So how exactly does one characterize GI Joe? Is he not a doll? I remember one Christmas when I was little back in the 60s when my sis and I each got a Chatty Cathy and my lil sis got a Chatty Baby. My brother, about 2 years old then, was incensed and so after Christmas my mom went out and got him a Chatty Brother and all was well.
My brother, by the way is a Catholic hetero with children and works his head off supporting them.
Action figure
Doll.
"Action figures?" Dolls and ruled so on a legal basis in the 1980s.
Dolls. Dolls. Dolls. Boys play with dolls.
I think certain "traditionalists" have built a false mythology around stereotypes that is harmful to the development of men.
GI Joe is great for tying to firecrackers, blasting into space with slingshots or CO2 rockets, or dragging behind your bicycle.
GI Joe isn't a doll. It's an action figure. BIG difference.
“But would you ever buy a doll for your young son?” I followed up.”
GI Joe, He-Man, Superman, Captain America, Green Lantern, Batman, Robin, the list goes on......
I remember back in the early 50s, I was about seven when mom bought a set of Encyclopedia Britannica. I sat down on the floor next to the bookcase and started reading. I have never stopped reading.
I never played with "dolls", however I did have a teddy bear with buttons for eyes, a bit of yarn for a mouth, and patches on his legs where his fur was worn away from the attentions of my three older siblings. His name was "Slow Poke" and there were many nights when we talked each other to sleep. I gave him back to my eldest brother when he got married and adopted two boys.
Regards,
Gandalf
PS I bought a Barnes & Noble "Nook" e-reader. I don't use it all that much, there is just something about a real book...it's comfort food for the brain.