The PopCult Toybox

At the GI Joe Winterfest in Louisville the weekend before last, we caught up with toy designer and collector, Greg Autore, who told us about his latest projects and gave us a tiny bit of background on his long career in the toy industry.

PopCult readers first met Greg six years ago when I belatedly posted a video of him talking about unproduced GI Joe sets at ToyLanta in 2018.

Greg’s big project at the moment is an inflatable Sherman Tank, which is based on a real secret mission from WWII.  The Ghost Army used inflatable tanks, sound effects, radio trickery and imagination to fool the Germans on the battlefields of Europe. The unsung heroes of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal Company Special carried out 25 battlefield deceptions in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany and Italy. They saved thousands of lives and helped win the war, but their efforts were kept secret for fifty years. You can read more about the work these heroes did at The Ghost Army Legacy Project, where I got much of that information.

In the video above Greg tells us about his inflatable tank, as well as his projects with the late Terry Lee Stair Jr, a GI Joe enthusiast who, sadly, passed away last year. He also touches on a few of his other projects.

Greg is still building a website where his tank can be ordered, but he tells me that he will also be selling them through Cotswold Collectibles. Plus you can contact him through his website or meet up with him at a toy show if you want a Ghost Tank of your own.

Our Winterfest 2025 coverage will continue with a photo essay on Friday and all our raw video on Sunday.