GI Joe heroes & Cobra villains now at Toy Kingdom

MANILA, Philippines -  As G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, the live-action movie adaptation of the GI Joe saga, hits screens this August, fans of all ages will have a first glimpse of the excitement as Toy Kingdom launches its toy line on July 11 at the SM Megamall Event Center.

Be one of the first to own action figures of the GI Joe heroes and Cobra villains. Designed to resemble their onscreen counterparts, these come with their preferred weapons, a projectile launcher and other accessories.

On the GI Joe Team there is Major Conrad “Duke” Hauser, the lead soldier whose figure is sculpted to resemble actor Channing Tatum; Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara, the team’s intelligence specialist; Snake Eyes, the ninja commando skilled in martial arts; and Shipwreck, the naval commando. Cobra’s villains include Storm Shadow, a ninja mercenary; and Zartan, a master of disguise and a makeup expert.

Collectors will be amazed with the vehicles and playsets equipped with hidden weapons systems and an action figure from the new toyline. The Pit, for example, recreates GI Joe headquarters, and expands to a multi-level playset and converts to a vehicle.

During the toy launch, GI Joe fans will also be entertained with games, photo ops, and toy displays and dioramas featuring collections from different toy lines and eras.

In more than a half-dozen incarnations across four decades, GI Joe has become the single greatest brand in the history of toys for boys. Inspiring the term “action figures,” GI Joe ushered in a new play pattern that forever changed the scope of the toy world.

Hasbro has kept GI Joe on the market nearly continuously since 1964, with the exception of a few years between the death of the classic “vintage” Joe in 1976 and the introduction of the new “Real American Hero” in 1982. This is quite a feat since conventional wisdom in the toy industry says that a new generation of boys comes along every four years, requiring new and fresh products and new techniques that are needed to successfully market to this changing crowd.

As a result, GI Joe as a product has assumed many different roles over the years — from military hero to adventurer to Adventure Team member to Super Joe to the smaller but no less powerful Real American Hero (which changed over time) to Sergeant Savage to GI Joe Extreme, and recently back to 12-inch GI Joes with the Hall of Fame and now the Classic Collection and Timeless Collection. There has never been a toy for boys with GI Joe’s complex history. And few toys have lasted as long.

With the movie launch of GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, these toys are designed for boys who enjoy 21st technological fun, as well as generations of collectors who grew up with this iconic doll.

GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra toys will be available at Toy Kingdom Express outlets at all SM Department Stores and at Toy Kingdom stores located at SM Makati, The Podium, V-Mall, SM Megamall, SM Southmall, SM City Fairview, The Block at SM City North-EDSA, and the SM Mall of Asia. In the provincial areas, these are located at the SM Supermalls in Pampanga, Lucena, Marilao, Baguio, Bacoor, and Batangas in Luzon, and Cebu, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao in the Vismin area. Also watch out for the opening of Toy Kingdom in Bacolod in August 2009.