Has anyone in your family ever played with GI JOE action figures? The famous military hero was extremely popular in the 1980s, so it wouldn’t be too uncommon for your parents to have some stored away somewhere. The action figure was originally something of a dress-up doll in the sixties, but it didn’t garner much attention. However, when the GI Joe series made the switch from dress-up to action hero, it revolutionized the way toys were marketed.
In a bold marketing move, the whole line of toys starred in their own comic book series. The comic book series was then advertised alongside the action figures on television. This marked the first time a comic book was ever advertised through television.
What you may not know is that the father of one of our teachers – Miss Bozigian – played a very big part in the success of the revamped GI Joe series. Kirk Bozigian worked with Hasbro before and during the revival of the GI Joe series. Kirk was very big into comics as a child and started reading them when he was only seven. When he got the chance to, he ended up taking a job suggesting ideas and proofreading for the GI Joe comic series. He quickly became an integral part of the marketing team that helped skyrocket the value of Hasbro from the millions to the billions.
Kirk Bozigian “wrote the book on modern action figure marketing strategy”. The effort put into the revival of the GI Joe series was astounding and although Bozigian was the youngest member of the marketing team. From helping produce the first comic book commercials, to reaching out to big industry names like Marvel for TV series centered around the GI Joe figures. He also anticipated the popularity of toy collecting, and helped create the “Hall of Fame” series.
In fact, when it came to modeling the figures themselves, Mr. Bozigian was chosen to be “Law”, and over seven hundred and fifty thousand of him were created! Without Kirk Bozigian on the marketing team, the popularity of GI Joe might not have let it reach its legendary status it has today. So if anyone in your family ever played with GI Joe figures as a kid, they might just be playing with the people that made them so famous!
By: Evan DeMendonca