Action Man (toy)

In 1966, Hasbro licensed the British firm Palitoy to sell the popular G.I. Joe toy in the U.K. Because the term "G.I. Joe" is very American, they decided to rename him "Action Man".

The original production run of Action Man, from 1966 to 1969, was basically a direct copy of the contemporary G.I. Joe models: Action Soldier, Action Sailor and Action Pilot, available in four hair colors (blonde, auburn, brown and black), and dressed in outfits depicting United States Forces of WWII and the Korean War. However, starting in 1970 the basic boxed figures and accompanying uniforms and accessories would reflect the forces of the United Kingdom rather than the USA. Eventually the line branched out of being entirely military, adding figures and accessories for adventurers and sportsmen to the family of "Action Man" products.

In 1992, Hasbro took over the Action Man line and retooled it, removing the overt military themes and turning Action Man into a kind of "Jack of all trades". With his new extra buff physique, Action Man was now a soldier, an athlete, a secret agent, and many other things with a brand new enemy named Dr. X. An animated tie-in series was commissioned, but was distributed Direct to Video because of British regulations regarding Merchandise-Driven series for children. This version of the toy lasted through to 2006 and spawned a second animated series, unrelated to the first.

In 2006 Hasbro licensed reproductions of a variety of the original boxed Action Man figures, under the 40th Anniversary "Nostalgic Collection" banner, in a packaging format similar to Hasbro's G.I. Joe "40th Anniversary" collection. No further Action Man figures have been made since. For a list of spin-offs and other franchise elements, see the Action Man disambiguation page.