Which G.I. Joe Figure Was Originally Conceived As A Cost-Cutting Production Move?

Answer: Snake Eyes

Most folks familiar with the G.I. Joe toy line and broader franchise can probably rattle off a few things about Snake Eyes without much effort. He ranks among the very first characters Hasbro ever released and holds the distinction of being the team's inaugural commando specialist. His actual identity, where he came from, and his official service number have all stayed sealed away in classified territory across every iteration of the franchise (making him one of the rare figures to show up in literally every single series since day one). He looked awesome back in 1982 and still looks awesome today, and while part of that appeal comes from his mysterious persona, a huge chunk of credit goes to that slick all-black ninja-inspired commando outfit.

Here's something most people probably haven't considered about Snake Eyes and that signature all-black look: the whole thing was basically a manufacturing shortcut. The earliest Snake Eyes figure shipped with absolutely zero paint applications. Every single piece of the figure — the noggin, torso, arms, legs, everything — was simply molded out of plain black plastic straight from the tooling. Dollar for dollar, no G.I. Joe figure cost less to crank out than Snake Eyes did, since practically zero finishing work was needed after the plastic pieces came out of their molds. Sure, collectors have seen plenty of Snake Eyes variations hit shelves over the decades, a handful even sporting a dab of paint somewhere on the figure, but the core concept has barely budged, and black remains the go-to and most beloved color scheme.

Image courtesy of Hasbro