Hasbro Buys Rights to Sunbow Animation Archives!

[King Psyz]

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2008/05/actual_news_hasbro_has_its_sunbow_cartoons_back_in.php

Seems Hasbro has reaquired the rights to all their old cartoon properties. GI JOE, Transformers, Mr. Potato Head, My Little Pony, Connect Four... CONNECT FOUR???!?!?

Anyways, with the 25th anniversarry coming up on both this all but seals the deal on some proper DVD releases for GI JOE and Gen 1 Transfomers.

W00T!

[Fawst]

I thought G1 Transformers HAD a proper release on DVD?

I just want G.I. Joe: The Movie on DVD. And yes, I mean the Cobraaaaaa...(inhale)LALALALALALALALALALALALALALAL ALALALALALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! !!!!! version.

[SilentBobX]

Sweet fuckin heaven. The prayers have been answered. YO JOE!!!!!!

Mahalo

[Fried Gold]

Transformers has had at least two proper DVD releases.

Rhino/Sony gave up releasing GI Joe because they weren't selling (in the UK, hardcore fans wanted Action Force branded stuff so wouldn't buy it)

[SilentBobX]

If by 'proper' you mean a shortened pair of releases and now both are OOP, then yes they did.

GIJoe as I recall, sold out, not undersold. Otherwise they'd be more available and not going for $100-$200 on ebay

Mahalo

[Fried Gold]

Rhino twice released complete season boxset-ed editions in the US.

In the UK, two difference companies released them.

Rhino's first season boxsets didn't sell too well, and they were hesistant to release the second season. Part never got released and they sold the rights to Sony (who it seems never did anything with them)

{Yes, they are limited and do go for a lot on ebay}

In the UK, we started getting GI Joe 2 or 3 episode discs which stopped after a couple of releases.

[Fawst]

Someone explain, briefly... is GI Joe a ripoff of Action Force, or is Action Force the ripoff of GI Joe?

[Fried Gold]

Someone explain, briefly... is GI Joe a ripoff of Action Force, or is Action Force the ripoff of GI Joe?

Same thing, different brand name depending on the country.

(although I think GI Joe slightly predates our "Action Man")

The Sunbow GI Joe cartoon (and the toys and comics) were rebranded as Action Force in the UK to take advantage of the assocation with Action Man.

This included a few character changes, "Yo Joe" being changed to "Full Force", different edits to the cartoons (to make them less homoerotically US-patriotic) and a better title theme - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1RBEqRt52Y]

[AtomicHyperbole]

Action Force is the ripoff of GI Joe. But didn't it then become GI Joe?

[SilentBobX]

Action Force is the UK version of GIJoe which came first. The toys first came out in the late 60s/early 70s and were big. The cartoon and 3 3/4 inch figures came out in 1982 and were the direct descendants of the orig. Cobra wasn't in the orig. GIJoe, but created as a terrorist opponent for the Joes in the cartoon and comics.

So to answer the question, GIJoe was first.

Mahalo