Friday, March 8, 2019
All American Hero!
Large wars were a normal occurrence in my home. hands would fight the forces of evil using their plastic weapons and philander tanks. My G.I. Joes and I would fleck the evil C.O.B.R.A. for hours making me forget everyday hassles like my chores and homework. I neer thought about why I dramatic played with my action figures, except I was hooked by G.I. Joes concept of honor and pride. My obsessive play with these toys revealed much about myself as a baby.As a child G.I. Joe was my life. School provided me a chance to show slay my G.I. Joe tiffin thump before I would run in my G.I. Joe sneakers at recess. After coach my best grade for the day would be posted on the refrigerator with my particular(prenominal) G.I. Joe magnet, which I sent away for in the mail. Weekends provided me with chores that, upon their completion, allowed me to finance a new G.I. Joe figure. There was no sequence when G.I. Joe was not in nigh way involved in my life.I still remember visual perception my first G.I Joe on the shelf in the store. These figurines were often sold in packaging that had comics on the back recounting heroic stories of G.I. Joe victory. The first time I saw a G.I Joe, I went over to the shelf and pulled it off the peg, flipped the package over and aim the resume on the back. Everytime I read the comic for a different character, it make me want that toy much and more.However, I believe my fondest moment with G.I Joe was when I saw my first G.I. Joe cartoon on television. Every episode contained dozens of different characters and vehicles all of which could be bought in toy form. G.I. Joes lived up to their definition as the real the Statesn hero by fleck evil terrorists in defense of their country. all(prenominal) episode even ended with a moral about profession or virtue. Eventually, my fantasy became a when the G.I. Joe cartoon television series was made into a movie. The movie introduced new characters, new vehicles, and new story lines for me to enjoy.Unfortunately, as I got older, I began to realize that the whole G.I Joe aim was just a way for the company producing them to make money. The marketing power of G.I Joe was further subsidise during the television series by advertisements that aired during the shows commercial breaks. Images of plastic figures fighting on elaborate battlefields were designed to grab childrens imagination. I was often shown in the ads creating elaborate scenarios in which G.I. Joe would combat the evil C.O.B.R.A. This melding of the show and commercials bombarded me with the visuals of desired toys.The toys were the background for an exponential marketing strategy that forced me or my parents to buy more and more products for me. The thought behind this strategy was very simple in that if I bought one G.I. Joe that I would most likely buy another. not only that, but if I already had a few G.I Joes hence I would probably buy a vehicle for them. Eventually, it led to me buying other paraphe rnalia such as clothing and even lunch boxes.Furthermore, I even remember going to different stores and seeing different marketing campaigns set up. For example, I remember Sears only selling the omit center for the bad guys Toys R Us selling a special figurine that came with an audio cassette that is now a valuable collectors item. These special toy sets appealed to me who desired to have all of the rare G.I. Joe items.What does this say about America? It reveals that capitalism was present in nearly everything made in America. No matter how much I loved my G.I. Joe, I was still the peter of corporate executives who merely desired to make money. Though honor was emphatic on the show to sell toys, it only contrasted the dishonorable marketing scheme of the companies. Personally, my childhood love for G.I. Joe was therefore created by a company entirely to profit from. And yet I dont care. After realizing that I was merely world used I still love my G.I. Joes because they were a part of me heedless of how much money I spent.
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