A large number of unique G.I. Joe items will be going up for auction in Nate D. Sanders’ October 30, 2014 auction. Several of these are prototypes that were designed and owned by the creator of G.I. Joe, Donald Levine and come directly from his estate.

Included in the auction is one of the earliest prototypes of the “Action Soldier” G.I. Joe, which had been created by Levine to show off to Hasbro executives. These dolls helped him make the cut and went on to mass production in 1964.

Another item included did not reach the production stage, however. The “G.I. Joe Barbie Dream Date” pairing didn’t get out of the initial planning stage, because Hasbro wasn’t able to get the rights to manufacture Barbie from Mattel. A “story” on the back of the box helps to explain this duo: “It’s June week at the United Stated Naval Academy at Annapolis. Midshipman, GI Joe, has asked the most beautiful girl in America to the Cotillion Ball. Barbie is dressed in a mid-1960s prom dress. GI Joe is dressed in his full-dress service academy uniform. Before the dance is over, will he and Barbie take a stroll in the moonlight along Flirtation Walk?” It’s unlikely that they’ll ever get that chance, seeing as this comes in the original packaging and is the only one in existence.

Other items in this auction include a number of other Levine-owned pieces, such as a set of 11 dolls from the Dolly Darling series and several other prototypes. More information can be found at the Nate D. Sanders website.