Throwback Thursday: G.I. Joe Action Figure!

If you grew up in the 70's and 80's like I did, this toy was one of the most popular out there: it's G.I. Joe-- and he's celebrating his birthday on this Throwback Thursday!

That's right, the G.I. Joe action figure first hit store shelves on February 8th, 53 years ago, back in 1964. It was made by the Hasbro corporation, and it would go on to be one of the biggest selling toys of the 70's and 80's.

More recently, of course, the G.I. Joe character has also been made into a live action movie. Back in the 80's, Joe was the star of his own Saturday morning cartoon series. (Saturday, of course, being the only day you could watch cartoons back when I was a kid.)

I first remember being introduced to G.I Joe by my cousins, Todd and Brett, when we'd all play together at my grandparents' house.  They had some massive pine trees in their backyard, and we'd send Joe on all sorts of adventures in the pine needles that had accumulated on the ground.

So, happy 53rd birthday, G.I. Joe! (Although, if he was already a soldier back in '64, he's probably closer to 73 in 'actual' years today. But I digress.) Remember this classic G.I. Joe commercial? Makes me want to get my Big Wheel (remember those?!?) and head outside!