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The year 2001 (MMI) was the twentieth year of the A Real American Hero brand.
Overview
The new millennium saw the continued release of new figures, only months after the 2000 series hit stores. Due to the late release of the vehicles, the releases of 2000 and 2001 actually overlapped in some regions of the country, and a few 2001 two-packs arrived in stores before Christmas 2000. The late 2000 figures were designated Series 1, and the early 2001 packs were Series 2. Series 3 arrived in July, and Series 4 in September. Series 5 was planned for November but was delayed until early 2002. In February 2001, three of the Manimals originally designed for 1994/95 were released as "exclusives" to KB Toys, but they could also be located online. But without the context of Star Brigade, the space aliens sat on shelves until they went on clearance the following year (not that they really began moving even then).
Problems with expired copyrights apparently continued, as the molds for Ambush, Range-Viper, Shockwave, Snow Job, Torpedo, and even the original Roadblock were given new names and identities. The quality and look of these figures were comparable to those of 2000, with the exception that paint wipes were less prominent. The release of an expensive Headquarters set shortly before Christmas testified to Hasbro's confidence in the new line, as did the Image/Devil's Due revival of the G.I. Joe comicbook. The new comic picked up where Marvel's comic series left off, and its storyline did not closely follow the release of new toys.
Carded figures
G.I. Joe
- Big Ben
- Big Brawler
- Crossfire
- Double Blast
- Duke
- Gung-Ho
- Leatherneck
- Low-Light
- Sidetrack
- Sure Fire
- Tripwire
- Wet Down
- Wet-Suit
- Whiteout
Cobra
Manimals
Non-carded figures
G.I. Joe
Cobra
Equipment
G.I. Joe
- A.W.E. Striker
- Desert Striker
- Headquarters
- N.L.C.
Cobra
- Wave Crusher
Comicbooks
Issues 1 and 2 of the Devil's Due Publishing series came out this year.
Animation
No animation was produced this year.