Vitale continues action figure museum expansion
LONE WOLF — Neil Vitale never played with G.I. Joe action figures as a boy, but a hobby turned passion 11 years ago has him operating one of the few repair shops in the U.S.
He also has the only known G.I. Joe Museum in the country in two converted buildings along Lone Wolf’s Main Street.
Vitale, who graduated from Oklahoma City University with his bachelor’s degree and later from Kansas University with a medical degree, spent 25 years as a pediatrician in Connecticut before retiring to rural Oklahoma.
He started the action-figure collection in early 2012 when a cousin called and posed a life-changing question. Years earlier Vitale had left a few G.I. Joes with his cousin, but never expected to see them again.
“He called and asked if I wanted them back,” Vitale recalled. “I said ‘sure,’ and I was soon in the possession of some G.I. Joes.”
It quickly turned Vitale’s life around, sparking a renewed interest in the action figures and their history. He now has thousands of G.I. Joes ranging from 1964 when Hasbro made its first toy soldier to the present. Vitale has many others that he sells as duplicates or uses as spare parts for needed repairs. The most expensive G.I. Joe in the museum could actually be a G.I. Jane since it’s a nurse that was manufactured by Hasbro in 1967. The price tag: $1,800. However, the Green Beret is the favorite among collectors.
“It has the coolest uniform and they had the song. Everybody likes it,” Vitale said.
The original G.I. Joe was a U.S. Army soldier, but Hasbro soon released more versions of the toy: a G.I. Joe Navy sailor, Air Force pilot, U.S. Marine and NASA astronaut, as well as a female “G.I. Nurse Action Girl.” In addition to these white action figures, Hasbro released a Black G.I. Joe Army soldier, according to the History.com website. Like Barbie, G.I. Joe had interchangeable clothes, weapons, vehicles and other accessories.
Collectors and other G.I. Joe enthusiasts from as far away as Australia, Poland and Russia and many U.S. states have sent their damaged action figures to Vitale for repair. In addition, G.I. Joe fans will put Vitale’s Lone Wolf museum on their route when traveling across the country.
“People from all over come here to sell, trade or have them repaired,” Vitale said.
In the spring, 70 senior citizens on a Bilbrey bus tour traveled to Lone Wolf for a visit to the museum. Publicity surrounding the museum hit the major airwaves two years ago when Vitale and the museum appeared on Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley. In addition, Discover Oklahoma has featured the museum on one its weekend programs. Earlier this summer, students from the Quartz Mountain Arts Institute went to the museum and put together a short film about Vitale and his G.I. Joe venture.
In some cases, people simply want their G.I. Joe action figures from the past to be put to good use now. In one instance, a man from Indiana sent several boxes of G.I. Joes, including a few vintage ones, but didn’t want anything in return.
“The action figures from 1964 to 1969 is what I wanted,” Vitale said.
The museum and repair shop has expanded year after year as Vitale initially purchased one downtown building and then bought a much larger building next door a few years later. The museum also includes murals painted by Vitale’s daughter Rosie Vitale and several dioramas, including scenes from World War II. The murals depict several historic military battles such as D-Day while another one declares G.I Joe to be “America’s Moveable Fighting Man.”
There’s still room to expand in the second building, but that probably won’t occur until Vitale retires from his medical practice for good in early November.
After returning to Oklahoma in 2012, Vitale continued work on a part-time basis as a developmental pediatrician at Jackson County Memorial Hospital in Altus.
“I still practice three days a week and hang out here (museum) four days a week,” Vitale said, pointing to his workshop in the back of the building. In his spare time, Vitale also serves as the Lone Wolf School Board president.
The museum and repair shop are located at 1107 Main St. in Lone Wolf. For more information, call (203) 206-4453 or visit its Facebook page at GI Joe Museum and Repair Shop.