Barbecue — Special Missions: Cobra Island — G.I. Joe Classified Series #32

Overview

Barbecue is figure #32 in the G.I. Joe Classified Series — Special Missions: Cobra Island Target exclusive, 2021 at $22.99. He’s the first Classified Barbecue and one of the more unusual character additions to the Cobra Island sub-line — a fire control specialist whose primary job is containing the damage that Cobra’s incendiary weapons and explosives create, as well as direct combat when necessary.

Barbecue is one of the franchise’s more functional specialisations: every military unit that operates in environments where incendiary weapons are used needs fire control capability. The fact that the Classified line gave him a Target exclusive before a retail release reflects both his collector popularity and the Cobra Island sub-line’s willingness to use the channel for second-tier characters with genuine fan bases.

File Card

Code Name: Barbecue
Real Name: Kelly, Gabriel A.
Primary Specialty: Fire Control
Secondary Specialty: Firefighting
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Grade: E-5, Sergeant

Gabriel Kelly came to GI Joe from a Boston firefighting background — a civilian specialist recruited for his specific expertise rather than someone who went through standard military channels. His file card consistently emphasises the practical firefighting skills rather than combat ones, which makes him one of the more distinctly civilian-professional figures in the Joe team roster. He’s not a commando who also knows how to use a fire extinguisher; he’s a firefighter who can also operate in a combat zone.

Original Figure Comparison

The 1985 Barbecue wore a distinctive orange and grey firefighter outfit with a full helmet — a design that read as genuinely specialised equipment rather than standard military gear. The Classified version maintains that distinctive orange-and-grey palette and the full firefighting equipment aesthetic while updating the detail level appropriately for the 6” scale. Barbecue remains immediately recognisable on the shelf because that colour combination is so specifically his.

The Figure

The Barbecue figure’s distinctive colour palette — orange and grey dominant, with the full firefighting outfit — makes him visually different from every other GI Joe on the shelf. That distinctiveness is an asset: a comprehensive team display benefits from visual variety across the roster, and Barbecue’s orange suit creates a colour break among the greens, tans, and blues of the standard military Joes.

The helmet is a specific design consideration at 6” scale — firefighting helmets are large, and getting the proportions right at this scale while maintaining the figure’s ability to be posed and displayed effectively requires careful work. The Classified version handles it appropriately.

Accessories

Fire axe — the primary tool and weapon, the essential firefighter accessory that works both for forcing entry and as a close-quarters combat option.

Water hose — the fire control equipment that defines the specialisation.

Fire extinguisher — small but specific accessory that completes the firefighting load-out.

Helmet — the full firefighting helmet as a separate piece.

The accessories are all character-specific rather than generic soldier equipment — every piece connects directly to the firefighting specialisation and distinguishes Barbecue from any other Joe on the display.

Cobra Island vs. Standard Retail

The Target Cobra Island Barbecue (#32) arrived in 2021. A standard retail Barbecue (#58) arrived in 2023 with potential differences in colour, accessories, or design. For collectors who acquired the Cobra Island version at the time, the retail #58 represents either a duplication to avoid or an opportunity to compare — depending on whether the two versions are sufficiently differentiated.

The Cobra Island version’s $22.99 price at Target was reasonable for what it delivered. Collectors who waited for retail #58 could acquire the character without Target exclusivity complications.

Verdict

Barbecue #32 is a strong Cobra Island exclusive that delivers a distinctively designed character with appropriate firefighting accessories. The orange and grey colour scheme creates visual variety in any GI Joe team display. The fire axe, hose, and extinguisher give the figure strong character identity in its accessory set. Essential for roster-completionists; worth having for the visual variety alone.

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Part of G.I. Joe Classified Series | Special Missions: Cobra Island | Target Exclusive 2021. Related: Barbecue #58 | Breaker with RAM Cycle #29 | Major Bludd #27.

The Cobra Island Sub-Line’s Character Range

By the time Barbecue arrived at the end of 2021, the Cobra Island sub-line had produced: Beach Head, Roadblock, Cobra Trooper, Baroness with C.O.I.L., Firefly, Cobra Viper, Major Bludd, Breaker with RAM Cycle, and Barbecue. Nine figures and one vehicle set in roughly 18 months. The range moved from army builders and character variants (2020) to named villains and specialist characters (2021), establishing the sub-line as a genuine vehicle for franchise-important characters rather than just repaints.

Barbecue represents the specialist tier of that expansion — a character who isn’t a frontline combatant or a major villain, but whose specific expertise gives him franchise standing that collectors recognise and respect. His position as the final Cobra Island release of 2021 rounds out a year that dramatically expanded the sub-line’s character depth.

Firefighting in a Military Context

The GI Joe franchise’s inclusion of specialist characters like Barbecue is one of the things that distinguishes the team from generic military action properties. A dedicated fire control specialist acknowledges that modern combat operations involve incendiary damage, burning vehicles, and structure fires as operational realities that someone has to manage. The integration of civilian professional specialisations (Barbecue the firefighter, Breaker the communications specialist, Doc the medic) into a combat team creates the sense of a genuine multi-capability organisation rather than a group of interchangeable soldiers.

On a display shelf, having Barbecue alongside the combat Joes communicates that the team has thought through consequences and has specialists to deal with them. It’s a small worldbuilding detail expressed entirely through figure selection.