Remember those little green toy soldiers made of plastic and posed in different stances? Some held rifles, some were snipers on the ground and others carried backpacks.
Now at least one toymaker is considering making those toys as women, reflecting the new reality that women are an integral part of the military.
Jeff Imel of BMC Toys revealed that with enough support, this can become reality.
“I promised to conduct some research, and discovered there might be enough folks looking for Little Green Army Woman to consider producing some,” he said.
In an online report, he said, “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 early response, he confirmed, “was very positive.”
“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,” he said.
He said the next steps are to commission detailed drawings and choose a sculptor for a
The Military Times reported the move has triggered by letters written by Vivian Lord, 6, of Arkansas, who had acquired “a set of the instantly recognizable plastic green Army men figurines,” but found there were no women.
The Times report said she wrote various toy-makers, and Imel confirmed his company had been one of the recipients.
“Please can you make Army girls that look like women,” she asked.
The Times noted, “Imel even floated the idea of more contemporary sets that could be released featuring both men and women figurines in modernized gear.”
