1984 G.I. Joe: Dropping Iconic Figures Like It’s Nothing

By Destro Designs – Viper Den Studios

After being completely bowled over by the Joes I got in 1983, my entire soul was ready for the absolute FIRE that ’84 brought.

Legitimately, some of the most recognizable Joes—outside of Snake Eyes, Destro, and Cobra Commander—came out in ’84.

The Baroness, Cobra’s Head of Intelligence and muse to Destro, came in with beauty and a whole DON’T MESS WITH ME attitude and voice. She sounded unhinged with that laugh, and her eyes matched it. I snatched her up for sure, along with Duke—both iconic figures.
I loved Duke. He reminded me of my grandfather, with whom I was very close. Duke was the leader, the face of G.I. Joe—hell, my mom thought Duke was G.I. Joe.

The next two I got were Blowtorch and Spirit. I LOVED Spirit’s weapon. I didn’t care that it was supposed to be arrows—to me, they were BIG-ASS BULLETS. And even as a kid, I loved that Spirit was always on sight with Storm Shadow. Immediately like, “Forget it—we’re fighting.”

Blowtorch and Spirit signified a change in the characters and figures. Both totally awesome, but not your average Joe. Blowtorch was the first wild color departure—a warning shot across the bow that things were about to pop off. No pun intended.
Everything about Blowtorch was perfect, including the doors he opened in my imagination.

Some of these figures were gifts: Mutt and Junkyard, Roadblock, Storm Shadow, and Ripcord.
Mutt and Junkyard are an elite set—unlike anything I’d ever seen. After watching the episode “Cobra’s Creatures” and seeing the heart Mutt had for his companion, they became instantly endearing—like two friends to me.

But when it comes to iconic, my two favorite figures from this year were bought together—the tag-team masters of disaster: Firefly and Scrap-Iron.

First of all, the name Scrap-Iron is just awesome. It would elevate a mediocre figure—but this was no mediocre figure. This was a game-changer with an all-time accessory.

His overalls made him look like he was down in the trenches playing with his toys—and his favorite toy was a portable SAM launcher capable of taking down any tank or aircraft.

That launcher hit me like a sledgehammer on the cool factor. I was blown away. His Classified version remains one of my favorites—arguably figure of the year and overall Top 5 of the 3¾ line.

Also hitting a grand slam is Firefly. His card art made him look like the most badass figure and character. Like my brother Mark—aka “Destro Is My Spirit Animal”—says, “Firefly is the Boba Fett of G.I. Joe.”

And he’s right. The camo colors, the balaclava, that insanely awesome primary weapon—it was elite. Add in a backpack full of explosives and tools? A man after my own heart. He was mysterious and just a little crazy—as most people who love bombs tend to be.

Some would say the best figure was the mail-away Hooded Cobra Commander. It was truly a crazy cool figure and remains iconic today. I loved the Battle Mask just as much—if not more.

Not to be missed were the iconic vehicle releases like the CLAW. I loved this thing and wish the Classified version came with the big bomb like the original did. I also combined the Machine Gun Nest and the Bivouac to make a killer Joe base. I rocked that setup for a long time—the crossed I-beams from the MGN were incredible. It served me well for years as a base of operations.

All-timers like the ASP and the Water Moccasin hit like a landslide. The ASP was towable and just cool as hell. I don’t know what it was about that ridiculous thing, but it was one of the coolest toys ever. The stand-up function didn’t help accuracy at all—but I loved it.

The Water Moccasin was sleek, and the card art was absolutely stunning. I still stare at it today in awe. Having Destro as the gunner didn’t hurt either.

Something about the vehicles that year catapulted my imagination forward again. I’ve always said G.I. Joe unlocked my imagination to its fullest potential—and this year, between figures and vehicles, I hit new heights.

I think this is when I realized that people who loved G.I. Joe the way I did… weren’t like everybody else.

In a previous article, I mentioned there are no halfway crooks with this toy line—and 1984 is when that truth really hit me.

I eventually collected everything from 1984, but during the year, these were the ones I had as they came out. Kay-Bee Toys was my favorite place on earth. For some reason, Toys “R” Us had an incredible vehicle selection—but their figure selection was weak. So Kay-Bee reigned supreme.

As hooked as I already was, this year launched me into the cosmos. I became deeply attached to these toys. When I broke my Copperhead, I was devastated—it genuinely taught me about loss at a young age.

And I’m not overstating it. Even at 5 or 6 years old, I knew I was emotional, and these toys meant everything to me. They were also an escape. My parents were young when I was born, and around this time, building a G.I. Joe world in my bedroom was better than the yelling in the other rooms. I’m sure many of us share that kind of connection to this line.

I often wonder if Ron Rudat and Larry Hama truly know what they’ve meant to people for so long.

Forty years later, G.I. Joe is still my favorite thing—and it still wields that magic wand, making my life better to this day.