SCC Figure Spotlight - SGT. SLAUGHTER (Version 1)

"Nobody beats G.I. Joe!!" - Sgt. Slaughter

DRILL SERGEANT - SGT. SLAUGHTER  (Ver. 1 / Mail-in)

    "Who the heck is Sgt. Slaughter???  Sounds like a bad guy!"  That was my first thoughts when I was in an Osco Store and saw the brand new Devilfish vehicle with a little promo in the corner about the new mail-in figure.  There was no picture, but I thought the name "Slaughter" certainly sounded like bad news for the Joes.  We already had a guy named "Major Bludd".  This must be a new villain.

    As it was though, Sgt. Slaughter, was a wrestler from WWF and now was a new member of the G.I. Joe Team for Wave 5 (1986).  Acting as the Team's new Drill Sergeant, he was the first live-action character to act as a spokesman for the toy line.  He would come in and whip the complacent Joes into shape as a new Cobra threat loomed - Serpentor.

    The main point on the file card is that many of the Joes themselves are qualified to be Drill Instructors... so it will take someone extremely tough to bring them back into line.  Other details of the file card delve into how tough he is and how he basically fit the mold of a Marine from birth.

    Back in 1986, you could originally get the Sarge by getting special "Sgt. Slaughter Proof of Purchase Certificates" with your G.I. Joe figures.  Collect 5 certificates and send them with a check for $1 and in 6-8 weeks you would get your own Sgt. Slaughter figure!  Eventually, a similar version of the figure would be released that came with the Triple T Tank.  If you wanted a jump on the new figure though, this was the way to go!

    This first version of Sgt. Slaughter had an olive drab shirt with a giant U.S.A. in red, white and blue letters and he wore a whistle around his neck.  He had black pants with the G.I. Joe logo running up and down both legs.  He was a tall, muscular, imposing figure topped off with his Smoky the Bear hat and silver sunglasses.  He came with one accessory - a baton.

    As a kid, my original thought was that this was a stupid idea!  Sgt. Slaughter?  Does he Slaughter Cobras?  Are we now crossing wrestling with G.I. Joe?  I don't require a "spokesman" for my toyline.  Yet, since this was the height of my friends and I buying figures, I easily acquired several of these certificates.  So at only $1 dollar, how could you not buy this figure???  I'll buy it then just have my Dreadnoks beat him up and use him as comic relief.

    When I got the figure though, my attitude changed!  This was such a cool figure!  Such a cool promo!  Such a fun time in Joe History!!!  By the time I received the figure, he had already debuted in the latest mini-series Arise, Serpentor, Arise - and he was great in the show!  Cobra had a big year - adding a mad scientist, android troops, new Dreadnoks, a large base, and a new powerful leader!  It would require an over-the-top character like Sgt. Slaughter to help repel these threats!  

    I remember my friend John (code named Knightmare on One Word Reviews) and I would call the number on the Certificate and listen to the Sarge tell us to do push-ups and how he was going to beat Cobra.  It was great!  I even offered some Certificates to my friend Aaron to order the figure, but he refused.  Feeling that Aaron was missing out on a good thing, I continued to pester him, which led to a running joke about his dislike of Slaughter.  Aaron had moved, so we were now communicating by letter.  I still have several cartoons he drew that were apparently his reply to my constant Slaughter promotions!

    So I liked the Sarge way more than I thought I would!  He was such a fun addition to the toyline.  I thought it was cool having him acting or narrating the commercials.  Yeah, again he was a bit over-the-top, but his big personality was likable.  Instead of getting beat up by my Dreadnoks, my Slaughter figure was body slamming Serpentor!  So for this Sgt. Slaughter, I'll give him a sweet rating of 5 out of 5 Sgt. Slaughter Proof of Purchase Certificates!!!  I guess he could order himself now... if it was 1986...

More rambling about the Sarge...

--- While the character was a major part of the cartoon series, Slaughter only appeared in 2 issues of the G.I. Joe comic, and he was gone...

--- Sadly, I don't have the Sarge figure anymore.  So my grainy picture above is all I have of my original mail-in figure!

--- There were a total of 4 Sgt. Slaughter figures in the G.I. Joe line.  the character would eventually be included with two vehicles - the Triple T and the Warthog.  He would also be associated with two teams - Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades and Slaughter's Marauders.

--- If you want to see Sgt. Slaughter in some of his finest moments, watch the cartoon - Arise, Serpentor, Arise.  If you want to see him in some of his not-so-great moments watch the DIC cartoon - Pigskin Commandos.

--- The artwork below was drawn by my friend Aaron.  Remember his character was Tomax, and that's who is slugging the Sarge!