In the 80's Ninjas were everywhere and to us kids, the coolest games, toons, and toys had a Ninja somewhere in the story line. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are synonymous with 80's Ninja culture. Despite the more recent movies showing the two with a strong history together, we never saw that play out back when watching the cartoon. Yes, these two icons never had their paths cross as anything meaningful until after the cartoon series ended. Of course, that didn't stop us kids to create such situations. I mean, they were both Ninjas, it was inevitable. Today, let's look at two of some of the coolest Ninjas that we have to give tribute to, as true Legends.
G.I. Joe action figures had been around before the 80's, but it was in 1982 Hasbro introduced this mysterious masked hero, Snake Eyes. Our Snake Eyes is the first version commonly referred to as "V1." It is the first figure that does not have the swivel feature above the elbows. He comes equipped with a firearm and explosives pack. He offers great detail on his suit and poses very well for a figure designed over 30 years ago. Within my circle of friends, many of us believed that Snake Eyes was blind and while I cannot find any evidence to support that notion, it is understood that he is a mute. With his handicaps aside, Snake Eyes is a force to be reckoned with!
On the opposing side, we have yet another cool Ninja that was also prized by us kids! Storm Shadow! Ahh, finding him at K-mart summer of '85 was a notable memory in my past endeavors. The one shown today is from series three, his first release, in which Hasbro updated many of the Joe's with the "swivel above the elbows" articulation. Storm Shadow, a master of Ninjitsu, played a formidable villain in the original cartoon series. One of his more notable appearances and my personal favorite is where he was featured in the awesome episode called Excalibur. Our Storm Shadow comes equipped with two swords with back mount holder, bow and nun-chucks. Due to the swivel feature in his arms, his articulation has considerably improved from the previous series of figures.
Two of the coolest Ninjas of the 80's that made our "Legends" mention. What are some of you favorite Ninjas from the decade? Thanks and enjoy the pics!