Hasbro and Kindle Worlds team up for crowd-sourced action figure

The G.I. JOE team is doing far more than listening to their fans, they are letting their fans create the next chapters and figures in the G.I. JOE universe. In partnership with Amazon.com and their Kindle Worlds program, dozens of authors have uploaded their original G.I. JOE stories for fellow fans to purchase. There are over 90 unique, original G.I. JOE stories available at Kindle Worlds and now Hasbro is launching the G.I. JOE Kindle Worlds Toy Fan Vote to create a new figure in the 2016 G.I. JOE lineup based on these original writings.

“I’m so excited for this fan vote,” said Mark Weber, Hasbro’s Manager of Global Brand Development for G.I. JOE. “This feels like an extension of the classic ‘Steel Brigade’ and ‘Create-A-Cobra’ fan authorship concepts that let fans ‘become’ recruits to the JOE or COBRA team, but with a modern fanbase twist. We’re also proud to acknowledge the incredible stories being created by the talented writers over on Kindle Worlds.”

Kindle Worlds provided a list of the top ten best-selling G.I. JOE stories, and four of the authors had new characters to submit for this project. G.I. JOE fans worldwide now have the opportunity to meet four new characters from Kindle Worlds stories and decide which one will become an action figure in 2016. Popular G.I. JOE artist Robert Atkins put together the initial character sketches for each candidate. Characters and events referenced herein are fictional and are not intended to depict actual characters and events.

The four characters that fans can choose among for the G.I. JOE Kindle Worlds Toy Fan Vote are:

1) ADVENTURE TEAM MARCUS: Jim Beard is a longtime fan of the classic 12-inch G.I. JOE toys, and his vision comes alive in his own Kindle Worlds story – “G.I. JOE Adventure Team – Mystery of the Sunken Tomb.”

Code Name: Adventure Team Marcus™   

Adventure Team® Member

File Name: Marcus (Last Name Classified)

SN: Classified

Primary Military Specialty: Communications

Secondary Military Specialty: Medic

Birthplace: Hammonton, New Jersey

Grade: E-5

A graduate of West Point, ADVENTURE TEAM MARCUS was a communications specialist and battlefield medic before forming the ADVENTURE TEAM. Members of this elite group are cross-trained in medicine, geology, zoology, and engineering among other disciplines, and they apply their training on missions of exploration and rescue. An accomplished marksman, ADVENTURE TEAM MARCUS can handle any weapon from pistols to rifles, and is proficient in several martial arts including karate, kung fu, and even the gentler tai chi.

2) COBRA BLACKJACK: Troy Osgood has written four G.I. JOE stories on Kindle Worlds, and his entry hails from his story – “G.I. JOE : Brainstorm.”

Code Name: Cobra Blackjack™  

Bodyguard to Baroness®

File Name: Osten, Nikolai

Primary Military Specialty: Infantry

Secondary Military Specialty: Close Protection

Birthplace: Odessa, Ukraine

Grade: NA

COBRA BLACKJACK had a distinguished military career in Eastern Europe before striking out on his own as a mercenary. When the BARONESS was young, he accepted the job of keeping her safe, and has continued to do so, faithfully, for years. Cold and calculating yet deeply honorable and loyal, he also became her trainer, seeing it as the best way to protect her from danger. Quiet, proficient, and deadly, he safeguards her through all her plots and schemes.

3) STILETTO: Bill Nedrow introduces us to this character in his third book “G.I. JOE: Body Count.”

Code Name: Stiletto™  

Security

File Name: Kwaigno, Paithoon

SN: 414-33-PK72

Primary Military Specialty: Covert Operations

Secondary Military Specialty: Infantry

Birthplace: Hua Hin, Thailand

Grade: E-5

With her facial scar, dead eyes, and streak of white hair — as well as her mysterious past and knife-edged battle skills — STILETTO makes even the G.I. JOE® team a little nervous. She joined the team alongside Cobra® defector Felix “Mercer” Stratton™, acting as his bodyguard, and has since become a strong asset to the team. With skills that hint at Special Forces training, she is proficient in most small arms weapons and an expert in the use of bladed weapons.

4) COBRA WHISPER: Justin Bell’s new character makes her debut in his very first book “The Price of Peace – Snake Bite.”

Code Name: Cobra Whisper™  

Cobra® Liquidator

File Name: Unknown

Primary Military Specialty: Assassination, Silent Weapons

Secondary Military Specialty: Covert Operations

Birthplace: Unidentified Island Fishing Village

COBRA WHISPER was orphaned as a child by Cobra® forces, but has been led to believe that G.I. JOE® forces were responsible. Cobra Commander® used this misinformation to build her into his personal assassin, fostering her sense of isolation and thirst for revenge. She is an accomplished martial artist and an expert in sound-suppressed weapons ranging from knives and swords to pistols and submachine guns. The Commander also uses her as a military operative skilled in sabotage and armed combat.

The G.I. JOE Kindle Worlds Toy Fan Vote will be open for one week, from Monday, November 2nd 2015 through Monday, November 9th, 2015. CLICK HERE TO VOTE for your favorite character and help them become an action figure in the 2016 G.I. JOE toy lineup! One vote per person please.

G.I. JOE ®/©Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. The names, Marcus, Nikolai Osten and Paithoon Kwaigno do not identify any known, living persons.