I was a cartoon watching freak when I was a kid, especially in the early-to-mid ’80s. Two series that stick out in my mind during that time are Transformers and G.I. Joe. It’s not just the cartoons that bring back so many memories of that time. The PSAs. The toys. There was a huge culture around these shows, and there had been nothing like it since the days of when Star Wars action figures were in their prime.

When I saw that Shout! Factory was releasing the first mini-series that started it all — G.I. Joe: An American Hero — I couldn’t believe it hadn’t been released yet. I had to know: does this show stand up to the test of time? Would watching the episodes bring back those memories of my childhood? Do the DVDs include the PSAs?

The odd thing about this DVD set is that the studio decided to release the first season in multiple parts, presumably two. This is only the first of those sets, which includes what’s definitely the first three mini-series of the show: A Real American Hero, The Revenge of Cobra, and The Pyramid of Darkness. There’s also a fourth DVD with additional episodes that may or may not be part of that third mini-series, though in total there are 22 episodes.

None of the episodes contain commentary, though there’s a three-part interview with writer Ron Friedman that’s pretty interesting, but short. You have to watch it in three parts, one each on the first three DVDs. At first I thought it was odd that the episodes kept the commercial breaks in — “G.I. Joe will return after these messages” and “we now return to G.I. Joe” — but I actually liked that; it gave that added touch in bringing back childhood memories, when I’d run off to grab another ice-cold coke from the fridge.

The other extras are another treasure. You get a handful of the famous PSA commercial spots as well as some of the toy commercials! Holy cow, did those bring back memories. There’s got to be a lot more of them for any additional DVD sets of the series, but I remembered each one of those included on this set vividly. There’s also a printable script of one of the episodes on the fourth disc and some rub-on tattoos thrown into the box, if you care about that sort of thing.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Season 1.1 is available in stores today. However, I’ve got three copies to give away to three random commenters below. All you need to do is tell me which G.I. Joe character is/was your favorite . That’s it! Just leave the comment by next Friday, July 31, at 5 PM ET. We’ll pick three winners completely at random, and alert the winners after the contest ends. Only one entry per person, and you must have a valid U.S.-based mailing address. Not following these guidelines voids your entry. Now you know.

And knowing is half the battle.

Tags: contest, dvd, DVD giveaway, dvd review, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, giveaway, giveaways, Shout! Factory