You could call both GI Joe and Barbie action figures- both come with a full line of accessories to compliment the doll, and all have a marketed role.

The primary difference between dolls and action figures is that an action figure has a role to play in the game, whereas a doll is just a doll. There are different kinds of Barbies, be it "Handbag Shopping Barbie" or "Night-Vision Sex Video Barbie", but each one is tailored for some specific "action". The same goes with G.I. Joe toys- Each Joe toy in the lineup is completely unique, and comes with its own backstory.

A doll is just something to play with- an action figure gives you a story to jump into.

Action Figure...

But only if it's the real 12 inch action figure and not that gimp stuff they came out with in the 90s.

Boys (and me) play (collect) action figures. Snake Eyes is not a doll. He's a ninja. That's about as un-doll like as you can get.

Let's see Barbie do a Parkour style backflip off one wall to land on an adjoining rooftop while throwing ninja stars into a horde of advancing Cobra ninjas and then pull the skull an spine out of her enemy while hovering in mid air. It can be done... I saw it on Ask a Ninja.

~Ranger

i think most of us had the real and original gi joe. if your over 25 i guess. i even had the heli and the mercury capsule. woohoo (nigel is suddenly really concious of his age)my grandmother made him a real cool set of ww2 marine camos for him. hehe

still think its a doll.


N.

Action Figure - A very cool action figure

food for thought.

at what age, do children stop referring to these toys as dolls to "action figures" i'm sure for a while. doll is as doll does. if you want to build an empire. it doesn't matter if they're chunks of 2x4 or Legos. sometimes both do. with a substantial usage of Lincoln logs. Godzilla (often the family cat) would destroy it soon enough.. heh

then is it a sexual separation in social conditioning?. doll isn't male enough, so lets call it "action figure"? . then as said above, little difference between a barbie and a gi joe or a polly pocket .. all action figures. they're equipped and all have a mission of sorts.


N.

I'm 33 and I have always refered to them as action figures... I always will refer to them as action figures... why? Because I can.

~Ranger

Nigel -- Your thinking too much -- ACTION FIGURE

so my inflatable love doll. is actually a "inflatable action figure"? hehe

:P
Nigel

OK, so do a google image search for G.I. Joe doll and there you have the final answer!
You'll find lots of pics of dolls. So there!

(And no, don't do a search for G.I. Joe action figures.... just don't. Cause then you'll prove that theory wrong and you'll win the argument.)
And what's with all the macho big Hummer and guns stuff? My Barbie and her jeep coulda pulled you out of the creek any old day.

DOLL

Nigel - I would certainly hope you inflatable love doll sees some action

MJ

GI Joe Official Site - G.I. Joe Action Figures, Toys, Online Games ...GI Joe vs. Cobra 25th anniversary, Kung Fu Grip, Sigma 6 action figures and Toys. Check out more than 20 GI Joe online games, old and new GI Joe videos, ...
www.hasbro.com/gijoe/

If you Google "Action Figures" You get Gene Simmons and Bond, James Bond. Also "Erwin Rommel" thats a bit weird. Still manly men.

Ken is a "Metro Sexual" Doll.

Potato, potahto, tomato tomahto... I think they could be referred to by either doll or action figure.

Anyway, I agree about Ken. He's also missing a specific part of his anatomy.

who? what?.......we never had those.

we were so poor, i had to play with myself!

ya know ken. he was an a-1 action figure. until the accident....

during a GI Joe special ops mission. he threw himself on a grenade to save his buddies. and well you now (ahem) dont see, the result.


horrific. Ken lives in hell every day.