Job: Obscure Hasbro Character
Franchise:
Action Man
Who is Action Man?
Action Man is the U.K. equivalent of G.I. Joe, licensed in 1966 by Palitoy. Alongside G.I. Joe, these two are considered
the world's first action figures, marking them as huge shifts in the toy industry across the world. Whilst G.I. Joe focused on a military theme that would then be rebranded into A Real American Hero in 1983, Action Man was a jack-of-all trades:
Space Rangers, Sailors, Jungle Adventurers, you name it! The legacy of Action Man was steadily built up over time.
His biggest break yet, however, would be in 1993, as the IP was rebranded into a spy-based thriller - a change highlighted by a brand new TV show, mixing both animated and live-action elements
Just 5 years later, in the 2000s, Action Man would see
another revamp into a Xtreme Sports IP - a bizarre departure from the spy thriller, but not unfounded given the action figure's roots.
Both of these were followed by a toyline playing off of the show's premise, and even
several different video games, perhaps quite a lot given the IP!
The spy thriller would continue to be a major aspect of Action Man into the modern day; In the 2016, the series was brought back by IDW Publishing and folded into their
Shared Hasbro Universe, focused around their Transformers comics. A terrible idea, of course, but Action Man saw a return as a Mission: Impossible type IP, with new comics published within this universe (utulizing the original 60's logo, as well)!
Just to put a cherry on top of all of this; an Action Man figure was
sent into space for his 50th anniversary, as part of a kickstarter campaign done to celebrate the figure.
Becoming both a media franchise and a staple of action figures, Action Man is a vital part of Hasbro history that deserves representation on this roster, and I'll be shooting for him right out of the gate!
Possible Moveset
Action Man has a variety of different appearances to pull moves from - whilst the Spy inspiration would be the best way to go, a mix of Xtreme sports, jungle adventuring, space voyaging and a little bit of Baywatch would go a long way to make a wholly unique moveset that you would not see elsewhere; Some more direct Action figure inspired attacks, referencing revolutionary features such as gripping-hands and figure construction, could definitely add a boost of creativity that would otherwise not be present on any other Hasbro character that would likely see nomination.
For those who are interested, a far more comprehensive history of Action Man, straight from the source, can be found here!
