New York Military Museum Installs 'Toys and Tanks' for Holiday Display

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The iconic GI Joe action figure will be on display at the NYS Military Museum this holiday season. Courtesy image.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (12/07/2012)(readMedia)-- The New York State Military History Museum and Veterans Research Center prepares their latest rotating exhibit this weekend. "Toys and Tanks: The Model Army" will officially open to the public on Tuesday, Dec. 11.

News media are invited to come view the setup of hundreds of GI Joe action figures and model tank dioramas for the new display.

WHAT: Unpacking, setup and display of hundreds of GI Joe action figures for temporary display to the public.

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m.

WHO: Museum curator Courtney Burns and GI Joe collection owner Tearle Ashby prepare the exhibit.

WHERE: New York State Military History Museum, Lake Avenue, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 12866

Media Opportunity: Visual imagery of the GI Joe collection placed into displays for the temporary exhibit. Interviews with the collection owner and the museum curator.

Background:

The display will be a two-part exhibit featuring rare and vintage 1960?s and 1970?s GI Joe figures and accessories from collector Tearle Ashby's extensive collection and military model dioramas of New York National Guard units which fought in World War II from the exhaustively researched collection of retired New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Paul Fanning. Both are Malta residents.

The collection of action figures was first displayed at the museum as "GI Joe: America's First Action Hero" during the holiday season of 2004 to commemorate the 40th birthday of GI Joe.

'If you take our mission to be military history as social history, then yes, they are part of the culture,' Ashby said of the 2004 exhibit.

The GI Joe section of the exhibit will included a video of period GI Joe commercials. A rare 1944 newsreel of the 27th Division in the Pacific will also be part of the exhibit.