Since its introduction in 1964, G.I. Joe has been one of the most popular toys for boys. The Hasbro Company created G.I. Joe as the first action figure doll for boys. A real G.I. is an enlisted person in the U.S. armed forces. This G.I. stood a foot tall, had moveable joints so that he could be posed in many different ways, and he wore military fatigues, dog tags, and boots. As a war toy, G.I. Joe joined a long tradition of military toys for boys.

Hasbro hoped to repeat the popularity of the Barbie doll (see entry under 1950s—Commerce in volume 3), the beautiful and popular doll for girls that was introduced in 1959. But getting boys to accept the idea of playing with a doll took some work. Hasbro overcame boys' dislike of dolls by making its doll...