Action Man

Action Man is a line of action figures produced by Hasbro from 1993 to 2006 and again in 2009.

The line began as a relaunch of the original Palitoy action figure range and eventually grew to become a multimedia franchise consisting of toys, books, video games, two television programs, animated films, and a comic book published by Panini Comics.

The toy line centred around the eponymous 'Action Man', an action hero who continuously fought to foil the evil, world-conquering schemes of his nemesis, Dr. X. Toys were also produced of several supporting characters, who were typically allies of either Action Man or Dr. X.

Following the end of the Action Force toyline, Action Man was rebranded and relaunched by Hasbro in 1993. The initial releases were repackaged G.I. Joe Hall of Fame figures, originally released in the United States and modelled on the 3 " GI Joe line-up. This was followed by a 30th anniversary edition modelled after the original 1966 Palitoy release, albeit using the GI Joe "Hall of Fame" body, that lacked the articulation, scale and proportions of the original figure and accessories. A variety of body types were subsequently offered across different price ranges. This new version of the Action Man figure moved away from the more militaristic theme of the original Palitoy range in favour of an "extreme sports" theme, and introduced a terrorist antagonist in the form of Dr. X. Branded toys, books, stationery and other items were also subsequently marketed, while Panini Comics began publishing a tie-in comic book series in 1996. Two animated television series were also produced to tie in with the toy line, with the first running for twenty-six episodes between 1995 and 1996. The second show ran for two seasons and twenty-six episodes from 2000 to 2001 and depicted a new incarnation of Action Man. Action Man: Robot Atak, the first in a trilogy of direct-to-DVD animated films, was released in 2004, but this film trilogy did not share continuity with either of the Action Man TV series.