Much less a book than a product, I conceived the Masterpiece Edition as a way to legitimize for adult consumers the purchase of a pop culture hero they treasured as kids - - in this case, the original GI Joe action figure. I described my concept to former Hasbro VP Don Levine, and he got involved. I ghostwrote the "enclosed book by Don Levine," and we were able to sell about 250,000 copies in army, navy, air force, marine and astronaut variations.
Once forgotten, the original-style GI Joe action figure is now resurrected as a brand asset, available in Hasbro's Timeless Collection product segment. Also, my Masterpiece Edition concept has been expanded to include Star Trek, Star Wars, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman
