Is Zartan (G.I. Joe action figure) Discontinued? What Happened?

Zartan came out in 1984 as one of the bad guys in the G.I. Joe toy line. He worked for Cobra and his whole deal was that he was a spy who could blend in anywhere.

The part everyone remembers is the color trick. His plastic skin was made to change color when you took him outside. In sunlight it turned a bluish color. You could bring him out of the house, hold him up, and watch it happen in a few seconds. It was the kind of thing you had to show every kid you knew.

He came with a lot of stuff in the box. There was a small swamp skier called the Chameleon, a removable mask, a hood, and chest armor. Having all those pieces made him feel like a real spy kit.

In the late 1980s, Hasbro made more figures with similar color-change ideas, like Zarana and Zandar. But by the 1990s, the color-change plastic was gone. It wore out too easily and was hard to make right, so Hasbro stopped using it.

Zartan is still made today. The newer versions have better joints and more detail. But people who grew up in the 1980s still talk about the original because that color-change trick was the whole reason he stood out.