleon and put them all together and 651 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:27,480 Speaker 1: created serpent or Um who was actually the new guy 652 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 1: who was in charge of Cobra because Cobra commander was 653 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:34,080 Speaker 1: a bit of a coward? Did you not know any 654 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:35,880 Speaker 1: of this? How do you not know this stuff? But 655 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: I was I was trying to kiss girls in the 656 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:40,839 Speaker 1: roller skating rink at this and you thought girls were gross. Still, 657 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:46,279 Speaker 1: it's true, it's true, but I it definitely help shape me, 658 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:48,480 Speaker 1: and I am nostalgic for it in that sense, and 659 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:52,480 Speaker 1: I am appreciative. But Chuck, I propose that sooner than 660 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:56,120 Speaker 1: later we do an episode on marketing to kids, because 661 00:37:56,120 --> 00:37:59,520 Speaker 1: this whole deregulation story is just fascinating. Yeah, I mean 662 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:02,200 Speaker 1: I had I didn't really know anything about it because 663 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:04,160 Speaker 1: I was still a dumb kid when this was going on. 664 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:07,360 Speaker 1: But let's do it though, Okay, agreed. So that was 665 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:14,160 Speaker 1: G I Joe shaped my Childhood's just the tad so uh. 666 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:17,600 Speaker 1: But prior to G I Joe, the first three and 667 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 1: three quarter inch action figure in the US as far 668 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:24,480 Speaker 1: as I know, was the Star Wars line, and the 669 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:27,960 Speaker 1: Star Wars line again, when Migo passed it up, they 670 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,160 Speaker 1: quickly realized that we really screwed up. They released like 671 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:36,320 Speaker 1: a buck Rogers line, um, and uh, a black Hole line. 672 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,479 Speaker 1: Remember that movie The Black Hole from Disney. It's really 673 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:43,480 Speaker 1: creepy even still um. But so they tried to catch 674 00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:46,600 Speaker 1: up and they ended up going bankrupt in three basically 675 00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:50,279 Speaker 1: as a result of losing this Star Wars line, and 676 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:53,920 Speaker 1: so Kenner and so Kenner picked it up, picked up 677 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:56,920 Speaker 1: the Star Wars line instead, and they released them and 678 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:01,040 Speaker 1: right out of the gate in which I believe was 679 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:03,399 Speaker 1: the first year that they released these things is three 680 00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:07,560 Speaker 1: and three quarter inch Star Wars line of action figures UM. 681 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:12,960 Speaker 1: In seventy nine, they made a hundred million dollars each 682 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:17,680 Speaker 1: year from selling those. They sold about forty million units 683 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,879 Speaker 1: a year. And from nineteen seventy eight to nineteen eighty five, 684 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:22,919 Speaker 1: which I think was the whole run of the Star 685 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 1: Wars lines, the original run with Kenner, Kenner sold three 686 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,400 Speaker 1: hundred million units. So if they're selling forty million a 687 00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:33,560 Speaker 1: year and making a hundred million each year from that, 688 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:37,239 Speaker 1: they sold three hundred million total. So Kenner made some 689 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:40,719 Speaker 1: serious bank off of Star Wars. Off of me and 690 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:46,560 Speaker 1: my my lawnmowing fund, for sure, I had I feel 691 00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:49,640 Speaker 1: like I had at least doubles of most of the 692 00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:54,680 Speaker 1: major characters, many of the minor characters, the Tie Fighter, 693 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:59,759 Speaker 1: the X Wing, the Death Star, Oh You Lucky, the 694 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,919 Speaker 1: and Speeder. Um. I also had the uh, the big 695 00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:06,919 Speaker 1: dolls UM. I don't know if they were twelve inch, 696 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:10,640 Speaker 1: but what is it with you? And maybe man they're huggable. 697 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:17,160 Speaker 1: Uh yeah. I had the Big Luke and the Big 698 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:20,799 Speaker 1: I think the Big Luke and the Big Vader, and 699 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:25,120 Speaker 1: maybe like one other maybe Chewbacca, but not all of them. 700 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 1: And basically whatever I could either get for my birthday 701 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:31,600 Speaker 1: or Christmas or save my allowance to buy, I would get. 702 00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:34,320 Speaker 1: And I was all in. I didn't know that these 703 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:38,480 Speaker 1: were collectible. Of course, I ripped right into them to play, 704 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:41,840 Speaker 1: to play with them like normal children do. Um. I 705 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:44,040 Speaker 1: didn't put it like in a box on a shelf 706 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:47,520 Speaker 1: to try and keep it in mint condition. But that's 707 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:50,440 Speaker 1: weird to do though as a kid. Yeah, I don't know. 708 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:53,239 Speaker 1: I mean maybe there were kids doing it. I didn't 709 00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:56,480 Speaker 1: know any. We all played with them, but I mean 710 00:40:56,520 --> 00:40:58,960 Speaker 1: that was originally the point. I think. It wasn't until 711 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:01,920 Speaker 1: like much lay eater that it it became evident that 712 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,600 Speaker 1: you could sell them to people who wish they had 713 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,960 Speaker 1: them in the package still for a lot of money. Yeah. 714 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:10,640 Speaker 1: And should we should we close later on with the 715 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:14,400 Speaker 1: some of the more valuable ones, Yes, for sure. So 716 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:19,920 Speaker 1: that's a tease. Okay, everybody, you take a break. We 717 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:23,040 Speaker 1: should was that it about Star Wars. You think I 718 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 1: don't have anything else? Really, I mean there's a gazillion 719 00:41:25,719 --> 00:41:28,520 Speaker 1: other things we could talk about, I guess, But what 720 00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:30,279 Speaker 1: more do you need to know besides that they were 721 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:33,879 Speaker 1: huge hits. That's it. Alright, We're gonna take a break. 722 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:36,040 Speaker 1: We're gonna come back and talk a little bit about 723 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:59,760 Speaker 1: the how these things are actually made as sk alright, 724 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:02,440 Speaker 1: just to put a little bow on the action figure 725 00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:05,840 Speaker 1: thing before we get into how they're made. Um, you know, 726 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:09,680 Speaker 1: Transformers came along, was huge throughout the nineties. Then you 727 00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:13,160 Speaker 1: saw U, Marvel and d C really come on the market. 728 00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:16,320 Speaker 1: Every movie you could think of had action figures. TV 729 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:21,040 Speaker 1: shows started having action figures. Older popular movies started having 730 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:24,959 Speaker 1: action figures, like for Nostalgias sake, Like I literally had 731 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:28,719 Speaker 1: a scarface doll. Oh yeah, I've seen the scarface al 732 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:30,520 Speaker 1: Pacino that I used to have in the office, and 733 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:34,280 Speaker 1: did come with a mound of cocaine, a plastic amount 734 00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:37,520 Speaker 1: of cocaine, it did. Uh. And now you know, you 735 00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:40,799 Speaker 1: can find pretty much any kind of action figure you want, 736 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:45,960 Speaker 1: from politicians to older movies and TV shows and like 737 00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:48,399 Speaker 1: things you wouldn't even imagine people would like welcome back 738 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:51,200 Speaker 1: Carter action figures. Yeah, and I didn't realize this, but 739 00:42:51,239 --> 00:42:55,879 Speaker 1: apparently companies intentionally will release like a very limited run 740 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:59,319 Speaker 1: of some where like they're missing their thumb or like 741 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:03,680 Speaker 1: it's miss labeled on the package, to make these things, um, 742 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:07,720 Speaker 1: to make them valuable for the aftermarket, the collector's market, 743 00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:12,759 Speaker 1: which seems really untoward to me, like gaming the the 744 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:18,560 Speaker 1: collector's market by manufacturers. That's just it seems that's just 745 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:20,640 Speaker 1: the opposite of what you're supposed to do. So that 746 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:24,520 Speaker 1: is that verified? That sounds urban legendy to me. Well, 747 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:26,239 Speaker 1: it was in one of the articles you sent and 748 00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:28,640 Speaker 1: I took it. The person who wrote the article sounded 749 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:30,560 Speaker 1: like they knew what they were talking about. But was 750 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:32,520 Speaker 1: that the same article from the guy who said that 751 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:36,680 Speaker 1: that Kenner couldn't sign the contract because the right people 752 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:38,960 Speaker 1: weren't there. I don't know, because the first thing I 753 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:41,640 Speaker 1: think of is if they're doing that, then what's to 754 00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:45,440 Speaker 1: keep them from artificially manufacturing something that's going to be 755 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:49,840 Speaker 1: valuable and just keeping a bunch of them themselves. Well, 756 00:43:50,680 --> 00:43:54,600 Speaker 1: most companies like money now rather than a little more 757 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:58,080 Speaker 1: money later, so that would probably do it. You know, 758 00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:00,839 Speaker 1: all right, it's you want to talk about how these 759 00:44:00,880 --> 00:44:04,880 Speaker 1: suckers are made. Yeah, again, you found some good stuff 760 00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:07,200 Speaker 1: here when you put this together. Yeah, I thought this 761 00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:11,600 Speaker 1: is pretty interesting. So it starts with design, right right, 762 00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:15,160 Speaker 1: which I mean it's pretty sensible. You say, give us 763 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:19,319 Speaker 1: a thor character, you sucker, and um, they're talking to 764 00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:21,960 Speaker 1: an artist a sculptor when they say that. So the 765 00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:25,600 Speaker 1: sculpture gets to work like creating um, like basically a 766 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:29,320 Speaker 1: skeleton it's called armature out of wire and the wires 767 00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:33,160 Speaker 1: and basically a position. Thor likes to run holding his hammer, 768 00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:37,440 Speaker 1: so he'll be kind of like in a crouched running pose. Um. 769 00:44:37,520 --> 00:44:40,279 Speaker 1: And then they slap some clay around it, maybe bake 770 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:41,879 Speaker 1: it a little bit to make it stiff, and then 771 00:44:41,920 --> 00:44:46,840 Speaker 1: they mold very very roughly the general body shape and 772 00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:50,840 Speaker 1: head shape of thor Um, and then they kind of 773 00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:53,440 Speaker 1: start to get to work from there. Yeah. Rough thorness 774 00:44:54,360 --> 00:44:57,680 Speaker 1: is what they look for early on. UM and this, 775 00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:00,440 Speaker 1: you know, it depends on the action figure you're There 776 00:45:00,440 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 1: are all different kinds that have varying levels of UH 777 00:45:05,680 --> 00:45:08,719 Speaker 1: of movement, and depending on what you're gonna end up 778 00:45:08,719 --> 00:45:11,560 Speaker 1: with is really going to inform the process. But let's 779 00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:14,399 Speaker 1: say your thor and you want to move your arms, 780 00:45:14,480 --> 00:45:17,960 Speaker 1: move those big pipes a little bit. Uh, they may 781 00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:23,160 Speaker 1: choose to sculpt the arms separately, or maybe the legs separately. Um. 782 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:26,120 Speaker 1: They almost always do the head separately because it's got 783 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:27,960 Speaker 1: all these this fine detail and you just want to 784 00:45:27,960 --> 00:45:30,399 Speaker 1: work on that by itself. Right when you're when you're 785 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:33,239 Speaker 1: messing with the heads, you're just your wrist is like 786 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:35,600 Speaker 1: going into the chest that you just finished, and yeah, 787 00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:37,799 Speaker 1: why do I always do this? Not to start over? 788 00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:42,920 Speaker 1: Pretty much, so they're working with this torso perhaps only 789 00:45:43,360 --> 00:45:46,040 Speaker 1: put him aside. Work on the arms, work on the hands, 790 00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:49,759 Speaker 1: work on the head, and eventually, uh, once you've got 791 00:45:49,760 --> 00:45:52,799 Speaker 1: this head and face like you want it, um, you're 792 00:45:52,800 --> 00:45:55,720 Speaker 1: gonna attach that back on, build a neck, and build 793 00:45:55,760 --> 00:46:00,359 Speaker 1: some hair. And if it's one that's completely play stick, 794 00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:03,200 Speaker 1: you're gonna do the clothes and everything in the suit. 795 00:46:03,719 --> 00:46:07,040 Speaker 1: Sometimes you have real cloth though, like in a cape, 796 00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: you're gonna you're not gonna carve that out obviously, No, No, 797 00:46:11,719 --> 00:46:14,319 Speaker 1: they'll add that. They'll add that later. And sometimes like 798 00:46:14,360 --> 00:46:17,600 Speaker 1: an extra figure will come with like a breastplate or 799 00:46:17,719 --> 00:46:21,640 Speaker 1: boots or thor's hammer. Maybe they'll they gave thor kung 800 00:46:21,719 --> 00:46:25,040 Speaker 1: food grip, so they'll have to mold that also separately. 801 00:46:25,239 --> 00:46:27,960 Speaker 1: But then sometimes, and you'll know this already, probably as 802 00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:30,040 Speaker 1: the designer, they're gonna be like, no, we don't want 803 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:32,040 Speaker 1: any of that weird cloth that's like a big g 804 00:46:32,160 --> 00:46:34,680 Speaker 1: I Joe and that's just weird people out. We want it. 805 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:39,000 Speaker 1: We wanted plastic and molded. So they'll they'll basically carve 806 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:43,000 Speaker 1: the clothing out of the original sculpture as well. Yeah, 807 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:45,200 Speaker 1: and this all takes about two weeks on the Uh. 808 00:46:45,880 --> 00:46:48,319 Speaker 1: Of course it depends on who you're working with, but 809 00:46:48,400 --> 00:46:50,879 Speaker 1: two or three weeks to carve this this dude out 810 00:46:50,920 --> 00:46:55,000 Speaker 1: to its kind of rosst form. Yeah, I'm always incredulous 811 00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:57,560 Speaker 1: and stuff like that. It's like, you know, who does 812 00:46:57,560 --> 00:46:59,520 Speaker 1: it take two weeks? Is that really an average? Like 813 00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:02,640 Speaker 1: how many action figure sculptors did you pull to find 814 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:05,560 Speaker 1: out that it was two weeks? They probably just talked 815 00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:07,040 Speaker 1: to someone in the company and they say how long's 816 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:10,399 Speaker 1: it take and they say about two weeks. Yeah, that's 817 00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:12,319 Speaker 1: good enough for me. Then all right if they as 818 00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:14,719 Speaker 1: long as they spoke to somebody, all right, So now 819 00:47:14,719 --> 00:47:17,520 Speaker 1: you've got your little little dude, and uh, you're going 820 00:47:17,560 --> 00:47:20,160 Speaker 1: to use a plastic resin when it comes to the 821 00:47:20,200 --> 00:47:23,720 Speaker 1: actual materials of the thing itself. Uh, there's something called 822 00:47:23,760 --> 00:47:30,360 Speaker 1: a B S acra acrono. Wow, I thought I got it. 823 00:47:30,400 --> 00:47:32,839 Speaker 1: You let me to try it. Sure, I think it's 824 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:37,520 Speaker 1: a crilla, nit trial, beauta dyne styrene, a B S 825 00:47:37,640 --> 00:47:40,719 Speaker 1: nice work. Three types of plastic and one that's right, 826 00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:43,600 Speaker 1: So that's the harder plastic. For the main body. They 827 00:47:43,600 --> 00:47:48,280 Speaker 1: may use something like polypropylene or polyethylene for the various 828 00:47:48,280 --> 00:47:52,400 Speaker 1: parts or pieces. You've got your fabrics, If you have 829 00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:58,000 Speaker 1: capes and things like that, well no, I mean even 830 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:04,399 Speaker 1: the little small figures had had like the Jawa's had capes. Yeah, 831 00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:08,160 Speaker 1: not capes, but cloaks. I know, I remember that weird 832 00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:10,320 Speaker 1: to me out too, And I think, finally I understand 833 00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:12,560 Speaker 1: what it is that I don't like about the large 834 00:48:12,600 --> 00:48:16,759 Speaker 1: G I Jos. They had fabric clothing and that it 835 00:48:16,840 --> 00:48:19,319 Speaker 1: was ill fitting clothing to like, did you see I 836 00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:20,640 Speaker 1: don't know if you had it or not, but the 837 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:23,239 Speaker 1: original G I Joe, like some of them, came with 838 00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:26,040 Speaker 1: a raincoat, but it didn't look like a raincoat. It 839 00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:28,000 Speaker 1: looked like he was wearing a sleeping bag that had 840 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:30,960 Speaker 1: a draw string around his face. It wasn't a sleeping bag. 841 00:48:31,120 --> 00:48:33,160 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be a raincoat, 842 00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:36,600 Speaker 1: but I think that's what it was. Just creepy, you know, 843 00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:40,640 Speaker 1: that was all I guess it's not. Actually the size 844 00:48:40,800 --> 00:48:45,120 Speaker 1: is the creepy factor brought on by this clothing that 845 00:48:45,239 --> 00:48:48,239 Speaker 1: didn't fit quite right. Like you know, it's the kind 846 00:48:48,239 --> 00:48:52,640 Speaker 1: of clothing that you would make for a son who 847 00:48:53,400 --> 00:48:55,480 Speaker 1: was was a serial killer, but you didn't want to 848 00:48:55,480 --> 00:48:57,160 Speaker 1: turn him in, so you just keep them locked in 849 00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:00,160 Speaker 1: the basement and you gotta make his own clothes. Thing. 850 00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:01,560 Speaker 1: You have to make clothing for him. This is the 851 00:49:01,600 --> 00:49:04,319 Speaker 1: kind of clothing you would make him. That's I think 852 00:49:04,360 --> 00:49:07,160 Speaker 1: what creeps me out about it. Well, you're working through 853 00:49:07,200 --> 00:49:08,800 Speaker 1: some stuff, so I'll check in with you at the 854 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:11,399 Speaker 1: end that we'll see exactly what it is you hate 855 00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:17,000 Speaker 1: about the So, uh, the manufacturing process. You got to 856 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:20,040 Speaker 1: create the mold. Next, you want to master mold, or 857 00:49:20,080 --> 00:49:23,320 Speaker 1: maybe it might be more than one mold. And uh, 858 00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:25,719 Speaker 1: this requires the most time. They say in this article 859 00:49:25,719 --> 00:49:28,279 Speaker 1: about two thirds of the whole time is spent making 860 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:30,799 Speaker 1: these molds. Yeah, which makes sense, and it takes a 861 00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:36,319 Speaker 1: few months. Again, is that arbitrary. Who knows, Yeah, this 862 00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:40,239 Speaker 1: guy is like probably just takes a couple and then 863 00:49:40,239 --> 00:49:41,839 Speaker 1: once you once you have the molds, and you also 864 00:49:41,880 --> 00:49:43,720 Speaker 1: have to make a decision when you're making the molds. 865 00:49:43,719 --> 00:49:46,560 Speaker 1: Do you want to um make the torso and the 866 00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:49,000 Speaker 1: legs together? Is he gonna move his arms? If so, 867 00:49:49,120 --> 00:49:52,040 Speaker 1: you probably want to do two different molds for the arms. 868 00:49:52,080 --> 00:49:55,800 Speaker 1: So there's a pretty decent amount of decision making work 869 00:49:55,960 --> 00:49:58,680 Speaker 1: that goes into just coming up with what molds you're 870 00:49:58,680 --> 00:50:01,200 Speaker 1: gonna make. And then one you make the molds, and yes, 871 00:50:01,280 --> 00:50:03,120 Speaker 1: you have to make the molds, you have to operate them, 872 00:50:03,160 --> 00:50:06,400 Speaker 1: and then you have to decide what kind of um uh, 873 00:50:06,440 --> 00:50:09,000 Speaker 1: what kind of um what's the word I'm looking for 874 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:14,959 Speaker 1: where you actually make the plastic um figure molding which 875 00:50:14,960 --> 00:50:17,120 Speaker 1: I should have been able to come up with because 876 00:50:17,160 --> 00:50:19,279 Speaker 1: we were talking about molds at the time, that's right. 877 00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:23,040 Speaker 1: So there's different kinds. I looked up one kind called 878 00:50:23,120 --> 00:50:26,600 Speaker 1: rotational molding. I guess that's what Star Wars was going 879 00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:29,800 Speaker 1: to try at first, but they lost too much detail 880 00:50:29,880 --> 00:50:33,000 Speaker 1: on the figure, so they went to um, I think, 881 00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:36,359 Speaker 1: an injection molding process. But with rotational molding, you've got 882 00:50:36,360 --> 00:50:39,800 Speaker 1: a mold, and it's on this computerized arm, and this 883 00:50:40,040 --> 00:50:43,279 Speaker 1: arm just kind of spins around inside an oven, and 884 00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:47,360 Speaker 1: inside the arm is like powdered plastic resin, and I 885 00:50:47,360 --> 00:50:50,560 Speaker 1: guess it just melts it by kind of slowly spinning 886 00:50:50,560 --> 00:50:53,640 Speaker 1: it around. I don't understand what the problem is, but 887 00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:57,719 Speaker 1: I guess injection molding is far superior. Yeah, I guess so. 888 00:50:57,840 --> 00:51:01,000 Speaker 1: I mean the deal with injection molding, they pump it 889 00:51:01,000 --> 00:51:04,000 Speaker 1: into two pieces and then they apply pressure to those 890 00:51:04,000 --> 00:51:10,000 Speaker 1: two pieces to mold them together while it cools and hardens. Um. 891 00:51:10,040 --> 00:51:12,279 Speaker 1: But I think what you get there is, which is 892 00:51:12,320 --> 00:51:17,080 Speaker 1: why probably they wanted to use the rotational molding. Is 893 00:51:17,200 --> 00:51:19,480 Speaker 1: if you have those little Star Wars guys, or imagine 894 00:51:19,480 --> 00:51:21,960 Speaker 1: g I Joe, if they were injection molds. If you 895 00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:25,560 Speaker 1: if you look at their body from the side, it's 896 00:51:25,560 --> 00:51:27,799 Speaker 1: in two pieces, and sometimes you can see a little 897 00:51:27,840 --> 00:51:31,840 Speaker 1: seam on their head or on their arm or something, 898 00:51:32,440 --> 00:51:35,359 Speaker 1: or probably on their arm because those are separate. But um, yeah, 899 00:51:35,440 --> 00:51:36,960 Speaker 1: sometimes you can see the seam or where the two 900 00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:40,200 Speaker 1: halves were pressed together. They wanted that smooth look for 901 00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:45,120 Speaker 1: the uh for the rotational molding that that provides. But um, 902 00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:47,200 Speaker 1: I always I guess. The detail is the trade off. 903 00:51:47,600 --> 00:51:50,600 Speaker 1: So that's the that's the rotational moling. You don't have seams, 904 00:51:50,600 --> 00:51:53,520 Speaker 1: but you lose fine detail. With injection moling, you can 905 00:51:53,560 --> 00:51:56,279 Speaker 1: get the detail, but you can see the seams of 906 00:51:56,280 --> 00:51:58,640 Speaker 1: where the two sides of the mold came together, I guess. 907 00:51:58,640 --> 00:52:00,600 Speaker 1: But man, I mean, how bad could that detail of 908 00:52:00,640 --> 00:52:02,720 Speaker 1: ben Because when you look at those early Star Wars figures, 909 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:06,319 Speaker 1: I mean the detail was not great, you know, Like 910 00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:08,360 Speaker 1: had I been Mark Hamillon had been like this is 911 00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:11,200 Speaker 1: what you think? My face looks like? Yeah, like they 912 00:52:11,640 --> 00:52:13,439 Speaker 1: I mean, they've gotten way better. Like the stuff they're 913 00:52:13,480 --> 00:52:16,600 Speaker 1: making today is just amazing, but it's almost too good, 914 00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:18,880 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like, yeah, there's some amazing 915 00:52:18,880 --> 00:52:21,040 Speaker 1: stuff out there, but it's that was one of the 916 00:52:21,120 --> 00:52:24,319 Speaker 1: great things about these, especially the three and three quarter 917 00:52:24,400 --> 00:52:27,319 Speaker 1: inch guys. They just they just they were they were 918 00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:29,440 Speaker 1: meant to be played with. They were meant to have 919 00:52:29,840 --> 00:52:34,760 Speaker 1: imagination bestowed on them, and little child's hands, not supposed 920 00:52:34,760 --> 00:52:37,480 Speaker 1: to sit on your desk at work or something like that, 921 00:52:37,560 --> 00:52:39,960 Speaker 1: and just as adornment like, they were meant to be 922 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:44,959 Speaker 1: played with, and they were. They were subtly downgraded from 923 00:52:45,120 --> 00:52:48,480 Speaker 1: you know, the stuff that's out today. They were downgraded 924 00:52:48,520 --> 00:52:53,480 Speaker 1: to an upgrade. Yes, Like John Hodgman is literally screaming 925 00:52:53,600 --> 00:52:56,839 Speaker 1: right now into his earbuds because we're nostalgic about something 926 00:52:56,880 --> 00:53:01,839 Speaker 1: that was decidedly crappier. Sorry, but it's true though for me, 927 00:53:02,080 --> 00:53:05,040 Speaker 1: like I think that they were they were great. Have 928 00:53:05,160 --> 00:53:06,759 Speaker 1: I told you how I feel about the three and 929 00:53:06,800 --> 00:53:09,520 Speaker 1: three quarter inst g I, Joe, No, we should talk 930 00:53:09,560 --> 00:53:12,680 Speaker 1: about that some more. All right. So you've got this 931 00:53:12,800 --> 00:53:16,120 Speaker 1: mold now pressed together if it's injection, and then you 932 00:53:16,160 --> 00:53:18,840 Speaker 1: have to assemble it. If you have the arms separately 933 00:53:18,880 --> 00:53:23,120 Speaker 1: perhaps or um, basically anything else that doesn't come on 934 00:53:23,200 --> 00:53:27,800 Speaker 1: that original mold, you're gonna have to assemble it together. Uh. 935 00:53:28,160 --> 00:53:30,719 Speaker 1: Put all the little finishing details, maybe the clothing that 936 00:53:30,800 --> 00:53:35,200 Speaker 1: you hate so much, Um, maybe they're painted with a 937 00:53:35,239 --> 00:53:37,839 Speaker 1: little more detail that that detail that you hate so much, 938 00:53:39,640 --> 00:53:41,840 Speaker 1: and all the things that make a better action figure 939 00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:44,319 Speaker 1: that you hate so much. It's not that I hate it, 940 00:53:44,320 --> 00:53:47,799 Speaker 1: it's it's just I don't know, I'm not quite sure 941 00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:50,640 Speaker 1: how to put it. From just teasing. Yeah, yeah, So 942 00:53:51,360 --> 00:53:53,880 Speaker 1: it's I don't hate it, just really don't like it. 943 00:53:54,719 --> 00:53:57,560 Speaker 1: The final um, the final key to this whole thing 944 00:53:57,800 --> 00:54:02,279 Speaker 1: is packaging and shipping. So you think big deal was 945 00:54:02,280 --> 00:54:04,360 Speaker 1: a big deal with the package, but a lot of 946 00:54:04,360 --> 00:54:06,680 Speaker 1: thought goes into the packaging, like you were talking about 947 00:54:06,680 --> 00:54:09,759 Speaker 1: earlier with the the G I Joe actually advertising the 948 00:54:09,800 --> 00:54:14,480 Speaker 1: other dudes on the package, but that classic cardboard backed 949 00:54:15,160 --> 00:54:20,120 Speaker 1: uh clear plastic um casing. Yeah, the shell that was 950 00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:23,239 Speaker 1: sort of became the standard and what everyone came to 951 00:54:23,280 --> 00:54:26,479 Speaker 1: think of as an action figure package. Yeah. And and man, 952 00:54:26,600 --> 00:54:28,560 Speaker 1: that was another thing that with the wave of G 953 00:54:28,719 --> 00:54:31,080 Speaker 1: I Joes that I played with, that really put a 954 00:54:31,120 --> 00:54:34,239 Speaker 1: lot of time and effort and thought into the packaging. 955 00:54:34,840 --> 00:54:37,000 Speaker 1: Um and that I mean that was definitely part of it. 956 00:54:37,040 --> 00:54:40,799 Speaker 1: That really helps sell the action figures in a lot 957 00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:43,759 Speaker 1: a lot of ways. Yeah, you know, even pour right 958 00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:46,600 Speaker 1: into it. Like I said, I disregarded the package well. 959 00:54:46,680 --> 00:54:48,720 Speaker 1: With the later g I Joes, there was a card 960 00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:51,520 Speaker 1: on the back that had like their code name, their specialty, 961 00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:54,800 Speaker 1: their backstory, and like you clip them mountain and collect 962 00:54:54,840 --> 00:54:56,839 Speaker 1: those as well. Like it was definitely part of it. 963 00:54:56,960 --> 00:55:00,280 Speaker 1: I collected the Star Wars trading cards too. It's monny. 964 00:55:00,280 --> 00:55:02,520 Speaker 1: I went back and got all my old cards not 965 00:55:02,640 --> 00:55:05,720 Speaker 1: too long ago, and I didn't collect a ton of cards. 966 00:55:05,760 --> 00:55:08,239 Speaker 1: I thought like, oh, maybe there'll be some you know, 967 00:55:09,080 --> 00:55:11,960 Speaker 1: Ken Griffy Rookie card in here with five grand. So 968 00:55:12,320 --> 00:55:14,759 Speaker 1: foolishly I thought I had something of value, which I 969 00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:17,759 Speaker 1: did not. Um, But I went through and I had 970 00:55:17,800 --> 00:55:21,879 Speaker 1: some weird cards that I don't even remember collecting. Like 971 00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:25,960 Speaker 1: I had Welcome Back Carter cards. No. Oh, yeah, that's 972 00:55:26,040 --> 00:55:29,320 Speaker 1: twice that Welcome Back Cotter has made appearance in this episode. 973 00:55:29,440 --> 00:55:31,600 Speaker 1: I was not expecting either one. I like, I like 974 00:55:31,680 --> 00:55:33,560 Speaker 1: the show a lot, but I don't remember buying these cards. 975 00:55:33,640 --> 00:55:38,319 Speaker 1: I had Jaws the movie cards. I had lots of 976 00:55:38,360 --> 00:55:43,520 Speaker 1: Star Wars cards. UM, some weird like I mean, I 977 00:55:43,560 --> 00:55:46,239 Speaker 1: had football cards. I didn't even collect football cards. I 978 00:55:46,239 --> 00:55:48,960 Speaker 1: didn't think. I went through. I did the same thing 979 00:55:49,040 --> 00:55:51,160 Speaker 1: you did. I got all the boxes of baseball cards 980 00:55:51,160 --> 00:55:53,640 Speaker 1: from my dad's house, and I was like, I didn't 981 00:55:53,680 --> 00:55:56,719 Speaker 1: where did I get all these football cards? Who even 982 00:55:56,800 --> 00:56:00,840 Speaker 1: collects football cards? You know, it's unto it's weird. But 983 00:56:00,880 --> 00:56:04,200 Speaker 1: the cool thing about the seventies cards is just the 984 00:56:04,200 --> 00:56:07,040 Speaker 1: the look when you could like you know, you had 985 00:56:07,040 --> 00:56:08,799 Speaker 1: to back the camera off so you could fit the 986 00:56:08,800 --> 00:56:12,759 Speaker 1: afrow into the car, and all these like great haircuts 987 00:56:12,800 --> 00:56:14,640 Speaker 1: and hair dues that all these guys had back then. 988 00:56:14,880 --> 00:56:19,120 Speaker 1: It's pretty Why is he holding that fist aloft and 989 00:56:19,160 --> 00:56:22,000 Speaker 1: then chuck? After the packaging, it goes to the stores 990 00:56:22,080 --> 00:56:25,160 Speaker 1: and little kids like us buy it and love it. 991 00:56:25,440 --> 00:56:29,040 Speaker 1: That's right, that's the end of the manufacturing process. Wow, 992 00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:31,520 Speaker 1: what a journey. Yeah, that was something we went all 993 00:56:31,520 --> 00:56:33,919 Speaker 1: the way to China and back we did. I don't 994 00:56:33,920 --> 00:56:36,719 Speaker 1: think we pointed that out a lot of times. The 995 00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:41,319 Speaker 1: molding process is an asia. So that's one reason it 996 00:56:41,360 --> 00:56:47,200 Speaker 1: takes so long, because they put them on slow boats. 997 00:56:47,239 --> 00:56:51,880 Speaker 1: So you kind of tease this earlier. Um, the you 998 00:56:52,000 --> 00:56:55,560 Speaker 1: found a list of the rarest Star Wars figures. Yeah, 999 00:56:55,640 --> 00:56:58,160 Speaker 1: and you know, I looked at other lists and they 1000 00:56:58,239 --> 00:57:00,919 Speaker 1: listed different figures. So I don't know if that's something 1001 00:57:00,960 --> 00:57:04,319 Speaker 1: that changes a lot as far as which ones are 1002 00:57:04,360 --> 00:57:07,600 Speaker 1: the most valuable, because I literally saw at least two 1003 00:57:07,680 --> 00:57:10,919 Speaker 1: different ones that were described as the Holy Grail Star 1004 00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:14,440 Speaker 1: Wars figures, So you know there can't be more than 1005 00:57:14,440 --> 00:57:18,480 Speaker 1: one Holy Grail. No, So I do look forward to 1006 00:57:18,520 --> 00:57:21,840 Speaker 1: hearing from those in the no. But instead of saying 1007 00:57:21,880 --> 00:57:24,720 Speaker 1: these are the most valuable, let's just say we'll talk 1008 00:57:24,720 --> 00:57:27,840 Speaker 1: about some that are pretty rare and fairly valuable. I 1009 00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:31,480 Speaker 1: think that was pretty smart. So no one holds us 1010 00:57:31,960 --> 00:57:36,920 Speaker 1: our feet to the flame. Yack Face. I had not 1011 00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:40,240 Speaker 1: heard of yack face, had you know? So yack Face 1012 00:57:40,320 --> 00:57:44,520 Speaker 1: was one of um Boba Fett's either guards or mercenaries. 1013 00:57:44,560 --> 00:57:47,000 Speaker 1: But he worked for Boba Fette. No not, I'm sorry. 1014 00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:51,640 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. Star Wars people, stop stop. He works for 1015 00:57:51,760 --> 00:57:55,040 Speaker 1: Job of the Hut. He's not the same person you 1016 00:57:55,160 --> 00:58:00,680 Speaker 1: just cause three car accidents, three toyo to prius is 1017 00:58:00,760 --> 00:58:04,200 Speaker 1: just liberty mutual is going to be like this, Josh Clark, 1018 00:58:04,440 --> 00:58:08,959 Speaker 1: we gotta work into our actual aerial tables. Uh. Yeah, 1019 00:58:08,960 --> 00:58:11,040 Speaker 1: So he was part of the power of the force line. 1020 00:58:11,680 --> 00:58:14,640 Speaker 1: Uh he was canceled. And you'll find here's a common 1021 00:58:14,640 --> 00:58:19,040 Speaker 1: thread here is rarity is what makes something valuable. And 1022 00:58:19,280 --> 00:58:23,120 Speaker 1: something can be a garbage figure and they don't make 1023 00:58:23,160 --> 00:58:25,920 Speaker 1: many of them and then it becomes valuable, right, And 1024 00:58:25,960 --> 00:58:28,520 Speaker 1: I think he wasn't necessarily a garbage figure. He was 1025 00:58:28,560 --> 00:58:31,520 Speaker 1: just released at a time when, like Star Wars figures, 1026 00:58:31,520 --> 00:58:34,560 Speaker 1: sales in general were waning. So they sent him over 1027 00:58:34,600 --> 00:58:37,280 Speaker 1: to Europe. And this thing says that he was never 1028 00:58:37,320 --> 00:58:39,920 Speaker 1: released in the States. I saw that he was, but 1029 00:58:40,000 --> 00:58:42,080 Speaker 1: it was in for a very brief time and a 1030 00:58:42,160 --> 00:58:44,680 Speaker 1: very limited run, and then they sent him to Europe, 1031 00:58:44,720 --> 00:58:48,240 Speaker 1: I think, in where Return of the Jedi had just 1032 00:58:48,320 --> 00:58:50,720 Speaker 1: come out, so they were crazy for anything that had 1033 00:58:50,760 --> 00:58:53,760 Speaker 1: anything to do with Return to Jedi. America was already like, 1034 00:58:54,920 --> 00:58:58,040 Speaker 1: who cares about Return of the Jedi? We were into 1035 00:58:58,720 --> 00:59:02,640 Speaker 1: uh Temple of Doom? Oh, yeah, which I read an 1036 00:59:02,720 --> 00:59:06,160 Speaker 1: article about that recently. Supposedly Temple of Doom was so 1037 00:59:06,280 --> 00:59:11,160 Speaker 1: dark because both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg we're going 1038 00:59:11,200 --> 00:59:14,160 Speaker 1: through breakups at the time that they were writing and 1039 00:59:14,600 --> 00:59:16,520 Speaker 1: making it, So we said, what can we do here? 1040 00:59:16,560 --> 00:59:18,160 Speaker 1: Why don't why don't you pull out his heart and 1041 00:59:18,200 --> 00:59:21,040 Speaker 1: eat it? Right? That's what I feel like, because that's 1042 00:59:21,040 --> 00:59:27,160 Speaker 1: what Tina did all right week way. So this is 1043 00:59:27,200 --> 00:59:28,880 Speaker 1: another job of the Huts guards. Are you sure you 1044 00:59:28,920 --> 00:59:31,960 Speaker 1: didn't get those confused? I specifically went and looked up 1045 00:59:32,040 --> 00:59:34,800 Speaker 1: yeck face and he he works for a job of 1046 00:59:34,840 --> 00:59:36,960 Speaker 1: the Hut. They even gave Job of the Huts full name, 1047 00:59:37,000 --> 00:59:39,800 Speaker 1: and I just remember the job apart. Oh he had 1048 00:59:39,800 --> 00:59:43,000 Speaker 1: more than that. Yeah, the Hut was he was a 1049 00:59:43,080 --> 00:59:46,520 Speaker 1: member of the Huts, like the Race of Huts or 1050 00:59:46,640 --> 00:59:49,000 Speaker 1: the tribe of Huts. So is jab of the Hut 1051 00:59:49,120 --> 00:59:55,320 Speaker 1: like you know, Chuck the American gotcha? Well, I think 1052 00:59:55,320 --> 00:59:58,560 Speaker 1: I'm on record as being like, I'm a big Star 1053 00:59:58,600 --> 01:00:02,720 Speaker 1: Wars fan, love them, saw them many many times, collected 1054 01:00:02,720 --> 01:00:06,800 Speaker 1: the things. But then it ended I'm not m of 1055 01:00:06,880 --> 01:00:09,680 Speaker 1: the other half that really went down the rabbit hole, 1056 01:00:11,320 --> 01:00:15,120 Speaker 1: Like who are still like into it as much as before? Yeah, 1057 01:00:15,240 --> 01:00:18,360 Speaker 1: and even back then, like new things like the job 1058 01:00:18,360 --> 01:00:21,200 Speaker 1: of the Huts full name. Oh yeah, Like I didn't 1059 01:00:21,200 --> 01:00:22,680 Speaker 1: know that. I never knew that stuff and never read 1060 01:00:22,680 --> 01:00:25,360 Speaker 1: the books or anything like that. Um. Oh, I did 1061 01:00:25,400 --> 01:00:27,400 Speaker 1: have some of those comics though, I remember that now. 1062 01:00:27,840 --> 01:00:29,960 Speaker 1: I never had the comics. I was aware of the books, 1063 01:00:30,040 --> 01:00:32,800 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of books when there. Yeah, they 1064 01:00:32,840 --> 01:00:35,480 Speaker 1: still write them too, I think, don't they Sure? Hey, 1065 01:00:35,480 --> 01:00:39,000 Speaker 1: if it's a good thing, sure right? Is that good? 1066 01:00:40,240 --> 01:00:42,919 Speaker 1: I think so? I think we have swashed the people 1067 01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:45,880 Speaker 1: who are into the books, alright. So week Way is 1068 01:00:45,920 --> 01:00:48,880 Speaker 1: another guard. Apparently it's not super rare, but there is 1069 01:00:48,880 --> 01:00:54,800 Speaker 1: a limited edition version that is worth more so. The 1070 01:00:55,120 --> 01:00:58,640 Speaker 1: carded mint condition the power of the forest line in 1071 01:00:58,680 --> 01:01:02,560 Speaker 1: the nineties, um is worth a little bit more money. 1072 01:01:03,240 --> 01:01:07,560 Speaker 1: I says, thirty five dollars. That's what it's worth. No, no, no, 1073 01:01:07,640 --> 01:01:11,200 Speaker 1: that's what the normal one's worth. Okay, the one that 1074 01:01:11,320 --> 01:01:14,560 Speaker 1: has a special freeze frame slide, which I don't know 1075 01:01:14,600 --> 01:01:17,640 Speaker 1: what that is, got you. That one's worth ten times 1076 01:01:17,680 --> 01:01:21,560 Speaker 1: that amount according to this guy. All right. I remember 1077 01:01:21,560 --> 01:01:24,200 Speaker 1: the vinyl caped Jahwua was always worth a lot of money. 1078 01:01:24,600 --> 01:01:27,480 Speaker 1: M because they came out with a cloth cape. I 1079 01:01:27,520 --> 01:01:30,479 Speaker 1: know it's creepy. Uh So I'm gonna throw that in there, 1080 01:01:30,520 --> 01:01:33,200 Speaker 1: just off the top of my head. There was also 1081 01:01:33,240 --> 01:01:36,280 Speaker 1: a think of vinyl caped in a cloth caped Imperial guard. 1082 01:01:36,600 --> 01:01:43,120 Speaker 1: Remember the Emperor's red cloaked guards, and I think Return 1083 01:01:43,160 --> 01:01:45,320 Speaker 1: of the Jedi. Maybe Empire strikes back. I don't know. 1084 01:01:45,360 --> 01:01:51,400 Speaker 1: I'm afraid to say anything out loud. Now let's just stop. Uh, 1085 01:01:51,480 --> 01:01:54,160 Speaker 1: let's skip that next one and go straight to Bubba Fett. 1086 01:01:54,200 --> 01:01:58,960 Speaker 1: How does that sound? Okay? Bubba Fett very famously um 1087 01:01:59,040 --> 01:02:03,440 Speaker 1: in line, there was a Boba Fet that actually shot 1088 01:02:03,480 --> 01:02:08,760 Speaker 1: a missile, which is every parent knows is a chokable? 1089 01:02:09,040 --> 01:02:11,840 Speaker 1: Is the parents worst nightmare is that? Is that the 1090 01:02:11,960 --> 01:02:14,720 Speaker 1: term a chokable chokable something you can choke on, is 1091 01:02:14,720 --> 01:02:17,600 Speaker 1: that a real like parents term. Yeah, that's awesome. I 1092 01:02:17,640 --> 01:02:23,240 Speaker 1: did not know. Yeah, supposedly anything smaller then a the 1093 01:02:23,280 --> 01:02:28,640 Speaker 1: size of a toilet paper roll tube. What is it chokeable? 1094 01:02:29,480 --> 01:02:31,640 Speaker 1: Smaller than that? Yeah, so like if you can fit 1095 01:02:31,680 --> 01:02:34,240 Speaker 1: something through a toilet paper tube, then your kid can 1096 01:02:34,320 --> 01:02:38,520 Speaker 1: choke on it. Gotcha, that's what they say. Who says that? 1097 01:02:39,000 --> 01:02:41,680 Speaker 1: I don't know that. Today's show Dumb Dumb parenting blogs. 1098 01:02:42,960 --> 01:02:45,920 Speaker 1: It makes sense, though, Yeah, I can't fit a football 1099 01:02:45,960 --> 01:02:48,920 Speaker 1: through that can't choke on a football? That's correct. The 1100 01:02:49,000 --> 01:02:51,560 Speaker 1: system where you could choke on a tiny football though, 1101 01:02:51,800 --> 01:02:58,400 Speaker 1: I guess so the the chokable Boba fet um. Obviously, 1102 01:02:58,480 --> 01:03:01,080 Speaker 1: they said this is a choke king hazard, so they 1103 01:03:01,120 --> 01:03:04,840 Speaker 1: scrapped the plans and redesigned it. And so they did 1104 01:03:04,840 --> 01:03:09,000 Speaker 1: eventually release uh the figure, but it had that and 1105 01:03:09,040 --> 01:03:11,480 Speaker 1: I had this one, not the one that shot the rocket, 1106 01:03:11,560 --> 01:03:17,640 Speaker 1: because they never released that one, right, I specifically remember 1107 01:03:18,840 --> 01:03:21,360 Speaker 1: being in the same room with one that shot a rocket, 1108 01:03:21,840 --> 01:03:25,880 Speaker 1: or it wasn't hacked. Here's the other possible um explanation. 1109 01:03:26,640 --> 01:03:30,440 Speaker 1: Uh I saw it on an AD and a confusing 1110 01:03:30,480 --> 01:03:33,520 Speaker 1: reality with television again, because it says here they never 1111 01:03:33,560 --> 01:03:36,360 Speaker 1: released them in stores. I saw that too, But I'm like, 1112 01:03:36,640 --> 01:03:39,880 Speaker 1: I swear I saw one of these things, or maybe 1113 01:03:39,920 --> 01:03:42,280 Speaker 1: we were just playing with it. We're like, this thing sucks. 1114 01:03:42,320 --> 01:03:44,600 Speaker 1: If it actually shot, the missile would be so much better, 1115 01:03:44,840 --> 01:03:46,640 Speaker 1: and I imagine what that would be like, and then 1116 01:03:46,680 --> 01:03:50,760 Speaker 1: accidentally formed of memory. Who knows, I'm forty years old now, 1117 01:03:50,800 --> 01:03:52,440 Speaker 1: I can't remember what was going on when I was 1118 01:03:52,480 --> 01:03:56,160 Speaker 1: seven or eight. Uh. As far as how valuable these 1119 01:03:56,200 --> 01:03:57,800 Speaker 1: things are if you can get your hands on one, 1120 01:03:58,920 --> 01:04:01,200 Speaker 1: I mean I've seen things all over the place. One 1121 01:04:01,240 --> 01:04:04,800 Speaker 1: was sold for eighteen thousand dollars last year. But then 1122 01:04:04,960 --> 01:04:07,840 Speaker 1: I also saw one where supposedly a hundred thousand dollar 1123 01:04:07,920 --> 01:04:12,520 Speaker 1: offer at a Southby's auction was turned down. What so, 1124 01:04:12,960 --> 01:04:16,200 Speaker 1: I have no idea the value of these dudes, but 1125 01:04:16,240 --> 01:04:18,120 Speaker 1: it's it's a lot of dough. Is that the Holy 1126 01:04:18,160 --> 01:04:20,680 Speaker 1: Grail one? Well, this is one of the holy grails. 1127 01:04:21,040 --> 01:04:23,720 Speaker 1: Do you remember what another Holy Grail you saw was? Yeah? 1128 01:04:23,720 --> 01:04:26,800 Speaker 1: The other one is is supposedly the most valuable is 1129 01:04:26,880 --> 01:04:34,040 Speaker 1: the double telescoping lightsaber for uh, for Obi Wan, Darth Vader, 1130 01:04:34,080 --> 01:04:37,680 Speaker 1: and Luke, and I think Luke's is the the most expensive. Um. 1131 01:04:37,720 --> 01:04:40,200 Speaker 1: If you remember the little did you have any of these. 1132 01:04:40,880 --> 01:04:45,760 Speaker 1: I had a couple. So the lightsaber guys had a 1133 01:04:45,840 --> 01:04:48,280 Speaker 1: thing on the bottom of their arm, a little groove 1134 01:04:48,360 --> 01:04:51,560 Speaker 1: cut out with a little, uh, a little you know, 1135 01:04:51,680 --> 01:04:57,240 Speaker 1: plastic knob that you would uh shove up towards the wrist, 1136 01:04:57,360 --> 01:05:00,120 Speaker 1: and a lightsaber would come out of the hand as 1137 01:05:00,120 --> 01:05:04,720 Speaker 1: if it were turning on the double telescoping, because that's 1138 01:05:04,720 --> 01:05:08,959 Speaker 1: a telescoping feature. A double telescoping means that you could 1139 01:05:08,960 --> 01:05:13,560 Speaker 1: extend it even further out from the original telescope and 1140 01:05:13,640 --> 01:05:17,960 Speaker 1: those supposedly are super rare and uh worth a lot 1141 01:05:18,000 --> 01:05:23,200 Speaker 1: of dough. So that one I saw actually online. Um 1142 01:05:23,320 --> 01:05:25,360 Speaker 1: oh man, I can't remember the site, but it was. 1143 01:05:25,520 --> 01:05:28,080 Speaker 1: It's a it's great, it's a great Star Wars action 1144 01:05:28,160 --> 01:05:31,439 Speaker 1: figure site. Um. And they had a picture of it. 1145 01:05:31,640 --> 01:05:34,880 Speaker 1: Have you seen it? Yeah? I thought I had one, 1146 01:05:34,920 --> 01:05:38,240 Speaker 1: but I can't find it, so I think I do. 1147 01:05:38,560 --> 01:05:42,400 Speaker 1: Like the the regular lightsaber that they had was just fine, 1148 01:05:43,200 --> 01:05:46,080 Speaker 1: but then the double telescoping part was just like this 1149 01:05:46,200 --> 01:05:50,600 Speaker 1: extra thinner, pointy piece of plastic that hung down at 1150 01:05:50,640 --> 01:05:54,160 Speaker 1: like a weird angle. It didn't keep going straight. Yeah, 1151 01:05:54,200 --> 01:05:56,600 Speaker 1: they always kind of bent and it looked just it 1152 01:05:56,640 --> 01:06:00,880 Speaker 1: looked broken. You know. Yeah, but even if I did 1153 01:06:00,920 --> 01:06:03,920 Speaker 1: have one, it's well warned. So it's not like I mean, 1154 01:06:03,960 --> 01:06:06,120 Speaker 1: I think all of these things, it's always like mint 1155 01:06:06,120 --> 01:06:09,080 Speaker 1: condition in the package. It's worth this. Don't even talk 1156 01:06:09,120 --> 01:06:12,080 Speaker 1: to me if it's not mint. Yeah, that's the that's 1157 01:06:12,120 --> 01:06:14,520 Speaker 1: the slogan. So I would love some of this cleared 1158 01:06:14,600 --> 01:06:18,000 Speaker 1: up by experts. Um. Oh, well we'll hear from them. 1159 01:06:18,040 --> 01:06:19,880 Speaker 1: The Bubba fet matter. Yeah, I don't even know why 1160 01:06:19,920 --> 01:06:23,000 Speaker 1: I'm asking the Bubba fet matter, the like which one 1161 01:06:23,080 --> 01:06:26,400 Speaker 1: is truly the Holy Grail? Uh? What happened with the 1162 01:06:26,520 --> 01:06:30,560 Speaker 1: Kenner or not Kenner? The me Go Star Wars deal? Right? 1163 01:06:30,840 --> 01:06:34,160 Speaker 1: And did did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? Yes? We 1164 01:06:34,320 --> 01:06:38,840 Speaker 1: need answers people. You got anything else? I got nothing else. 1165 01:06:38,880 --> 01:06:41,920 Speaker 1: This is a big overview. There's clearly many more stories 1166 01:06:41,960 --> 01:06:44,160 Speaker 1: to be told. I got a couple a couple more. 1167 01:06:44,200 --> 01:06:48,200 Speaker 1: I just want to give shouts out Yo Joe dot com. Okay, 1168 01:06:48,360 --> 01:06:50,760 Speaker 1: if you were into g I Joe's and you want 1169 01:06:50,800 --> 01:06:55,760 Speaker 1: to feel nostalgic, uh, go check that site out. It's amazing. Um. 1170 01:06:55,840 --> 01:06:58,320 Speaker 1: And then I created a gallery a few years ago 1171 01:06:58,760 --> 01:07:02,080 Speaker 1: called Hilarious Not huck Off Some good legs of beloved 1172 01:07:02,120 --> 01:07:06,360 Speaker 1: toys and it's just like the slide show of toys 1173 01:07:06,400 --> 01:07:09,240 Speaker 1: from around the world that are it's pretty obvious what 1174 01:07:09,320 --> 01:07:11,640 Speaker 1: they're supposed to be, but they're not. Like the names 1175 01:07:11,680 --> 01:07:15,360 Speaker 1: just a little off or um they they've they've tried 1176 01:07:15,400 --> 01:07:17,760 Speaker 1: to come up with a new brand altogether, but it's 1177 01:07:17,840 --> 01:07:21,280 Speaker 1: just some cheap version of something great. So go check 1178 01:07:21,360 --> 01:07:23,480 Speaker 1: that out too. It's kind of cool. It was fun 1179 01:07:23,520 --> 01:07:27,240 Speaker 1: to put together. And that's that's it, man, it's all 1180 01:07:27,280 --> 01:07:28,960 Speaker 1: I got. Go watch the g I Joe p s 1181 01:07:28,960 --> 01:07:31,400 Speaker 1: A S by Eric Fenzler again. They still hold up. 1182 01:07:32,600 --> 01:07:36,600 Speaker 1: Do you remember those where it was like like just 1183 01:07:36,960 --> 01:07:40,400 Speaker 1: weird dubs of those g I Joe p s as? Like, 1184 01:07:40,520 --> 01:07:43,360 Speaker 1: now you know, and knowing is half the battle. You 1185 01:07:43,400 --> 01:07:46,560 Speaker 1: haven't seen these, I don't think, So okay, I'll send 1186 01:07:46,600 --> 01:07:50,080 Speaker 1: them to you. You're gonna die laughing good. Yeah, you'll 1187 01:07:50,080 --> 01:07:52,920 Speaker 1: love him. You've been trying to kill me for years, 1188 01:07:54,040 --> 01:07:56,800 Speaker 1: but this time I won't be wearing gloves coming at 1189 01:07:56,800 --> 01:08:00,360 Speaker 1: your neck. Uh. That's it for me, man, Yeah, it's 1190 01:08:00,360 --> 01:08:02,320 Speaker 1: it for me. Okay. Well, if you want to know 1191 01:08:02,400 --> 01:08:05,680 Speaker 1: more about action figures, you can type those words into 1192 01:08:05,720 --> 01:08:09,520 Speaker 1: the search bar of your favorite UM search engine. Since 1193 01:08:09,560 --> 01:08:11,800 Speaker 1: I said search engine and didn't do any buzz marketing. 1194 01:08:11,800 --> 01:08:16,479 Speaker 1: It's time for a listener mail. We're gonna plug Kiva, 1195 01:08:16,560 --> 01:08:18,880 Speaker 1: which we haven't done in a long time. That's a 1196 01:08:18,920 --> 01:08:22,519 Speaker 1: good idea. K I v A is a micro lending 1197 01:08:22,800 --> 01:08:26,160 Speaker 1: website that we have been We've had a team now 1198 01:08:26,880 --> 01:08:30,679 Speaker 1: the stuff you should know team for geez, how many years? 1199 01:08:30,840 --> 01:08:33,800 Speaker 1: Six or seven? I think it was two thousand eight 1200 01:08:33,880 --> 01:08:36,759 Speaker 1: or two two thousand nine, eight years, seven or eight years. 1201 01:08:36,800 --> 01:08:38,599 Speaker 1: Been a while, all right, So this is from Jordan, 1202 01:08:38,680 --> 01:08:40,080 Speaker 1: and then I'm gonna go over a little bit more 1203 01:08:40,080 --> 01:08:43,160 Speaker 1: about how our team is looking. Hey guys. Once I 1204 01:08:43,200 --> 01:08:46,120 Speaker 1: listened to podcasts where you promote a Kiva, I decided 1205 01:08:46,160 --> 01:08:49,360 Speaker 1: google the Kiva donation thing and eventually found it correctly 1206 01:08:49,800 --> 01:08:52,519 Speaker 1: as k I v a dot com. I immediately love 1207 01:08:52,560 --> 01:08:54,880 Speaker 1: the site. It's the epitome of how to take the 1208 01:08:54,880 --> 01:08:57,919 Speaker 1: globalized world and use that for good. So often donations 1209 01:08:57,960 --> 01:09:00,479 Speaker 1: come in the form of awkward late night and commercials, 1210 01:09:00,560 --> 01:09:03,439 Speaker 1: or five second quips at the grocery line where you 1211 01:09:03,479 --> 01:09:06,000 Speaker 1: begrudgingly make an enemy out of the seventeen year old 1212 01:09:06,000 --> 01:09:07,800 Speaker 1: clerk for saying, no, I don't want to give a 1213 01:09:07,840 --> 01:09:10,840 Speaker 1: dollar to need e children. Uh. While all types of 1214 01:09:10,840 --> 01:09:14,200 Speaker 1: donations are generally good, Kiva makes you feel even more 1215 01:09:14,200 --> 01:09:18,240 Speaker 1: personal and once one can certainly give their money to 1216 01:09:18,479 --> 01:09:21,040 Speaker 1: needs that are important to them, you probably get your 1217 01:09:21,040 --> 01:09:23,040 Speaker 1: money back, which is great. But no way did that 1218 01:09:23,080 --> 01:09:25,439 Speaker 1: motivate me to loan, and I suspect to most people 1219 01:09:25,880 --> 01:09:27,960 Speaker 1: the use Kiva would also be happy to have their 1220 01:09:28,000 --> 01:09:30,759 Speaker 1: money go to those in need without getting a return. However, 1221 01:09:31,120 --> 01:09:33,439 Speaker 1: if I do decide to receive my money back, I 1222 01:09:33,439 --> 01:09:37,040 Speaker 1: will certainly use those funds to circulate that Kiva site again. 1223 01:09:37,680 --> 01:09:39,880 Speaker 1: In other words, re loan, that's fun of the keys. 1224 01:09:40,400 --> 01:09:42,320 Speaker 1: I think I'm feeling preachy now for writing you an 1225 01:09:42,320 --> 01:09:44,280 Speaker 1: email on the basis that I just loaned what amounts 1226 01:09:44,320 --> 01:09:46,479 Speaker 1: to a small amount of cash. But I just want 1227 01:09:46,560 --> 01:09:48,960 Speaker 1: to thank you guys for sharing that site and allowing 1228 01:09:48,960 --> 01:09:51,559 Speaker 1: people like myself to make their lives better. As from 1229 01:09:51,680 --> 01:09:59,360 Speaker 1: Jordan's bachelor who claims to be a US defector, you 1230 01:09:59,360 --> 01:10:00,920 Speaker 1: he moved from the US. I can't remember where he 1231 01:10:00,920 --> 01:10:05,360 Speaker 1: lives now. It's being cheeky. So we started this Kiva 1232 01:10:05,400 --> 01:10:09,960 Speaker 1: team a long time ago, and um, right now we 1233 01:10:10,040 --> 01:10:15,080 Speaker 1: have over nine thousand members and we are almost at 1234 01:10:15,080 --> 01:10:20,400 Speaker 1: four million bucks. Dude, three million, nine thousand, three hundred 1235 01:10:20,479 --> 01:10:23,200 Speaker 1: twenty five dollars loan. That is a hundred and forty 1236 01:10:23,200 --> 01:10:26,600 Speaker 1: three thousand, one hundred and fifty five loans average of 1237 01:10:26,800 --> 01:10:29,640 Speaker 1: sixteen loans per member. And just to give you an 1238 01:10:29,640 --> 01:10:32,360 Speaker 1: idea of how it works, you donate money, you will 1239 01:10:32,400 --> 01:10:35,280 Speaker 1: most likely get paid back, and then they say you 1240 01:10:35,320 --> 01:10:37,200 Speaker 1: can check out and take your money back, or you 1241 01:10:37,200 --> 01:10:41,280 Speaker 1: can roll that into another loan. Uh I started off 1242 01:10:41,320 --> 01:10:45,960 Speaker 1: with a couple of hundred bucks way back when, and 1243 01:10:46,000 --> 01:10:49,880 Speaker 1: that now, just because I keep reinvesting, it has grown 1244 01:10:49,920 --> 01:10:53,519 Speaker 1: to one thousand, one hundred and twenty five dollars forty 1245 01:10:53,520 --> 01:10:58,240 Speaker 1: seven loans and my default rate is only four. Nice. Yeah, 1246 01:10:58,240 --> 01:11:01,240 Speaker 1: the default rate is not bad at all. It's not bad. 1247 01:11:01,320 --> 01:11:02,960 Speaker 1: So you can take a little bit, You can take 1248 01:11:03,040 --> 01:11:06,479 Speaker 1: twenty five dollars even and keep reloaning that and that 1249 01:11:07,000 --> 01:11:09,439 Speaker 1: in a few years, five or six years can be 1250 01:11:09,640 --> 01:11:12,439 Speaker 1: you know, hundreds and hundreds of dollars reloaned to people. 1251 01:11:13,240 --> 01:11:15,799 Speaker 1: Um really makes a big difference. We did our research 1252 01:11:15,840 --> 01:11:18,360 Speaker 1: on Kiva. They're not perfect, but we think they do 1253 01:11:18,400 --> 01:11:22,400 Speaker 1: a really good job. And um, you know, we have 1254 01:11:22,439 --> 01:11:24,080 Speaker 1: the stuff you should know team, so we would love 1255 01:11:24,080 --> 01:11:26,280 Speaker 1: to see people sign up for it, push us over 1256 01:11:26,280 --> 01:11:30,160 Speaker 1: that four million dollar mark, which is crazy. And yeah, 1257 01:11:30,280 --> 01:11:32,760 Speaker 1: yeah we're not exclusive. We're not snobs, and neither is 1258 01:11:32,800 --> 01:11:35,439 Speaker 1: anybody on our team. It's a very very welcoming group 1259 01:11:35,439 --> 01:11:38,559 Speaker 1: of people who are really active on the board. Um 1260 01:11:38,640 --> 01:11:43,479 Speaker 1: there lad unofficially but de facto by Glenn and Sonya 1261 01:11:44,000 --> 01:11:47,160 Speaker 1: who have emerged to be these these great team leaders 1262 01:11:47,160 --> 01:11:50,720 Speaker 1: that like just keep everybody going and motivated and moderate 1263 01:11:50,840 --> 01:11:52,840 Speaker 1: and make sure everybody's on the up and up, and 1264 01:11:53,160 --> 01:11:55,760 Speaker 1: they send us emails and reminders about how we're doing. 1265 01:11:56,040 --> 01:11:58,599 Speaker 1: Hats off to those guys. Thank you guys for that. Yeah, 1266 01:11:58,640 --> 01:12:02,280 Speaker 1: so Kiva dot org at the said dot com earlier, Um, 1267 01:12:02,320 --> 01:12:04,320 Speaker 1: and just go to the team section search stuff you 1268 01:12:04,320 --> 01:12:08,679 Speaker 1: should know. Join the team through somebody's way. You can 1269 01:12:09,160 --> 01:12:11,840 Speaker 1: you can give to people that are doing things that 1270 01:12:11,840 --> 01:12:13,960 Speaker 1: are close to your heart or maybe countries you've been 1271 01:12:14,000 --> 01:12:16,840 Speaker 1: to that you want to help support. Uh. You can 1272 01:12:16,840 --> 01:12:19,400 Speaker 1: give to women or men, and it's just really you 1273 01:12:19,439 --> 01:12:23,080 Speaker 1: can really dial down and give very specifically how you 1274 01:12:23,120 --> 01:12:25,280 Speaker 1: want to give. Yeah, and uh, if you want to 1275 01:12:25,320 --> 01:12:27,160 Speaker 1: know even more about it, you can go listen to 1276 01:12:27,200 --> 01:12:31,600 Speaker 1: our episode micro Lending and you can we've written a 1277 01:12:31,640 --> 01:12:33,240 Speaker 1: couple of blog posts on it, and I think there's 1278 01:12:33,280 --> 01:12:35,920 Speaker 1: someone HuffPo even that they published of ours. But it's 1279 01:12:36,240 --> 01:12:39,040 Speaker 1: um I think like why we land on Kiva, and 1280 01:12:39,120 --> 01:12:41,519 Speaker 1: it really addresses a lot of stuff that people have 1281 01:12:41,600 --> 01:12:45,680 Speaker 1: raised and we've said, hey man, it's still totally worth it. Yeah, 1282 01:12:45,760 --> 01:12:48,800 Speaker 1: good check it out, all right. Uh. If you want 1283 01:12:48,840 --> 01:12:50,880 Speaker 1: to get in touch with us, you can tweet to 1284 01:12:50,960 --> 01:12:53,360 Speaker 1: us at s y s K Podcasts. You can send 1285 01:12:53,439 --> 01:12:55,719 Speaker 1: us an email the Stuff podcast at how Stuff Works 1286 01:12:55,760 --> 01:12:57,720 Speaker 1: dot com. It has always joined us at our home 1287 01:12:57,760 --> 01:13:02,360 Speaker 1: on the web. Stuff you Should Know dot com mm hmmio. 1288 01:13:02,840 --> 01:13:05,160 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know is a production of I Heart Radio. 1289 01:13:05,640 --> 01:13:08,160 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my Heart Radio, visit the i heart 1290 01:13:08,240 --> 01:13:11,120 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 1291 01:13:11,160 --> 01:13:14,800 Speaker 1: favorite shows. H