 CHICAGO, IL. 8/22/2001
© Invisible America
This week the Hasbro Corporation announced the first ever Hispanic G.I. Joe figure- 'G.I. José.'
The G.I.'s full name is José N. Pedazos, his alias: 'Cannon Fodder.'
A Hasbro executive explained "Even though he's a toy, we tried to make him as realistically Hispanic as possible. First of all, we will not be releasing a twelve inch figure as we do with our anglo G.I. Joes. G.I. José will only be available in the short and stout three and a half inch figure. Furthermore, G.I. José will not fight with the other G.I. Joe figurines- he will fight with the first division of the Infantry, which will be made up entirely of Hispanic and African American figurines. "
G.I. José will also be known as 'The one who goes in first.'
G.I. José N. Pedazos, who is of Columbian descent, will face his first mission in his homeland. He comes equipped with a counter narcotics helicopter for spraying crops in the Colombian highlands (*). On the back of the box his mission is described as "Take out the coca fields, the drug lords, their henchmen, the rebel armies, the uppity peasantry, and anyone else who is suspiciously not involved with one of these groups."
Hasbro also announced they would soon introduce a talking version of G.I. José.
A Latino veteran speculated "However, when it comes to the real situation of Latinos in the Army (*), the talking G.I. José will adhere to a strict 'Don't ask, don't tell,' policy."
FOR MORE QUALITY REPORTING ON HISPANIC G.I. JOE, VISIT POCHO.COM
©IA NEWS 2001
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