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About the Authors
Ron C. Conner
I feel it is best to start out with the big picture about my life. I want to proclaim that I am a Christian with faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Now for the main reason toys are in my life. As far back as I can remember, I would hear people continuously stating regrets, wishing they could go back and be a kid again. So I never wanted to live with that regret. I have yet to give up the kid in me, even thought I am an adult with kids of my own.
I began collecting G.I. Joe in 1985 when I started watching the cartoon series. I was 11 years old and in the 6th grade. This was a bad time to collect toys when peer pressure said otherwise. My first figure was a 1982 Clutch. For about 6 months I was quietly collecting Joes. Back alley trades at school got me a few more figures. They were broken with glued arms and heads from "firecracker wounds", but I didn't care. These were G.I. Joes! I finally got more bold and voiced my interests to my parents in order to get the newest Joes on the shelf. Asking paid off. I had the 7-1/2 foot long aircraft carrier blocking the Christmas tree that year. It was the best Christmas I had ever had! Once my collecting fever spread to comic books, there was no turning back. My first issue was #58. After toy production stopped in 1994, sources were limited to just trade magazines. It wasn't until 1995 when the internet really unshackled my passion. I had access to International Joes I never had dreamed of. I was constantly buying and gathering information.
I am so happy to have focused these experiences into creating the book you see on this website. I hope it will pass on some of my hard earned experiences and it will make your collecting much easier. I wish I had a book like this years ago when I venture into collecting international G.I. Joes!
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Derek R. Anderson
I can remember that day like it was yesterday, even though it has now been over twenty years. It was a Christmas eve of 1982 and I was 10 years old. I had no idea what fate has in store for me that day. For I was about to meet my new best friend, G.I. Joe. My life would soon change forever.
It was a tradition in our household to begin the height of the festivities on Christmas eve. The children were each allowed to open one Christmas present that night before going to bed. I carefully selected my present, hoping it was something fun! I wanted a toy to play with before bed, and not a pair of socks or a shirt.
The package I selected was small. It was flat and felt like thick cardboard with a little bubble protruding from the front. As I removed the wrapping paper, I was amazed to see something I had never seen before, a G.I. Joe action figure.
It was actually a "Rock 'N Roll" figure, the G.I. Joe's machine gunner. He had a huge machine gun with a bi-pod and a removable helmet! It was one of the coolest toys I had ever seen. That night I played with Rock 'N Roll for hours and the next morning, I was thrilled to discover that the rest of the Joe team was waiting for him under the Christmas Tree!
That Christmas had changed my life forever. I continue to collect Joes to this day, and I am happy to say it has grown into a hobby that has made me many new friends. My son Brandon, who is now the age I was back then, collects and plays right along with me, and has given us countless hours of fun over the years...Thanks Joe!
Derek Anderson and Ron Conner recruited into Cobra's army
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