Originally Posted by Sonneilon

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In all honesty, none of us were here when those figures were originally
designed so it is hard to say for sure. One theory is that G.I. Joe has
always been a reflection of Pop culture of the time. In 1989 when the
Alley Viper was released, bright neon colors were very cool. From a
military standpoint it could be inferred that as these were Cobra urban
specialists they were not meant to blend in, but rather to be so obvious
as to be intimidating.