1987 G.I. Joe William "The Refrigerator" Perry Action Figure
By: Karl Stern (@dragonkingkarl, @wiwcool, karl@whenitwascool.com)
as completely illogical as it is. i really love the fridge action figure. he has a football mace on a stick for pete's sake.
In the real world, William Perry was a first round NFL draft pick for the Chicago Bears in 1985. He rose to celebrity status when the Chicago Bears, full of larger than life personalities, made their way to Super Bowl XX in January of 1986. The near 350 pound Refrigerator Perry was sometimes used as a Full Back on short yardage situations due to his immense size causing him to become a novelty sensation.
William Perry also ventured briefly into the world of pro wrestling by participating in the WWF WrestleMania 2 battle royals which featured not only pro wrestlers but pro football players as well. Somewhere during all this short-lived celebrity rise he also became a member of the G.I. Joe team.
For some reason, apparently, the G.I. Joe team needed a 350 pound physical training instructor, I suppose for all the short yardage situations they found themselves facing during war. Anyway, Hasbro tried to cash in on Perry's celebrity status with a mail in Fridge action figure.
His file card read:
"G.I. Joe training procedures are tough to the max and no expense is spared in insuring that G.I. Joe personnel are prepared to deal with the worst possible scenario. Regular troops tackle standard obstacle courses like fences, crawl pipes and water traps. The G.I. Joe obstacle course consists of only one obstacle - The Fridge.
"If lacrosse is the little brother of war, football must be the rich uncle. Note the similarities: Strategy (offensive and defensive), team work, violence, camaraderie, television coverage, parades for the victors and humiliation for the defeated. Using The Fridge to train the Joes is logical and practical... Besides, The Fridge likes to see the looks on their faces when they look up from the mud and see who they have to get past - to pass the course!"
this is the only version of the fridge ever made.
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