Next year marks the 60th anniversary of Hasbro‘s G.I. Joe brand, and already some big news is starting to emerge.
After years of rumors and rumblings — including a alleged deal that failed to materialize during Toy Fair back in 2020 — the 3.75-inch O-Ring G.I. Joe figures are making a comeback.
First launched by Hasbro in 1982 as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, the 3.75-inch range has seen updates over the years but with the success of Hasbro’s 6-inch scale G.I. Joe Classified Series, the company put that scale on the back burner for awhile. Over the past few years, O-Ring figures — named for the rubber ring that holds the figure together at the waist — have made occasional appearances in special releases, including the HasLab Skystriker project and a series of Transformers x G.I. Joe collaborative sets.
Now, following the news that O-Ring figures were slated to be included with Super7’s massive Cobra Mothership (as featured in the Toy Fair issue of The Toy Book), Hasbro has officially handed Super7 the keys to the 3.75-inch G.I. Joe kingdom for an all-new line of 3.75-inch O-Ring figures set to launch in fall 2024.
According to Super7, the line will include characters sourced from the 1980s G.I. Joe Sunbow and DiC cartoons and the Marvel comics of the era.
In an interview published by “Pixel Dan” Eardley, Super7 founder Brian Flynn noted that this line has been in the works for “years” and comes after the company strengthened its relationship with Hasbro via Super7’s ReAction and Ultimates! treatment of the G.I. Joe brand.
While there are many questions that will be answered in the months ahead, the new line is said to follow some of the precedent set by Super7’s 3.75-inch, 5POA line of G.I. Joe ReAction Figures by leaning into a lot of characters that haven’t yet been made in the O-Ring form factor.
Flynn says that the company is looking to stay within the $20 price point that it currently maintains for its ReAction lines.
Status of the Cobra Mothership
One wildcard right now is whether or not the Cobra Mothership — which has been touted as compatible with both ReAction and O-Ring figures from the start — will actually enter production.
It’s been struggling to find backers during its crowdfunding campaign and currently has just 1,455 backers against a minimum of 4,000 needed to enter production. An Early Backer Bonus failed to move the needle on preorders, which could have been further stifled by the ship’s size, price, and timing.
To celebrate today’s news of an O-Ring relaunch, Super7 “re-deployed” its Exclusive Cobra Viper Gunner Commander ReAction and O-Ring figures that were planned to be a Tier 3 unlock as part of the base offering. The Cobra Mothership will only take flight if it reaches its minimum goal by 11:59 p.m. PT on Dec. 11.
