Pilot Season Cartoon Edition – Episode 16: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero “The Cobra Strikes”

On this episode of Pilot Season Cartoon Edition, hosts Kinte, Renee, Jen, John, and Allen break down the pilot episode of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983), “The Cobra Strikes,” which originally aired on September 12, 1983. It was the opening chapter of the first five-part miniseries, The M.A.S.S. Device.   In this opening episode, the elite G.I. Joe team is called into action when Cobra launches a bold plan involving the powerful M.A.S.S. Device, a machine capable of instant matter transportation. As Cobra begins moving against military targets and global security, the Joes are forced into a high-stakes battle that introduces the core conflict, the major players, and the fast-paced military sci-fi style that would define the series.   This episode sets the tone for the franchise with action, espionage, advanced technology, and the classic battle between G.I. Joe and Cobra.    Podcast airdate: 6/17/26. John 7.8 Allen 10 Jen  10 Kinte 8 Olaf 8.5 Total: 36.5      #GIJoe #PilotSeasonCartoonEdition #ARealAmericanHero Brief history G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983) was produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions in partnership with Hasbro as part of the 1980s wave of toy-based action cartoons. The animated series helped launch and promote the relaunched G.I. Joe toy line by giving it an ongoing story centered on the battle between the G.I. Joe team and the terrorist organization Cobra. The first animated version began with the 1983 miniseries The M.A.S.S. Device, and the success of those early episodes helped turn G.I. Joe into one of the defining action cartoons of the decade.   Short cast list: Michael Bell — Duke, Major Bludd, Xamot Christopher Collins — Cobra Commander Neil Ross — Shipwreck, Buzzer B.J. Ward — Scarlett Ed Gilbert — General Hawk Morgan Lofting — Baroness Chris Latta — Cobra Commander later in the series, Gung-Ho