Star Wars
It was May 3, 1999 and Hasbro released the first collection of action figures and toys from the first Star Wars movie in almost 20 years, Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Hasbro was able to debut nearly 30 characters in the span of two months. They introduced a new technology called the "Commtech" chip, which enabled the figures to speak certain lines from the movie when placed on a special reader device. With improved sculpting, paint, and articulation, the new Episode I figures are worlds apart from the original line. But Hasbro decided to stick with the same 3¾" formula that made Kenner's product a revolutionary success.