Action Man: The Official Dossier

Product Information

Hungry Hungry Hippos, Action Man, Monopoly headed to big screen", Los Angeles Times, 4 October 2012

Action Man is an action figure launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "movable fighting man", G.I. Joe.

Action Man "Sailor" figure appeared in 1966 using the Hasbro GI Joe box graphics and US sailor outfit. In 1970 the UK outfit and revised Palitoy box graphics were introduced.

Michlig, J. (1998) G.I. Joe; The Complete Story of America's Favorite Man of Action, Section 12, p. 179 In 2012, film studio Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films signed a deal to work on a cinematic feature-length live-action film adaptation of Action Man with Hasbro Studios and its subsidiary company Allspark Pictures, along with other Hasbro properties such as the board games Monopoly (with Lionsgate) and Hungry Hungry Hippos. The expectation was that work on the first film, "Monopoly", would start in 2013. [24] In 2018, Paramount Players said James Bobin will direct the film from Simon Farnaby's script. [25] Cultural impact [ edit ] The “gripping hands” were next. The Americans copied that, too, but called theirs “the kung-fu grip”. Other changes included “eagle eyes” and the more muscular “dynamic physique”, while the outfits ranged from a Red Devil complete with parachute to football kits. I even designed a Scorpion Tank for him after taking a ride on the real thing. Michlig, J. (1998) G.I. Joe; The Complete Story of America's Favorite Man of Action ( ISBN 0-8118-1822-5) This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2014) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Leicestershire County Council". Museums.leics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011 . Retrieved 18 July 2011. From 1978 to the end of the original period of Action Man in 1984, the body was replaced with an entirely new design: at a glance, the most obvious detail is fact that the flesh coloured pelvic area of the body was replaced with a blue section giving the effect of blue shorts rather than the sexless mannequin look; at the same time the body took on a more muscular tone. This body type was known as the "Dynamic Physique. This was mainly designed by Designer Ivor Edmunds, with help from Chief Designer Bob Brechin under the direction of Bill Pugh. Tooling and material selection was under the supervision of Process Manager Alec Langton. Action Man was originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom and Australia by Palitoy Ltd of Coalville, Leicestershire from 1966 until 1984. Palitoy also offered sub-licences to toy manufacturers in other markets. By CPG Products Corp, assigned the Patent #4,274,224 on 23 June 1981: "Toy figure having movable limb members". James Bobin To Direct 'Action Man' For Paramount Players, Based on Hasbro Toy". Deadline. 8 February 2018 . Retrieved 8 February 2018.

Bill Pugh, along with his Research & Development team at Palitoy, immediately began making a number of improvements to Action Man and, in doing so, they turned a success story into a legend. Under Pugh’s guidance Action Man went from strength to strength, with the development of realistic hair, gripping hands and eagle eyes supported by an ever-growing array of equipment, uniforms, vehicles and weapons.Palitoy (from 1964, a British subsidiary of General Mills) was the UK licensee for Hasbro Industries. Palitoy developed from a plastics firm established by Alfred Edward Pallett in 1909 and became one of Britain's leading toy manufacturers until its eventual closure in 1984. [3]