page_title: Army men
section_title: Army men in culture
hierarchical_section_title: Army men / Army men in culture
caption_attribution_description: Green Army Man from Toy Story at Disney Hollywood Studios
context_page_description: Army Men, or plastic soldiers, are toy soldiers that are about 5 cm tall and most commonly molded from olive green, relatively unbreakable plastic. Unlike the more expensive toy soldiers available in hobby shops, army men are sold at low prices in discount stores and supermarkets in bulk packaging. Army men are sold unpainted and almost always dressed in modern military uniforms and armed with 20th-century weapons. 'Jumbo' Army Men are a less common secondary scale with 4.75" soldiers made with the same process.
context_section_description: In 2011, Time Magazine placed the Army Men on their list of 100 most popular toys of all time. This cultural phenomenon was represented in Army Men, a popular series of video games introduced by 3DO in the 1990s. Green Army Men were also among the characters in the 1995 Disney Pixar animated film, Toy Story and its three sequels. Gummy army men candy are also available.
  Because these toys do not cost much, they are virtually disposable. They encourage a variety of creative types of play, because they can be set up in many different ways. They are especially well suited for the sandbox, or simple wargames with rubber balls or marbles, which can be rolled or thrown at army men.
  Army men have been banned from schools and daycare programs with zero tolerance weapon policies. On one occasion, children were asked to clip the weapons off of plastic army men on display during an elementary school graduation ceremony. When Burger King released tie-in toys for the movie Toy Story, the green army men were not featured with weapons, but only the variations of leader, radio operator, minesweeper, and man with binoculars.
  An unusual use for army men was attaching poems to them and scattering them around in a "guerrilla poetry" scheme. They have also been the exclusive (albeit stop-motion) actors in a music video featuring an instrumental track by the band Pink Martini.
  The 1972 Stephen King short story Battleground, and a 2006 episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King based upon the short story, feature plastic army men toys who come alive with sinister intentions.
  In Witching & Bitching, a 2013 Spanish horror-comedy film co-written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia, Mario Casas impersonates a thief disguised as street mime. Dressed as a green army man, his skin, helmet and uniform are completely painted in the typical bright green color.
  In Heroes of the Storm (2015), a multiplayer video game by Blizzard Entertainment, there are several hero skins with green army men theme.
  More whimsical variations of Army Men toy soldiers are also available, including figures molded in yoga poses.
caption: Green Army Man from Toy Story at Disney's Hollywood Studios
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