When 1995 came, no new 3 3/4-inch figures arrived. Instead, fans were treated to a line of larger figures in the new "G. I. Joe: Sgt. Savage" line. The first Commando Sgt. Savage figure included an animated video explaining his origin: Robert Steven Savage was a soldier in World War II. In a laboratory accident in 1944, he was cryogenically frozen. The hero was discovered and revived by the Joes fifty years later. Doc gave him super strength through a special DNA formula, and Hawk placed him in command of the Screaming Eagles. Savage's enemy was the I.R.O.N. organization. The figures were about 5 inches tall, and there were about 16 of them, with 5 vehicles and accessories. While the newly merged Hasbro-Kenner may have been trying to re-define G. I. Joe for the mid-1990s, the toys did not sell very well.
Toward the end of 1995, Sgt. Savage was retired and Hasbro-Kenner made another try with 5-inch figures. The new line was called G. I. Joe Extreme (led by Lt. Stone), and the enemy was called S.K.A.R. (led by Iron Klaw). Figures were heavily muscled and had huge torsos. About 20 figures and 13 vehicles and playsets were produced. These forces had no connection to G. I. Joe and Cobra. The line had a two-season cartoon series and two comic miniseries, but nevertheless saw little success as a toy line. One of the comic series, intended to be "ongoing," was cancelled after four issues. The Extreme toys quickly made their way to clearance shelves, where some could still be found as late as 2001. The line was even rejected, perhaps most strongly, by G. I. Joe's most die-hard fans, who compared the Extreme line to the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special (which was so bad that creator George Lucas for a time denied its existence).
The continuing Hall of Fame series saw greater success with its new direction. The 12-inch figures were given a very realistic look and were made to resemble real-life soldiers from previous wars. The classic Joe collectors were delighted to find G. I. Joe replicas of George Washington and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Small-figure fans, many of whom were in college and had little money, either experimented with the Hall of Fame line or had to content themselves with the new Star Wars figures and vehicles, which were prohibitively expensive due to the high cost of Lucasfilm licensing. As far as anyone knew, the 3 3/4-inch line was no more.
Toy concept and production usually begins well over a year before products hit the shelves, so Hasbro already had a number of new releases prepared for 1995 when they decided to cancel the smaller line. Initial attempts to redesign the figures with a solid waist and no fragile O-ring went at least as far as hard copies, but for the most part the toys were to remain unchanged. Some exist merely as design sketches, while others went as far as being produced and carded. Some, such as the Manimals, eventually made their way into the hands of G. I. Joe collectors.
There were quite a few vehicles and playsets planned for this year, all to be released under the Battle Rangers logo. Small ones included the Striker XS-1 (a dune buggy) and the Vortex XS-2 (a hovercraft-like vehicle). There was also the Sea Wolf (a Killer WHALE repaint), as well as repaints of 1985's Transportable Tactical Battle Platform and 1987's Mobile Command Center—all of which would presumably have had spring-loaded weapons. Cobra vehicles included the Vulture helicopter, Eel attack boat, and Interceptor jet. There was also an Arctic Commandos Assault Team set with a repainted Mudbuster and Locust. It would have come with two figures, probably repaints of Sub-Zero and 1993's Beach-Head.
