Tag Archives: holiday

Merry Christmas from your friends at JBL!

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Merry Christmas from  your friends here at JBL!

JBL christmas 2015

Today is Christmas Day!  Whether or not you celebrate it for its religious significance, today is day in which much of the western world seems to set aside differences and grievances and instead focuses on a spirit of giving and compassion.  For children, it’s a day in which brightly wrapped packages appear under a decorated tree– each promising hours of excitement to come.  For parents, it’s a day to watch over their children or even grandchildren as they embrace Christmas with open arms.

For all of you who read this, I’d like to express my wamest wishes for a safe and happy holiday to your and your families.  While our favorte brand of adventurers, soldiers, and Real American Heroes are no longer in stores, we can still enjoy the spirit of the season and look back fondly on the days when boxes of familar Hasbro products were unwrapped and new adventures with G.I. Joe were ahead.  G.I. Joe will return– and whether or not it is in a form familiar or in a brand new aspect, we all hope that name “G.I. Joe” will continue to foster the imagination of future generations.

Or rather, as the “Great Snake” himself once put it so succinctly:

 

Happy Independence Day 2016!

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Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day

Today is a day in America in which we celebrate our freedom as a nation.  It was on this day in 1776 that the Continental Congress formerly adopted the Declaration of Independence.  It was this day that our founding fathers made their intentions to establish a free and independent nation known to the world.

In the intervening years, the focus Independence Day has been more on backyard barbecues and fireworks and yet it is also a day for all Americans to reflect upon the freedoms and individual liberties that they enjoy as citizens of our nation.  It is also an opportunity to reflect upon those who sacrfice so that we might be able to enjoy a day of festivities and celebration.

From all of us here at JoeBattlelines, have a safe and happy July 4th – our Independence Day!

 

Merry Christmas from JBL!

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from JoeBattlelines.com!

I’d like to thank everyone who still visits this site for stopping by throughout the year and hope that you all have a wonderful day with family and friends. May the Grinch be kept at bay, may Shipwreck not hit the egg nog too hard, and may you have a blessed holiday.

JBL christmas 2015

Thank a Vet on Veteran’s Day

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Veteran's Day

Today is the 77th observance of Veteran’s Day.

First proclaimed a holiday by then-President Woodrow Wilson on November 11, 1919 the date was officially made a holiday by an act of Congress on May 13, 1938.

Please, take a moment today and thank a veteran for his or her service.  The brave men and women of our Armed Forces have sacrificed their time, energy, and even their very lives to ensure that people across the world may live in freedom.  We owe them our thanks and our respect.

They are the real American heroes.  Honor their service this Veteran’s Day.

Happy Birthday America!

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Independence Day

Happy Birthday America!

Just a quick note to wish a happy birthday to what is, in my opinion, the greatest nation on planet Earth.  (No bias here.)

You’re still looking pretty good for being 239 years old, USA!

Also, a big thanks to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces whose countless sacrifices ensure that we’re able to celebrate the birth of our nation each year.

Have a happy and safe July 4th.

Happy Holidays from JBL!

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Christmas holiday g.i. joe Renegades

Happy Holidays from JBL!

2014 certainly has  been an “interesting” year for G.I. Joe.  It was the year of the 50th Anniversary which celebrated more with whimper than with a bang.  There was the Toys R Us exclusive 50th Anniversary line, and the Hallmark ornament but otherwise Joe received precious little attention from Hasbro to celebrate his half century of inspiring kids around the world. Even this year’s G.I. Joe convention was a more muted affair with Hasbro not in attendance.  Even the Kre-O line seemed to fade this holiday, with Toys R Us slashing prices just before the holidays.

However, the year is soon to draw to a close.  With that, comes a brand new year with brand new possibilities.  After all, the G.I. Joe brand has been nothing if not adaptable in its 50 years on toy shelves. When Joe returns, and I’m certain it will return, it may not be as the Adventure Team, Super Joe, Sgt. Savage, Renegades, Extreme, Sigma 6, or even the celebrated A Real American Hero but that’s the beauty of the brand.  It has evolved over time and adapted to play patterns of the children of its time.

Thanks for visiting JBL in 2014.  We may not be the biggest, most talked about or frequently updated, or flashiest site on the web, but as long as there are fans of G.I. Joe out there, we’ll keep the lights on and the forums open, just in case anyone wants to stop on by, crack open a frosty Yo Joe cola, and talk about G.I Joe– regardless of scale, size or format.

Again, thanks for the stopping by and Happy Holidays!  Here’s to a brighter 2015!

Happy Holidays from JoeBattlelines.com

Happy Thanksgiving from JBL!

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Thanksgiving Christmas G.I. Joe

 

Happy Thanksgiving from JBL!

Sure, it’s not “Joe news” but this time of year it’s nice to take time out of a crazy schedule to appreciate the things that you have.  In the United States, today is the day that millions of Americans sit down with family and friends over a sumptuous meal and try to remember all of the things that they have to be grateful for.  As such, JBL would like to extend some “thanks of our own” on this blustery morning here in Central Illinois.

I’d like to thank each and every person reading this message right now.  It sounds corny but it’s true.  JBL isn’t a for-profit site– content here isn’t created to try and generate revenue.  Instead, new reviews, articles, and the occasional bit of news are all posted to help serve as a resource for the G.I. Joe fans around the world.  As such, I’d like to thank you for stopping by for you’re the reason this site exists!

I’d also toss a shout out to all of the various G.I. Joe creators I’ve met and interacted with over the years.  Without each of your unique talents and vision, the brand that we know today wouldn’t exist.  I know I’m going to miss a plenty of names but to folks like Larry Hama, Kirk Bozigian, Chuck Dixon, Buzz Dixon, Ron Wagner, Herb Trimpe, Brandon Jerwa, Josh Blaylock, Mike O’Sullivan, Ron Rudat, the late Don Levine, the crew from Boss Fight Studio, and others– thank you for your vision, creativity, and perseverance. Sure, Joe seems to have fallen on some hard time lately but the vibrant fandom is keeping the memory of “Man of Action” and “Real American Hero” alive today.

Also, to all of the friends that I’ve made through this hobby, just a quick note of thanks.  I won’t list all of you but I just wanted to say thanks for the support and the acknowledgement that “JBL is still there!”

Lastly, to the men and women of our Armed Forces, I’d like to say thank you.  Past and present, you are truly the REAL American Heroes!

May you all enjoy a blessed day!

Plus, check back next week as we round out the 50th Anniversary Reviews!

JBL Thanksgiving

Veterans Day – Thank You For Your Service

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Veterans Day Thank you for your service

 

Today is Veterans Day.  Scheduled to coincide with Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War 1, it is a day set aside to honor ALL members of the Armed Forces, both active and retired, for their sacrifice and their duty in the service of their country.

By the very nature of its subject matter, the G.I. Joe fandom attracts members of the Armed Forces.  To all of you, I can only say “thank you”– for the hours/days/weeks spent away from family, for the risks that you endured, and for the sacrifices that you made in order to safe guard the freedoms that permit me to sit here right now and type a message such as this.  Without your efforts and your examples, I might not live in a great nation such as ours.

To anyone else reading this that, for whatever reason, did not chose the path of service, please take a moment today and reflect upon the efforts of our Armed Services veterans.  Think of what they have given so that we can life in a Land of Liberty and where our freedoms are guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.  Take a moment today if you encounter someone who is either a past or current member of the Armed Forces and thank them for their service.  It isn’t about the mission– today is about the brave men and women who put themselves between the civilian population and harm’s way and do everything in their power to ensure that the tide doesn’t turn against.

Veterans Day is more than just a “day off of school” or “some really good sales.”  It is a day set aside, on the armistice of what was dubbed “The Great War”, to honor our nation’s TRUE Real American Heroes.

My words are inadequate to express my feelings of gratitude to you all.  Thank you.

Happy Independence Day!

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Freedom is the Right of All Sentient Beings
JoeBattlelines.com would like to wish everyone a Happy Independence Day!

Today is more than just a day filled with cookouts, days off of work, and fireworks.  For those of us in the United States, it’s the birthday of our nation.  More importantly, it’s the birthday of a nation based upon the principles set out in these words:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Dated “July 4, 1776”, the document quoted above was signed by a group of brave men who sought to free their friends and neighbors from what was then an oppressive government and establish a bold new experiment in representative government. Their actions forever shaped the world and helped create a nation that has forever changed the way people view the notion of “Freedom.”

So, to all who read this– we here at JBL wish you a happy and safe 4th of July.  Whether the time be spent with family, friends, or even in some quiet reflect, take a few moments today to be thankful for the freedoms that you enjoy.

A full copy of the Declaration of Independence may be found here.

Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Brand Joins Forces With Toys for Tots and Actor Dennis Quaid in an Important Holiday Mission

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toys-for-tots A cause that is very near and dear to my heart.  The following is a press release from Hasbro.   Join in the discussion here.

 HASBROS G.I. JOE BRAND JOINS FORCES WITH
TOYS FOR TOTS AND ACTOR DENNIS QUAID
IN AN IMPORTANT HOLIDAY MISSION

Be a Hero and Help Deliver the Magic of the Holidays to Less Fortunate Children

PAWTUCKET, R.I., November 10, 2009 Over 14 million children live in poverty in the United States.  They need a hero this holiday season and here to answer the call of duty is the G.I. JOE brand from Hasbro (NYSE: HAS).

Hasbros G.I. JOE brand, the Marine Toys for Toys Foundation and actor Dennis Quaid are joining forces to help make this holiday season a little brighter for less fortunate children.  For every G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra toy purchased at stores from November 11 through November 26 (Veterans Day through Thanksgiving), Hasbro will donate a new toy (up to 300,000 toys with a minimum $3.99 value) to Toys for Tots.  Actor Dennis Quaid, who plays GENERAL HAWK in the 2009 blockbuster film G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, will voice a national radio spot, due to premier on Veterans Day, November 11, to help raise awareness for this campaign and the positive impact The U.S. Marines and Toys for Tots make on the lives of children.

As long time supporters of Toys for Tots, we recognize and applaud the important work the organization does on behalf of economically disadvantaged children nationwide, said John Frascotti, Hasbros Chief Marketing Officer.  In working with Toys for Tots once again this year, they were very clear that new toys for the children they serve would be in greater need than ever during these difficult economic times, and we are pleased to step up and do our part.

We know this year will be especially hard on families as many have already started to significantly tighten the purse strings, said retired Marine Corps Major Bill Grein, USMC (Ret), vice president of marketing and development for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.  These families need a hero this holiday season and Hasbro is it.  Their generous gift of toys and games will enable us to deliver the magic of the holiday season to many of our nations neediest children.

For more information about how you can help make a difference, please visit www.gijoe.com.