Nope, they were on hiatus from the mass market when i was a kid in the 80's. BMX's were pretty much the sole choice until you got tall enough for a bike with "Speeds", but when most of us had tried those 26" 5 speeds in the 80's we all realized they sucked bad and our Huffy BMX's that we'd had forever were much more fun.

i suppose i should more correctly say I had to 'Learn' rather than 're-learn' on a 3 speed. All i knew up until recently was the Shimano IGH's with the twisty grip shifters. I hate those style shifters but the hubs function wonderfully. Better than a sturmey AW IMO...although I can't say (and I doubt) that they are as durable.