BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #1
Posted by Jeff Imel on
|
Pre-Order now to receive your set of Plastic Army Women as soon as they are available in Fall 2020. Your Credit Card will not be charged until your order is ready to ship.
|
Here's a long overdue update on the BMC Toys Plastic Army Women Project idea I posted last year.
The general concept is a set of female combat toy soldier figures in the style of the plastic army men from WW2-Cold War era that would blend in with existing figures from a variety of manufacturers and look like what the average person thinks of as 'little green army men' that just happen to be women. The initial response to the idea was very positive and indicated this concept is generally on the right track. The main feedback received has been the figures in the sketches didn't have regulation hair as they were referenced from WAC (The Women's Army Corps) WW2 era photos. I acquired an M1 combat helmet (the type used by the US from WW2 through 1985) and had artist Tina Imel consult with some female service members and draw some portrait sketches to see how regulation hair might look:
I'm not entirely certain the regulation hair will translate well in small scale, but since it's important to many project supporters I'll keep it in the mix going forward to see how it looks. I'm developing these figures as toy soldiers that are an extension of the generic 'Army Men' universe of pop-culture rather than historically accurate hobby models. I think there is some room for artistic license with hair regulations as the figures represent more of a 'what if' women had served in US military combat roles in WW2 and Cold War conflicts as opposed to accurate models of contemporary female service members that do currently serve in combat roles. A set of contemporary US soldiers that includes a mix of men and women could also be a good project at some point. There have been some requests for female figures representing the different branches of the military, which is also a good idea but beyond the scope of this particular project.
I recently received this letter from Vivian (age 6) and was given permission by her Mom to share it: 
Vivian's Mom has shared this letter with a few different manufacturers, and has also received interest from a couple of reporters that got in touch in with me regarding Vivian's letter and this project. CNN just posted this article:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/09/us/girl-female-toy-soldier-trnd/index.html
The next steps for this project are to commission more detailed drawings and choose a sculptor to create a single prototype figure sculpt. I've got a huge backlog of reissue projects on my to-do list right now, but would really like to continue working on this, so if you think it's a good idea please subscribe to the BMC Toys Plastic Army Woman Project newsletter to me know I should keep it a high priority. Tanks' for your help:
Original concept sketches by Tina Imel:
Original Blog post:
https://bmctoys.com/blogs/news/bmc-toys-plastic-army-women-project
August 30, 2019: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #2 (IT'S HAPPENING!)
September 8, 2019: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #3
October 20, 2019: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #4
November 8, 2019: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #5
Update: Links to more articles about Vivian's letter:
https://connectingvets.radio.com/articles/why-arent-there-plastic-army-women-toy-soldiers
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/aug/04/women-in-army-toys-still-awol-20190804/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4gUk-tiVsA
https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2019/08/14/missing-in-action-classic-green-army-men-still-have-no-women-figurines-and-this-6-year-old-is-not-having-it/
November 28, 2019: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #6 and Happy Tanksgiving!
December 24, 2019: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #7 and Merry Christmas!
March 8, 2020: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #8
May 22, 2020: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #9
May 22, 2020: BMC Toys: Plastic Army Women Project: Update #10
I saw a photo of the letter from Vivian requesting you to make “girl army men” . It was a precious letter and I am so glad to see that you showed it off to the press, took it to heart , and will be making figures that depict the women in arms that are the reality of our military. My husband attended West Point and was there when the first women were admitted. That was 1980. ( He admired them greatly then, and now – seeing amazing things they have done throughout their lives.) The women in the military everywhere are amazing, and always have been – and perhaps more so because it has been a difficult road for them to get to use their talents and abilities in this capacity. They’ve had to be tougher than men in many respects – so – thank you for respecting these women, by depicting them as part of military figures that your company makes . How about depicting some women generals, too.( There are some women generals and have been for years. ) If girls can see it – they can be it. Let me know when the new figures are available to purchase. We will buy some. If you create some simple ones at a lower price, they would be fun to hand out at parades on patriotic occasions – 4th of July, Veterans Day, etc. – I used to throw army men from floats – kids loved them. Now, I can include the women soldiers as toys on these occasions. Awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Being one of those first Army girls I think it’s a great idea. I remember is a young girl riding a similar letter to GI Joe makers. It has real telling me they couldn’t do it because parts were available. I’ve often wondered what parks they were looking for.
Keep us informed when you start selling women toy soldiers!!!! We are interested in having them in our Museum!!!
Love this idea. I will definitely buy them.
I would purchase and give as gift to relatives and friends