An iconic toy is about to get a much needed update. Thanks to one little girl, the famous Green Army Men figurines will get an addition—women soldiers.
When six-year-old Vivian Lord wrote a letter to Jeff Imel, the president of BMC Toys, asking, “Why do you not make girl army men?”, the toymaker gave the request some serious thought. That is, serious enough to actually make the “girl army men” figurines.
Imel told NPR, “It was a heartfelt letter.” He added, “And it reminded me of being a kid and always wanting that toy that you couldn’t get in the gumball machine. So I really looked into it.”
This wasn’t the first time Imel had considered updating the 1930’s toy. Before Lord’s letter, the toy manufacturer has received a request to update the male figurines with female versions from a retired Navy fleet master chief who wanted the toy for her granddaughters.
Of Lord’s added inspiration, Imel said, “That letter came at a time where I was thinking about getting into new production.” According to Imel the new toy creation process costs about as much as, “a modest new car.” Even though the female figurines took plenty of planning (and funding), Imel made Lord’s request into a reality. The female soldiers, which come in four different military poses, will hit the market by Christmas 2020.
—Erica Loop
Featured photo: Amazon
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