By JON BAKER

PAWTUCKET — It was pure luck how Patty Zacks came  across Donald Levine,  the creator of the famed G.I. Joe action figure (don’t dare  call it a doll!), and landed him as speaker of a pivotal presentation at this  upcoming Pawtucket Arts Festival.

“His wife, Nan, had been a customer of mine; I met her about 10 years  ago, and we had a great time chatting about all sorts of things,” said Zacks,  the owner of The Camera Werks shop in Providence, just over the Pawtucket line  on Hope Street.
“Don, too, was a familiar face, but it wasn’t until there was a  lot of hoopla about someone attempting to sell the original G.I. Joe figure on the  Internet a year or two ago that I discovered exactly who he was —  Wow!
“When I read about the controversy in the newspapers, I realized the name  of the inventor was familiar to me, and I finally realized that this was a  customer of my store for years,” she added. “When he came in the next time, I told him I had no idea as to his fame, and I said, ‘That was you?’ We got into a  conversation, and I asked him, ‘How’s it feel to know everyone in the world  knows of your creation?’ He just humbly chuckled.”
Back in early May, Zacks — who doubles as the festival’s programs  chairwoman — approached Levine again after he had strolled into the  store.
“I said, ‘You know, you helped put Pawtucket and Hasbro on the map, and  it would be such a treat for locals to meet you,’” she explained.
“I was worried because we were on deadline for marketing material to be put into motion, and we  needed to know. He was so sweet. He told me, ‘Let me check my schedule.’ It  wasn’t long after he came back and said, ‘Patty, I’d be happy to do it.’ My  thought process was that this had a direct correlation to the city of Pawtucket.  This really excites me.”
If everything goes according to plan, Zacks will help Levine — for those  who don’t know, he’s 80 years old and a Providence resident; his son Neil, who  lives in Minneapolis; and others assemble an extravagant display of G.I. Joe  figures and accessories at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center prior to the  festival’s Opening Day on Wednesday.
The event will continue through Sept. 21 (9 a.m.-4 p.m.). In fact, on  Monday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m., at the center, Levine will deliver a speech followed  by a “Q & A” session.
Believe it or not, the Levine father-and-son tandem also will present  their newest venture entitled “Almighty Heroes,” a line which depicts beloved characters from the Bible’s Old Testament.
Honestly, Donald Levine seemed more enthused about discussing his more recent idea than G.I. Joe and the legacy that impacted millions of little boys all those decades ago, though he did relent.

“G.I. Joe? I came up with that idea in 1963,” Levin stated  matter-of-factly. “I spent almost two years in combat in the United States Army in Korea (as a sergeant first class). We always felt as soldiers that we’d watch each other’s back, no matter what, and take care of each other. There was a very  special bond between us.
“I don’t think it matters when you were in the military; I think the same holds true today for the men and women of the armed forces in Iraq,” he continued. “In any war, when the soldiers come home, they say, ‘I’d like to go back and help my buddies who are still there.’ That’s how I felt, anyway,’
“When they talk about weapons of mass destruction, in my day, when someone pointed an M-1 rifle at you, that was a weapon of mass destruction … When  I got home in 1952, I felt like I wanted young boys to have something to commemorate the military, but it wasn’t a doll I had for an idea; it was an ‘action figure.’
“The reason G.I. Joe was successful was because those boys looked at that action figure as a hero, a big brother or father type to look up to. That’s why people like you are still talking about it 44 years later.”
He took the notion to Merrill Hassenfeld, who at the time ran Hasbro and whom Levine calls a man to whom was indebted — and loved.
“He had concerns about manufacturing a figure that had never been done before,” he stated. “We had to make it clear: It wasn’t a doll for boys; it was an action figure. When you walk down an aisle of a toy store, you’ll see dolls on one side and action figures on the other. We caused that category to be formed.”
In her conversations with Nan Levine, Zacks learned more.
“Don’s wife said it was a very funny and interesting story,” she offered.  “I asked her, ‘How did all this happen?’ She told me Don had been in business with his brother, and they used to make those plastic — or were they vinyl? —  pencil and pen holders for notepaper binders years ago.
“He was at a toy convention, and he stumbled upon a man named Merrill Hassenfeld, of Hasbro fame,” she added. “He discussed his idea with Mr. Hassenfeld, that he had been working on an action figure for boys. I was told Mr. Hassenfeld laughed at him initially, saying boys don’t play with dolls, but also said he was intrigued by the idea.
“The rest is history.”

Now, the G.I. Joe industry, according to Zacks, is worth $2.6 billion.
As for the “Almighty Heroes” line, Levine claimed he came up with that  idea about four or five years ago.
“This is more important to me, for a variety of reasons,” Levine said.  “We have a line of superhero figures from the Old Testament, and they include David (who slew Goliath), Noah and Moses. Instead of making them look like what we think a Bible figure looks like, we decided they should look like young men.
“It has exploded with success,” he added with pride. “We have 29 countries around the world who are selling those figures, and each one comes  with an informational booklet that tells the story of that character, a  superhero for God.
“The reason I came up with GI Joe is because I really appreciate real, true-blue heroes; much later, I thought, ‘What better heroes are there than  those that come from the Old Testament?’ I wanted to provide something for young children who can’t read or understand the Bible to learn from something they can understand. I thought that here are ready-made iconic characters from the most widely read book in the world.
“I just wanted to educate the kids, and help them experience the  Bible.”
He explained the line consists of about 10 action figures, but they’re not limited to males. He also developed female action figures, among them Deborah the Warrior and Queen Esther. Of course, they’re also accompanied by booklets.
His son, Neil (expected to be in town for the event), is the one in charge of production for this latest venture, while Levine provides “the  creative side,” the elder said.
“GI Joe was a simple and super idea that has come to fruition,” Zacks  said. “I think this event is going to create a tremendous amount of excitement  in the community, and points beyond, as it has for years now.”