When Street Hawk Was A Member of G.I. Joe

In a decade when TV and movie toys flooded American toy store shelves, it's a shame I would've had to visit another country just to get my hands on a Street Hawk figure and motorcycle.

About a year ago, I sat down and rediscovered all 13 episodes of Street Hawk via Netflix. As a fan of Knight Rider and Airwolf, I believe it held up just as well as these other shows based around high tech vehicles. It's really surprising to me that the show only lasted one season. I mean, who didn't want a $3 million attack motorcycle that was kept in a 60s-style batcave?! Plus, there was the whole mystery surrounding the true identity of Street Hawk's driver and why he was fighting urban crime.

My two boys got into the show as much as I did and at one point asked me if they had ever made Street Hawk toys. I didn't remember any but surely they had, right? I mean, we had Cabbage Patch Kids cereal for Tuttle's sake! I searched and searched and all I could find that was made in the U.S. was this model kit for Jeese Mach's '69 Mustang...

You're kidding me! That's it? I dug a little deeper and found some toys that I thought were fake. Turned out that Street Hawk fought urban crime in the U.K., India, and Brazil as well...as a member of G.I. Joe! (Clearly, Snake Eyes was a fan of the show and decided to do some vigilante work of his own.) G.I. Joe experts can probably confirm, but the bike appears to be a G.I. Joe R.A.M. motorcycle and a Snake Eyes figure, cleverly painted to look like Street Hawk. Why didn't they release this in the U.S.? Makes no sense. They could've removed the G.I. Joe name and sold it here. Still, if money were no object, I'd be on eBay right now.

But the mystery doesn't end here this time. I dug a little deeper and discovered more Street Hawk, or should I say "Moto Laser," toys that were sold overseas. Check out this larger figure and bike that I believe was released in Brazil...

It looks like it could be one of those pull-cord cycles that popped wheelies! How cool would that have been to have Street Hawk popping wheelies down the hallway of your home! Then I stumbled onto this slot racing track...

Man, if only I had known and could have convinced my parents to vacation in Brazil. I could've lured them there with the prospect of nude beaches and would've consequently become the U.S.'s foremost Street Hawk merchandise importer. I saved the best for last though. If this Street Hawk playset actually exists...

HOLY. CRAP. It's got the shooting action and a Norman Tuttle figure in the command center. Plus you've got all three versions of Jesse Mach's story: the motocross rider, the policeman, and Street Hawk. I would literally trade my 40+ M.A.S.K. vehicles if it meant obtaining this toy. That's how much I revere it. But from what I've read, it was a prototype from a 1985 Kenner toy catalog and was never released. A boy can dream though...

Images courtesy internationalhero.co.uk, streethawkonline.com