GI-Joe Hovercraft

A lot of toys went over big among my friends, but one I remember making a particularly large “splash”, was the GI-Joe Hovercraft. The Hovercraft belonged to a friend of mine and when he brought it over post-x-mas, all everyone could think was “I cannot wait for summer so that we can get that thing in the pool.” My friend was not shy about using his toys and as soon as summer struck, we took that thing in every chlorinated body of water we could find. Here is the thing about playing with it that we did not expect.

We would pack the thing to the gills with Joe who were going on a secret mission. We would then start playing, things would turn from play to roughhousing and the hovercraft often bore the brunt of it. It did not take long before the thing got waterlogged enough to sink to the bottom with all hands lost.

So what should have been a joyful plaything that guaranteed the land/water superiority of America’s elite fighting force instead became a reminder of the fragile nature of life and the dangers faced by our hovercraftborne fighting men around the globe.

I salute all the brave Joes lost at pool.