Action figure:Major Matt Mason | Jeff Long

When Hasbro, Inc. proved the popularity of boy-oriented play dolls--called pointedly action figures, not dolls--many other toy manufacturers rushed their own adventure figures to market. When the United States was determined to beat the Soviet Union in the race into space, Mattel, Inc. competed with Hasbro by offering Major Matt Mason, an American astronaut who lived on the moon with his crew of three. Mason and his companions battled a few villains, flew cool lunar vehicles, and lived in a fantastic space station. Mattel fashioned some details of Matt Mason's space suit and equipment from apparatus NASA was developing at the time. Other details of the Matt Mason toy line came straight out of science fiction--an ideal combination to appeal to boys enthralled with the possibility of traveling in space. The Matt Mason line lasted from about 1966 to the mid-1970s. Nostalgia for the toy line, however, sparked plans in 2012 for a feature-length Major Matt Mason movie starring actor Tom Hanks.