“Unwrapping Nostalgia: Reliving the Best G.I. Joe Christmas Hauls from 1982-1994 Week #2!
Story by Mitchell Smith
Welcome to the Outpost. Rolling along in December, does everyone have their lights up yet? This month I’m taking a look at my best Christmas G.I. Joe hauls from 1982 – 1994 ranking my personal Christmas hauls from not the best to the greatest ever. So I went over my 3 least favorite years for Joe hauls last week, so this week I start with 1992. Now these are only based on my personal hauls for each year, it doesn’t have anything to do with figures or vehicles produced these years. In 92 my Joe years were slipping away in the rear view mirror. I still had my Joes from my childhood and they slowly slipped into the cracks of the garage, attic, and closets. Thankfully they did not get tossed out in the trash so I was able to get my figures and a handful of vehicles that were pretty beat up when I started collecting. I like to think back at my childhood and that of 1992 and what I would have wished for as an 11 year old boy.
The Toxo-Lab is cool, and I didn’t have the original Joe Base as a kid so the 92 Headquarter would have been a really cool place to store all of my great figures. Barricade, Nunchuck, and Bullet Proof along with Headman, Flak-Viper, and Overkill would have been awesome. I was recently watching the 90’s cartoon and these would have definitely been on top of my watch list. Obviously 93 would be my next in line of years I would have to pretend I was 12 and wishing for a super awesome Ghoststriker and the Dino Hunters set to go along with those Jurassic park figures. I definitely would be gearing up for some awesome figures too. Top of my list would be General Flagg, Sci-Fi mainly to swap out his head on my 86 figure I got from my older brother, and Keel-Haul because even though the infamous Flagg was just myth at this point there was proof that it excited and there was hope I would find one someday to claim as my own. Finally 1994, I would be graduating high school and shoving off to college.
I left all of my Joes and most of my personal belongings behind to start a new chapter in my life. I was as far away from GI Joes as I had ever been. 94 was a year I knew nothing about until I got back into it many years later as a collector. Although the vehicles were slim picking a would have took an interest in the Scorpion and the 30th anniversary Action Space Capsule. With my infinite knowledge I have now, this would bring back memories of playing with the 12 inch Joes at Grandmas. Little would my 13 year old self know this one little piece would bring back memories of loved ones long gone but not forgotten.
My figure wish list would be Space Shot and a few figures for him to chase through space like Predacon, Lobotomaxx, and Carcass, 3 figures I’m still trying to hunt down for my personal collection. All in all even though I did not experience these as a child I was able to transport myself back and imagine how awesome these years would have been and all the great memories that would have been created by one toy line. I’m sure many of you experienced first hand the joy of these three years. I’d love to hear first hand how awesome it was to be a part of these three years. What is your favorite from these 3 years? Check back next week for my next 3 favorite Joe Christmas Hauls.
