From Apply Now,
Your Guide to Action Figures.
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Hasbro is the second largest toy company behind Mattel. In terms of action figures, they are perhaps the most important mass market toy company working today. They hold many of the most important action figure licenses, something that has slowly occurred as other companies have been absorbed by Hasbro.

Here are some of the most notable action figures lines and events to come out with the name Hasbro on the box.

1964 – Hasbro manufactures the first ever action figure in the form of the first 12” G.I. Joe, a term that is created to make sure that a toy can be marketed to boys without being called a doll.

1982 – After the success of the 3-3/4” Star Wars figures being made by Kenner, Hasbro decides to shrink down their original 12” line to the same size and renaming the line G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

1984 – Hasbro successfully imports a series of changeable robot toys made by Takara and other companies in Japan. The company renames the toys Transformers and another huge success is scored for Hasbro.

1991 – Hasbro purchases Tonka and subsequently Kenner, a company performs consistently as Hasbro’s most successful subsidiary. Kenner was responsible for a wide array of action figures, including Star Wars. Star Wars products begin featuring the Hasbro logo instead of the Kenner logo at the tail end of 1998.

1998 – Hasbro acquires Galoob toys, perhaps most famous for its Micro Machines line.

2006 – Hasbro acquires the coveted license to produce toys based on Marvel Comics super-heroes. Not only does this give them a wealth of source material, but they’re now able to produce action figures based on some of the biggest blockbuster movies of the twenty-first century.

Here is a list of action figure licenses that Hasbro holds as of 2008:
Action Man
Attacktix
Battlestar Galactica
Cloverfield
Fantastic Four
G.I. Joe
Ghost Rider
Iron Man
Marvel
Spiderman
Star Wars
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
Toy Story and Beyond
Transformers


Here are some of Hasbro’s more famous action figure lines over the years (not including those that were released by Kenner, Galoob, or other subsidiaries prior to being absorbed by Hasbro):

Action Man
Army Ants
Battle Beasts
C.O.P.S. n’ Crooks
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Hulk
Jem and the Holograms
Pokemon
Spiderman Origins
Star Wars
Transformers
World Wrestling Federation (1990-1994)
Xevoz