The concept of an "action figure" was introduced in 1964, when G.I. Joe hit the market. Hasbro, the creators of G.I. Joe, saw the enormous success of Barbie, the 12-inch fashion doll launched by Mattel in 1959, and decided to create a toy with a similar play pattern for boys. A large part of Barbie's success was the fact that girls would bring their dolls over to each other's homes and play dress up, which encouraged parents to buy more Continue Reading