GI JOES were/are the shit. I had like everyone. All the vehicles, bases, the huge aircraft carrier. My dad used to play w/my brother and I. It would take him hours to put some of the stuff together. I remember one year on Christmas Eve, he spent the entire night putting the Cobra fortress together. When My little brother and I went down in the morning he was passed out on the couch w/the little decal stickers all over him. Anyway, I’m 22, and my brother is 15. He still has/plays with them every blue moon. On Christmas my mom found a few packs of the original GI Joes (3.5")at the local Wal Mart. I must say it was still exciting at 22 to open up some GI Joes. The snow boards/skateboards/ PS2 games all sat as we immediately started playing like we were 10 again. I miss those days and my dad. He works like 100 hours a week. (no shit) He was pulling a double on Christmas day, so we video taped the gifts being opened. It’s really sad. At 22 I already work way too much, and play way too little. I don’t want to turn out that way. Anyway, enough ranting. Realistic guns were also the shit! And of course any sports equip. (football, hockey sticks etc.)
Ok this will probably date me, but my best toy was my BB gun. The 2 things we did most were to set up battle scenes with those little plastic army men, and take turns shooting at the other guys men. Last man standing wins. About age 12 we started having BB gun fights. Put on 2 pairs of jeans, 2 shirts (roll the collars up, a hat and choose sides. Amazingly, no one ever lost an eye, but my friend Victor did have a BB stick in his face. Those were the days. No fair wearing a coat – you need the red mark from the BB to prove a hit.
By in far, the coolest toys that my brother and I use to play with were called “Spinjas”. You had a battle ring and several spinjas which had a bottom similar to a top which allowed it to spin and the top were decorated like little warriors. You had a device which allowed you to twist it up and then release the spinjas into the bowl shaped battle dome. Two spinjas would go at it until one finally stopped spinning. Awesome toy! Kept my bro and I entertained for hours.
Huck (I presume that’s you), we used to do the same thing with our BB guns. Then, and I swear that this is true, one of my uh, “intellectually challenged” classmates decided to up the ante and tried to get us to have BOW AND ARROW fights. Not the plastic suction cup variety, the compound hunting bow variety, complete with broadheads. This was in junior high, and needless to say, I didn’t participate. Thankfully, his parents broke up the “game” shortly after it started. I think the kid eventually ended up in San Quentin or something.
Yeah, it’s me. You reminded me of one other thing we did which could have been a little risky. We lived in Laredo TX on the border in old base housing right on the river. We used to hide in the cane on our side and using plenty of elevation, shoot at the Mexican workers bathing, fishing, etc in the Rio Grande. The river is only about 6’ deep at the middle there. One day Scott and I were shooting and hadn’t even hit anyone yet when a big bunch of cane just over our heads disappeared. Then we heard the shotgun, then we saw a very angry old Mexican farmer. I am sure he could of taken us out if he had wanted to. We never went back to that part of the river.
Remember Big Jim , you could flex his bicep and it would grow. You also had Dr. Steel, the Whip and Josh. Cool stuff.
Legos were killer. My friend and I would
build “tanks” out of legos, get on opposite
sides of my basement, and then push them
into each other as fast as we could, to see
who could build the strongest tank. It sent
lego pieces flying everywhere! And it was a
great lesson in structural engineering. Also -
to Michelle: funny, seems a lot of people were
into blowing up GI Joe guys. We used to blow
them up with fire crackers in my friend’s
back yard - just not under stones…
To Nate Dogg: yeah transformers were cool too
… BUT, I can’t believe you people still have
all these toys (what’s up with that!?). I
think I got rid of all my toys when I was
about 13! I mean, if I went over to a 25 yos
house and s/he still had transformers or dolls
lying around I’d have to wonder about him/her…
The Green Machine was the shit!! (The green ‘Big Wheel’ that steered from the back instead of the front).
WTF?..big wheels …gijoes…I’ll take your GIJoes,put 'em all over your big wheels and blast the shit out of 'em from 300 feet away with my POTATO CANNON!!!i still pull mine out every summer after the kids on the block beg me to…they saw me use it years ago and it left quite an impression.
WTF? BB Guns? Bow and arrows? POTATO GUNS…Ok “if you own a potato gun, 'you might be redneck.” (In a Jeff Foxworthy tone.) C’mon guys, I grew up in Baltimore city, we ran around w/9milimeters and started gang wars for fun… Mulestick, never, ever, ever, ever (In a chris tucker voice)talk crap about GI Joes. We’ll see how your potato gun stands up to my Desert Eagle 
(No more 9 milimeter(s) Bigger boys require bigger toys.)
“Playing with GI Joes and rubbing tummies with GI Hoes since 1980.” - Rookie
How’s that Monkey Boy?
No, I’m not a redneck, I just know how to have a good time. 
Rock-em Sock-em Robots!!! Remember, “You knocked my Block off!” In Desert Storm I was stationed on the USS Saratoga and my best friend back home shipped me a real Rock-em Sock-em game and we had it set up in the middle of the Avionics shop. I miss that thing. BTW, Demo, where do you live? I can go to WalMart and buy rockets, erector sets, legos, you name it. I even found some Lincoln logs! And even though I’m 37 I still buy stuff like that for my kids, yeah that’s it, for my kids. Michelle, if you were into Hot Wheels, go check out Muscle Machines. I have a green '41 Willys with a blower sitting on top of my monitor here at work.
I live in MT, and can get all the stuff you mentioned at Wal-Mart as well. You have to admit, though, it’s a lot easier to find Teletubbies than suitably violent and/or “masculine” themed toys. Any violence has been really phased out of cartoons as well. Lincoln logs were very cool, but definitely not for the tub. That orange dye comes off pretty quickly. I know, I know, “Why the hell would you take Lincoln Logs into the bathtub?” I was a weird little kid, okay?
And I thought some of you guys were some where near me in age. Transformers? I think I was in college when those things came out. Any way, Lincoln Logs (not the orange ones, the real wood stained ones), Legos, and some home-made bulding blocks (cut up 2x4s). When I got old enough (around 10) a bow and arrows. Had access to a .22 rifle pretty much any time (which is now mine, a gift from my dad). Slingshots (slef-made), rocks, shovels. Building forts from natural cover (we lived on wooded 5 acres). Today, I just don’t understand it. Barney? Teletubbies? I won’t even let my DAUGHTER play with those things.
You’re right about stuff being harder to find. The cool thing for us is that I live in the county which means LOTS of fireworks stands! And about the cartoon thing, has anyone else made the connection that around the same time Wyle E. Coyote quit hitting the groung and making that cool coyote shaped hole, people started bungee jumping, base jumping etc…? Is there maybe a connection with cartoons and behavior? I think what we are seeing is interference with natural selection.
Forget about toys. I miss the Muppets.
G.I. Joe.Rookie i’m older than you, the G.I. Joe i had was at least 8" tall and had a pull string to talk.very cool.my mother gave it away,can you believe it. B.B. guns and windows,rocks,things that blow up like caps.a roll of caps and a rock or hammer.things that break with rocks and hammers.swinging cats by tail.e-z bake ovens and chemistry sets,wicked combination.rocks all sizes.plastic model ships covered in plastic cement with matches topped off with rock bombs.bow&arrow,sticks,sizzlers,rocks.rock fights with friends.super slider snow skates.sticks all sizes.pointy sticks.tennis and/or badmiton racquets and rocks.that gun that shot the flying discs the size of a dime.grassfires.rocks flying and stationary.cool stuff.
Damn…all these posts and not one person has mentioned Star Wars??? The Death Star Station w. the trash compactor, the Land Speeder, the Hoth Ice Planet, the Laser Pistol/Rifle! Now that was fun. I even recall having Tag Team wrestling tournaments between my Star Wars and GI Joe action figures. Gotta give Atari 2600 the nod too. I still remember how happy I was when I was on the waiting list for PacMan and the day it finally arrived…now THAT was heaven! Activision made the coolest games for that system. I don’t know if I like Pitfall, Megamania or Decathalon the best. I can remember being late for soccer practice a time or two from playing too much Atari.
My favourite toys as a kid were my Legos and the potato gun my uncle helped me build when I was 10.
I’m now 36 and still have a couple of my best Lego creations boxed up to show my kids.
Oh yeah, about the potato gun…I built a new one last summer and still laugh my ass off when I shoot potato slugs over the neighbour’s house into the lake… never too old to be a kid.