G.I. JOE Argen Seven, Argentinian Treasures Sought Worldwide

As an Argentinian --and like a meme-- whenever our country achieves some bizarre accolade, I'm one of those who grabs the flag and takes to the streets to celebrate any triumph. And when that victory overlaps with one of my interests, I become even more obsessive. The thing is, Argentina is a land of holy grails for the world of toys and collectibles.

Within this claim are the Argen Seven, seven figures created in Argentina by Plastirama for G.I. JOE in 1985. They are perhaps some of the most important pieces in our modern collecting history, alongside the Camouflaged Cobra Khan from He-Man and the creation of the Riddler for the Super Friends --which I'll talk about another time.

G.I. JOE is one of the most important IPs in the world when it comes to action figures. Born in 1962 from the toy company Hasbro, this line began with 12-inch figures inspired by World War II soldiers, serving as the "boys' version" of the already established Barbie from Mattel.

Although the Joes went through several transformations, it wouldn't be until 1982 that they became the "Real American Heroes" we know today, with a size change to 3 3/4 inches and leaving behind the models that tried to be realistic to become something 100% cartoon, with super heroic and bizarre characters. This last and definitive version was accompanied by an animated series, comics initially published by Marvel, and even an animated movie in 1987.

In the '80s, the production rights for G.I. JOE in Argentina were obtained by Plastirama, a company that also held licenses for other pop culture giants like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Transformers. Later, with the beginning of imports in the early '90s, Plastirama started having financial difficulties, and finally shut down as a manufacturer in 1992. But while it was alive, it had a couple of brilliant strokes in its production that ended up becoming milestones that transcended our country and became part of the history of those franchises.

Who Are the Argen Seven

From a sort of product localization and Argentinian street smarts were born Cobra Mortal, Glenda, Redmack, Shimik, Manleh, Topson, and Cobra Invasor. Although the latter, who was the first Argen Seven, actually came from the Brazilian company Estrela, but it served as the inspiration for Plastirama to replicate the formula and create six more figures.

Legend has it that Roberto Lehman (hence the name of one of the Argen Seven, "Manleh") decided to create a new wave using the molds from the original collection the company already had and had produced, since Hasbro wasn't sending them the new releases. On top of this, new illustrations were made by Jorge de los Rios, and as an anecdote it's worth noting that the illustrations for many original characters were made by another Argentinian named Hector Garrido, who was an illustrator for Garcia Ferre.

Over time, collectors around the world would come to know these "new" characters. But it was the character profiles that appeared translated on the Yojoe.com forum in 2002 by Federico Loizzo --our thanks to him for providing us with invaluable information for this article-- that started the buzz around the mystery of the Argentinian Joes. And the collection was so successful that in the United States they even made fan fiction comics about the Argen Seven, leading Hasbro to ultimately canonize these characters.

"The Argen Seven gained relevance once the G.I. JOE productions from Plastirama started reaching the United States, in the late '90s, early 2000s. Before that, they were just seven more figures, and we didn't even know they were exclusive to Argentina," says Pablo Ilustrado, artist behind the project Comando Invasor, which seeks to continue Plastirama's legacy through the world of art toys, making bootleg replicas and original creations. If you don't know what these kinds of toys are, you can check out this article about bootlegs, art toys, and knockoffs.

"Honestly, it's a dream to be able to produce figures from my favorite line. We don't just want to keep Plastirama's Argentinian ingenuity alive as a tribute -- we're also driven by the desire to revive the feeling you got when opening a box that contained that much-desired figure, the one you'd mark in a catalog and ask for as a kid."

Pablo is also a collector and knows the difficulties of finding an Argen Seven today. "We've been lucky enough to find most of them without having to go to a specialist. It's a matter of moving around a lot, searching on multiple platforms, walking through fairs. The thing is, it's getting harder and harder, with the number of specialized sellers out there. But there's always a chance."

That difficulty translates into scarcity, first because of Plastirama's production volume and second because since they were toys for kids, finding them in good condition is very complicated. And finding them sealed is a miracle.

How Much Does an Argen Seven Cost

The price depends on the character and its condition, but we're talking about figures starting at 200 USD, which can go up to 3,000 USD for a Redmack with original cardback but opened. Cobra Invasor, Cobra Mortal, and Glenda are the most sought-after due to their bizarre designs, where Plastirama's creative minds really let their imaginations run wild.

Currently, the MADTOYZ store has a Cobra Invasor for sale. Hernan, one of the owners of this store specializing in retro toys, is also a well-known collector. "There's always a possibility (of finding these figures). It's tough, you have to really dig, but those who search will find. As time goes by, the chances decrease. Nowadays, collecting is overshadowed by opportunists and resellers. They've always existed, but right now, there are a lot more people in the collecting scene looking for trendy toys to flip."

He also reinforces an idea about pricing: "The fundamental reason for those prices is the rarity of the figures. They were designed and manufactured here in Argentina, which means no other country has identical figures. They're not factory errors or figures that have differences in material, colors, etc. They are simply unique figures. Price-wise, the more demand there is abroad, the higher they'll go. The trend factor is fundamental, and as more time passes and the line remains relevant, more people will want to have holy grails in their collection. But there will be fewer and fewer units available for sale."

So now you know: if you have your childhood toys at home, it's time to open that treasure chest of memories and maybe make some money. To help you identify them, here's a link to the most important G.I. JOE collecting website, where you'll find photos, items, and graphics of the Argen Seven cardbacks -- another Argentinian triumph in the nerd world.