GI Joe, Thundercats inventor Stanley Weston passes away

The inventor of the action figure as we know it, Stanley Weston, passed away on May 1 at the age of 84 in Los Angeles.

The news was broken by Weston’s own daughter Cindy Winebaum and was reported by media outlets like The Hollywood Reporter.

Born in 1933 and serving in the Army after the Korean War ended, Weston enrolled in New York University for an MBA and got a job in the advertising agency McCann Erikson.

He soon discovered a talent for then up and coming licensing and merchandising industry, and that was where he founded his own company in Weston Merchandising – which went on to tap into the success of Mattel’s Barbie line and create something for boys since the doll market was untapped for them.

As a result, he conceived of a military action figure line that would eventually become “G.I. Joe” – starting with 12-inch scale toys that became very successful.

Eventually G.I. Joe, would find new life in smaller 3.75-inch figures that became a critical and financial success – leading to waves of toys, animated shows, and even movies produced under the ownership of Hasbro.

In addition to the Joes, Weston also helped co-create the other 80’s toyline and show Thundercats – which while not as popular as G.I. Joe still raised quite the pop culture following by fans worldwide.

His agency would soon be renamed Leisure Concepts, representing the likes of Nintendo, the World Wrestling Federation, Farrah Fawcett, and even TV Shows like Alf and Welcome Back, Kotter.

Along with other legends like George Lucas, Jim Henson, and Walt Disney, Weston was inducted into the inaugural class for the Licensing Industry Hall of Fame in 1989.

His accomplishments remain embedded in the history of merchandising and popular culture.

Rest in Peace, Stanley Weston. Yo Joe and Thundercats Ho! — TJD, GMA News