G.I. Joe: Cobra CLAWs Are Coming to Town

S-s-season’s greetings-s-s! You better watch out, because today we’re kindly rewinding back to a 1985 Christmas episode of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero,” entitled “Cobra CLAWs Are Coming to Town!”

On This EpisodeMike Westfall (@fallwestmike), rambunctious Navy SEAL looking for a meaningful relationship with a large slab of frozen meat.Joey O. (@ImGonnaDJ24), 50-foot-tall wise cracking parrot from Y-Not Radio and Words With Nerds.Topics and TangentsWe don’t even get 4 minutes into this without talking about the U.S.S. Flagg.Crossfire comes up for no reason.A brief history of the G.I. Joe toy line, from “America’s Movable Fighting Man” to the Adventure Team, to “A Real American Hero.”“The Toys That Made Us” on Netflix.The “opening monologue that explains the show” has nothing on Voltron’s.Neil Ross (Shipwreck, Dusty, and Buzzer in this episode) has an audio camero in “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “I Can’t Watch This.”Joey’s interviews with Pat Fraley (Wild Weasel), Gregg Berger (Firefly), Michael Bell (Duke, Blowtorch, Major Bludd), and Rob Paulsen (Tripwire, in Paulsen’s earliest known voice credit).“The Viper is Coming” is both our favorite “G.I. Joe” episode and my dad’s favorite dad joke.“King Koopa’s Kool Kartoons,” starring Christopher Collins (Chris Latta), the voice of Cobra Commander.We try and find Keystone City, which may or may not be somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania.The titular Cobra CLAW (Covert Light Aerial Weapon), an odd name for a Cobra vehicle, because snakes don’t have claws.The Definitive Ranking of all 25 Fensler G.I. Joe Parodies, by DailyDot.Previous Podcast Episodes MentionedA Garfield Christmas Special (Season 2, Episode 6)A Pinky and the Brain Christmas (Season 2, Episode 17)Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (Season 2, Episode 21)A Wish for Wings That Work (Season 3, Episode 3).The Glo Friends Save Christmas (Season 3, Episode 6)Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (Season 3, Episode 9)Christmas in Tattertown (Season 3, Episode 10)Super Mario Bros. Super Show: Koopa Klaus / Santa Claus is Coming to Flatbush (Season 4, Episode 8)

“G.I. Joe” and “Cobra CLAWs Are Coming to Town” © 1985 Hasbro Inc.

Commercial Break: William “The Refrigerator” Perry G.I. Joe Action Figure, 1987.

The Advent Calendar House is on the web at adventcalendar.house, on Twitter @adventcalhouse, and part of the Christmas Podcast Network.