Mike Power Atomic Man
So what is a GI Joe executive supposed to do when sales of Joe are declining and those folks at Kenner are making a killing with the Six Million Dollar Man Doll? Why, you release your own rip off of the Bionic Man and call him Joe's new best friend. Sounds like a dumb plan, huh? Surprise, the Mike Power Atomic Man was a mega hit in 1975 selling over a million items! Yes, thanks to Mike Power (what a dumb name - Mike Power) the GI Joe line was able to survive a few more years, but it would eventually collapse under the rising plastic costs of the 1970's. Anyway, here are a couple of commercials for Mike Power and they are pretty dull....kind of makes you wonder what the appeal was other than the fact that the Bionic Man was so hot even rip offs could sell strong.
Dear Caro,
With all due respect I find that my name is not "dumb". Its maybe a little simplistic but certainly nothing to be ashamed of in this new age of cowboy Presidents and information overflow. To add to this I am certainly no "rip off". Steve Austin has bionic limbs which he was given after his terrible accident. I created my own atomic limbs to replace the disabled limbs I was born with. It took me years of research to defy my fate. No government agency spent 6 million dollars to help me. I designed my own destiny and thats probably why the Mike Power action figure sold so well. In any case I use my atomic limbs to help mankind as a member of the Adventure Team. That may seem dull to a generation devoid of adventure but as DEVO said recently at the Microsoft Exhibition "Throw your computers out of the window!"
yours sincerely,
Mike Power
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