gamehistoryorg

Holiday Treat #22: Army Men Under the Tree

Added 2023-12-21 14:55:00 +0000 UTC

The following is part of our 25-day Holiday Countdown Calendar! Every day from December 1st through the 25th, we're posting a cool game history treat, and $5 and up Patrons get access one day early!

This is all part of our annual Winter Fundraiser donation drive, where we ask those who are able to generously give what they can so that we can continue thriving. If you're able to make an additional one-time charitable contribution, this really is the best time to do so, as your donations will be DOUBLED thanks to a generous group of sponsors! Head on over to gamehistory.org/donate to learn more and give today.

Having people over for the holidays this year? Think twice before inviting the Army Men.

If you weren’t around for the peak era of Army Men, there were a few years where 3DO’s toy soldier action game franchise was completely inescapable. This Christmas-themed commercial for Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes sums up the entire series pretty well. And for our money, one of the most awful puns ever put in a game ad.

This copy of the commercial (which is better quality than any copy we’ve seen online) comes from the collection of Michael Mendheim, a veteran game designer whose decades-spanning career includes serving as creative director of the Army Men franchise for The 3DO Company. Mendehim has graciously allowed us to digitize and share his career, which also includes many of his game design documents.

We feel like we need a disclaimer here: Please do not blow up your nutcrackers at home. This commercial was performed by trained Army Men.