WOJM Special Edition #2: A look back at The Pursuit of Cobra

From 2010 to mid 2011, the GI Joe Pursuit of Cobra line from Hasbro tried its best to carry the flag of the hobby after marginal movie and retail product sales.  Understandably, retailers were gun shy to reload on the American Hero because in their eyes, the movie line was simply not selling.  With a little luck, persistence and possible divine intervention from a dedicated brand team, the line we now know as PoC made its way to retail, but in a form changed from the initial vision shared with us in Kansas City 2009.  Gone were the movie cards, movie actor likenesses and the spring loaded weapons.  Enter new and familiar characters and vehicles with slick retail packaging and increased tooling and detail.  PoC became an award winning brand based upon the Hasbro GI Joe Brand Team's attention to detail and willingness to add that little extra to make the Pursuit of Cobra stand out against tough competition on the 3.75" retail landscape.  Still, we were lucky to get much of that as some items didn't make it to traditional retail channels or got cancelled all together.  At the end of the day, the tale of the tape shows this: 34 single carded figures, 12 vehicles and many satisfied fans.  In this special edition of WOJM, the team reviews the line and goes over the highs and the lows of a series that seemed to be unfairly placed on Hasbro Life Support from day 1.  If PoC is a barometer, can we expect more of the same with the 30th Anniversary and GI Joe 2 lines bring us?  We'll see, but until then, sit back, relax and have a listen to this Special Edition of What's on JOE Mind!