I guess I was originally drawn to the line by the classic good vs evil aspect, with a varied cast of intriguing characters. What hooked me was probably the articulation and level of detail given to the figures.

My first Joe figure was Zartan v1, so I got a figure that was not only super-articulated but also had a colour-change feature, a pretty unusual vehicle and other accessories (a Jesus mask that could be stored in a backpack!) and box art, not to mention the filecard, giving a lot of depth to the character while maintaining an air of mystery... Of course I then needed some good guys for him to fight (or trick with his disguise...) and learning more about them to decide which ones to get just pulled me in even more!

The unique, specialised accessories each figure had added to the character of each of them, and the intricate vehicles added another level of play value. There just seemed to be an incredible level of thought and attention to detail which had gone into this toy line and even as a child I appreciated that. The variety within the line also helped, I think, in that they were able to incorporate aspects of all sorts of popular concepts - ninja, robots, mad scientists, clones...

And by the time Larry Hama's comics made their way into my hands I was well and truly engulfed in the GI Joe universe!

For me it's less a nostalgic thing since I never really stopped liking GI Joe; my approach has changed, sure -- I miss my childhood imagination and ability to play SO much -- but the franchise is something that has been important to me for the majority of my life and has enough depth that there's still plenty to keep my interest however I may grow and change.

Joes remind me of beinga kid,and it is relaxing to me to come home from a crappy day at work and snap a couple pics of some figures. I will never forget the first 6 joes my gram bought me they were having a bogo sale at Montgomery Ward I got Shipwreck, Flint, Lady J, Snake Eyes w/ timber, Ripper, and roadblock v. 2 Poor Ripper until I got some more cobras they used to beat the crap out of him.

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the reason i like my Gi Joes is cuz you make your own missions they don't have to follow any story lines and doesn't have to fight the same enemy over and over again (like power rangers) and they come with an awesome sellection of vehicles and plus i love taking pics of my GI Joes and vehicles esp since i live in the country and not in the city

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"For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced: for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah and there was peace."