I bought this Colin Powell doll at a Syracuse, N.Y. shopping mall in March of 1993. The (first) Gulf War had been over almost two years by this time, and this entire line of “America's Heroes” dolls were very very much on sale. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, of course, was among the heroes sold in doll form, but he was sold out (as was, I believe, the George Herbert Walker Bush doll).

My recollection is that only Coling Powell dolls were left, and that I purchased mine for $1.99, or thereabouts. I had never seen this toy line before, nor have I seen any items from it since (though my friend Andrew bought a Powell on the same day, and may still have it). In recent years I searched the far reaches of the internet to see if I could find anything, but only learned that there was a Colin Powell bobblehead, made by some other company.

God damn Colin Powell. I had once respected him. If Powell hadn't sold his soul to George W. Bush, this thing might be worth something. Sadly, as of 2004, it appears that Powell exits the world stage in a rather unheroic manner.

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