ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Some toys just seem to stand the test of time, like Barbie, Hot Wheels, or Mr. Potato Head. Now, an artist in St. Pete is proud to add G.I. Joe to that list.
Mark Pennington was still attending art school in 1985 when he was recruited by Hasbro to draw what would become one of the most popular toys of all time.
“It was amazing; I was just kind of in shock the whole time; I would have worked there for free,” said Pennington.
Pennington used his own military experience in the Army to fuel his creativity.
“That’s one of the reasons I got hired because I can take apart an M16 blindfolded, I knew exactly what guns are,” said Pennington.
He went on to help create more than 100 G.I. Joe Action Figures. Techno-Viper might be his favorite.
“It’s the very first Joe that I designed when I got to Hasbro,” said Pennington.
Pennington's career designing Joes only lasted three years, but his impact is timeless.
“What’s really nice is I’ll do G.I. Joe conventions, and grown men will come up to me and want to hug me and almost start crying, and they are talking about how their dad had to drive through the snow to get this one figure that they wanted,” said Pennington.
Now, 40 years later, these fans are inspiring a G.I. Joe comeback. It’s a Kick Starter called Operation Re-Call.
“They wanted the people who were there in 1985,” said Pennington, comparing it to a reunion of sorts. “These are concepts that fans came up with, that fans wanted to see their ideas, and they wanted me to Joe them up. It’s really cool because then I go to shows and meet them and shake their hands, and they are just glowing because their Joes are actually going to get produced.”
So far, Pennington has helped to design 10 new characters, submitted by fans, that are currently in production and will soon be for sale.
“This one young man came up with a tortoise character, and no one else would have ever done that; we G.I. Joed him up; he’s got rocket launchers on him; he’s a Galapagos Turtle,” said Pennington.
Pennington said it’s nice to know that Joe continues to be such a big part of his life after all these years.
“I thought it was three years and done, and I’d never see G.I. Joe or do anything else with it the rest of my life, but here we are 40 years later, and going like crazy,” said Pennington.
“We’re ready for our visitors.”
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