Donald Levine, the creator of ‘G.I. JOE’, has passed away

The creator for G.I. Joe passed away on Thursday. While I never knew the good sir Donald Levine by name, what he unleashed on the world has certainly sculpted my grey matter to some extent. From a young age I’ve been certain that knowing was half the battle, and have wandered aimlessly, anxiously, despairingly, wondering what the fuck the other half was.

Donald Levine, a Hasbro executive credited as the “father” of the immensely popular GI Joe toyline, passed away this past Thursday after succumbing to cancer at the age of 86. Since GI Joe spawned the idea of and the term “action figure,” Levine was actually a father to an entire industry.

Levine and his Hasbro team created an 12-inch figure with 21 points of articulation, which went on sale during the Christmas season of 1964. Levine, who served in the Army during the Korean War, outfitted the figure with military uniforms, helmets and guns, both to appeal to boys and honor veterans. Fifty full years later, GI Joe action figures are still available, and have spawned cartoons, live-action movies, videogames, and more.

If you’re one of the countless millions who played with GI Joe figures — whether the original 12-inch ones, the 3-3/4th-inch Real American Heroes figures — or enjoyed the cartoon growing up or the recent movies, take a moment today to think of Levine. [io9]