Joe Hyland, his wife Barbara
along with Bill Sanders are the original creators of the
Jem doll line.
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Father's Day
in honor of one of Jem's Father.
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While Jem is one of the
bigger credits to Joseph’s name, he also was in
charge of marketing for G.I. Joe (1964-1969). Hasbro
had to get away from the solder doll because the toy
was loosing sales due to the negative stigma of the
Vietnam War. Joseph seemed to also be involved with
the second Joe line G.I. Joe Adventure Team (1970-1976).
As a freelance toy designer in the late 70’s
and early 80’s he developed numerous toys and
games, many for Hasbro. While his wife Barbara had a
career in advertising, she felt that she could also
create a number one selling toy too. She developed the
1981 Pretty Cut
& Grow doll for Gabriel (best known for Erector).
Together, they developed many toys, including the development
of Jem with her previous advertising coworker Bill
Sanders.
Joe had the idea, Bill
ran with it, and Barbara finished off with the basic
storyline.
