Rediscovering Psyche-Out: A 1987 G.I. Joe Character with Untapped Potential
Story By Mitchell Smith
Welcome to the Outpost. Today I’m taking a look back at a 1987 G.I. Joe character who was over shadowed by many other characters that year especially characters from GI Joe the Movie. Many great characters like Fast Draw, Sneak Peak and Crazylegs were minor characters at best but I think could be utilized in the modern era of Gi Joe. Psyche-Out is also one of those characters who really doesn’t have much of a story in the comics or animated show. Mostly what we know about him is from what we see from his file card.
This is an interesting character and one I think would be fun to see in a modern animated series. I remember receiving all the original single carded figures for Christmas in 1987 plus the Cobra La set and a handful of vehicles. Split among me and my 3 brothers but I think I was most fond of the Joes out of all of us. Out of all the awesome figures that year Psyche-Out is a super sharp figure with unique accessories. His head set reminded me a little of Lobot from Star Wars. He really stood out to me even though he has never been a main character.
I know a lot of people prefer the Night Force look of many of the characters, but I really love the original design and color scheme of Psych-Out. Given Psych-Out’s background and degree in psychology, he could have played a key roll in negotiations with a Cobra front man such as Crystal Ball or Raptor from 87, or Cobra Commander, Baroness, or even Destro. Overall this is one of those great figures that was lost to the cracks and could very well be resurrected and made a popular character with a modern day animated series. He would go hand in hand with other characters who did have some meat to their story such as Chuckles, Falcon, and Tunnel Rat to name a few. I would love to see a Classified version of Psyche-Out with all of his modern gear including a removable headset. With everything coming down the pipeline it is possible we will see this figure sometime soon. Who had Psyche-Out as a kid? Who would love to see him in a classified scale? Make sure to check back for our next discussion.
