G.I. Joe in Spain 1988-1994. The generation of International Heroes is a work produced by a group of collectors that has just put this 1,500-page guide, divided into eight volumes, up for sale. As reported in the press release, it documents the presence of this toy during the late eighties and early nineties.
Guide takes a look at over 300 G.I. Joe that were marketed in Spain, and that are accompanied by photographs and explanatory texts. For the elaboration of the work, collectors from all over the country have collaborated, who have offered photographs of their collections. Nor have they been missing former employees of MB Spain, the company that distributed the toys in those years.
Reservations until March 31
As a consequence of the high cost of a product with these characteristics, production will be carried out on demand, with payment in advance. Those interested can reserve their copy until March 31, the date on which the copies will be printed and sent to buyers. It costs 200 euros including shipping for Spain and 300 euros for residents outside the country. On the other hand, delivery is scheduled for May or June. The coordinator David Sullywan asserts that it is not something they have done “for money”, since the price “has been adjusted to the maximum to reach the greatest possible number of nostalgic”.
- Buy G.I. Joe in Spain 1988-1994. The generation of International Heroes
Manu Martínez, collector of G.I. Joe since 2003 and one of the largest collectors in Spain has been the promoter of the project. In the prologue he assures that he focused on “getting the toys in the original packaging”, just as they arrived at the toy stores. “I understood that the compilation and publication of that visual archive was a job that he had to do”, so in 2018 he launched “a team of collectors that brought together different talents and skills”.
David Arenas, José Guerrero, Oriol Roig and David Sullyvan are part of the team, despite the fact that “it would not have been possible without the enthusiastic collaboration of many collectors from all over Spain”. This is not an official Hasbro guide, but a product created based on private collections.
The first seven volumes review the seven years of presence of G.I. Joe in Spain , while the eighth is focused on his story. Information, original documents, interview and more are included. “It has been a long process,” admits coaturor David Arenas. “It has taken us four years to gather all the material, take the photographs and write the thousands of texts, but without a doubt it has been worth it and with this guide, we believe, we pay the best possible tribute to a toy that marked us.”