LOT #6481 |
Sold on Jul 18, 2003 for: Not Sold
GI Joe - First Navy Scuba Suit with Modified Male Doll (Hasbro, 1964). One stroke of genius that Don Levine and the early Ha...
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Description
GI Joe - First Navy Scuba Suit with Modified Male Doll (Hasbro, 1964). One stroke of genius that Don Levine and the early Hasbro marketing division insisted upon was that the GI Joe line must represent all four branches of the armed services -- Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Neglecting any of the major divisions would give a competitor the perfect "in" to imitate Joe's all-but-inevitable success by launching an identical product in different fatigues. Consequently, uniforms and accessories for all four services were part of the initial design process, and Levine was quite keen on a Navy scuba suit -- but only if the piece could be done right; i.e., manufactured out of rubber, rather than plastic or vinyl. Offered here is the very first prototype of the wetsuit, constructed from an inner tube and hand-sewn, including a front-loading zipper. The suit is modeled by a vintage male figure, an off-the-shelf item bought by the Hasbro development team for visualization purposes, before a prototype Joe figure was ready. The boyish face has been "butched" up a bit with a hand-applied five-o'clock shadow, and his hands and feet have been blackened in as well. There is some threading evident around his sideburns (perhaps a scuba mask was sewn onto the figure at some point?), and some flocking is missing; the left arm is broken in two at the elbow, and the left leg has been reinforced with a metal rod. The rubber is still soft, but has moderate crazing, especially on the back. But these are minor considerations which do not affect the impact of this key piece of Joe history. From the personal collection of Don Levine, creator of GI Joe.View all of [Don Levine G.I. Joe Collection ]
Auction Info
2003 San Diego Comic Auction Sale #807 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2003
15th-20th
Tuesday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 4
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,363
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
15% of the successful bid per lot.
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