| Tan Nation | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Start the war machine, the Tan will Rise Anthem: A Soldier's March | |
The Tan Nation Flag:[] | |
| Government | |
| Formal Name | The Tan Army Nation |
| Formal Acronym | TR |
| Demonym | Tans |
| Government type | Fascist Military Dictatorship |
| Leader | General Plastro Field Marshal Tannenburg (Green Rogue first half of Sarge's Heroes 2) Brigitte Bleu (Portal Runner) Lord Malice (Army Men: Sarge's War) |
| Important Historical Dates | Tanic-Greeno Conflict (1998-ongoing |
"It isn't that they're evil, kid, just because they want to conquer everyone else and steal everything they have. I think they just don't know any better. It's a tragic flaw in their character, that's beyond their control. That's why they're better off being dead."
- - Sarge's opinion of the Tan
The Tan Army Nation known as The Tan Nation is a large nation in the Plastic World. It is known as the main and most powerful enemy of the Green Nation. The Tan are vastly ahead of the Green in terms of weaponry & manpower. They are ruled by the mighty tan commander, General Plastro. Because early Army Men games appear to be based around WWII technology, it's safe to say that the Tan are representing the Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, etc.). They start the current war with Green when they invade in three main areas of the Green Nation (the Desert, Alpine, and Bayou regions). At the beginning of the game they have a partial alliance with the Blue Information network, though this alliance becomes fluid through the series. According to Army Men: World War, their country is located in a Western area of the Plastic World.
In the original lore and design of the games, the developers, besides using Nazi Germany as reference for the Tans, also included their background. In the back story, the Tans, in contrast to being a republic like the Greens, were ruled by a family of dictators for as long as anyone could remember with Plastro being the latest member. As such, their government is best described as a hereditary, fascist, military dictatorship.
Furthermore, insights into Tan society, according to the game manuals and within the earlier PC manuals of the original Army Men titles, hint that the military is the society of the Tan Nation. Army Men: Air Attack (PS2) manual stated that the Tan, once molded, are immediately press into the military.
For the Tan, the army is the state, with Plastro's family becoming the immediate generals of the nation via succession. The 50 to 1 ration of the Tan against the Green in the Sarge's Heroes continuity further emphasizes the fact that the military is the state. It dominates every aspect of their lives. As a result, the Tan Nation cannot really be called a republic because their societal leadership is determined by hereditary succession through a family line and not free democratic election by the populace (provided if this family is not usurped like Mylar tried to do to the original Plastro). The Tan Army Nation is the most accurate name for their country, because the Army is the Nation.
In the original lore, the 3DO Army Men 3D website for Army Men 3D states...
"The Story
The war and animosity between Green and Tan is so old that no one really knows why or where it all began. More to the point, no one cares.
Tan and Green have adjusted their economies not only to meet the demands of prolonged war, but to thrive from it. Over the years, the war has stabilized to the extent that all sides can benefit from it with "acceptable" casualties.
But now things have changed. Strange unexplainable weapons have begun appearing within the Tan arsenal. Shiny objects that reflect the sun and burn a man at great distances have appeared.
The Green command is understandably upset. These devices seem to be under Tan control, and that threatens to tip the balance of power. Green command knows that this would certainly plunge them all into an uncertainty that no one wants. They call on Sarge."
The war between Green and Tan has been going on since memory and the original PC manuals of Army Men and Army Men II seem to hint that the Tans are the most militarily oriented society on the Plastic World.
In Army Men: Toys in Space, the Nation's drive for world domination is bolstered by the alliance between it and the technologically superior Space Aliens made by the tyrant General himself, effectively strengthening the Republican war machine... and should have erased the Green Republic from the map, had Sarge and Tina Tomorrow's Galactic Army not intervened and smashed the Alien empire to pieces in their homeworld. Unfortunately for the Tans, they did, and Plastro was soon left with only a tank and a handful of troops as he saw the fall of the Alien Overlord unfold.
Notable Tan Nation Leaders[]
| Nations in the Army Men Universe |
|---|
Red • Orange • Black• Galactic Army • Space Aliens |
