Are they still covered by the patents that made them unattractive initially? Patent expiry could very well be the reason for their increased popularity.
[1] US 3,584,667, https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloa...
[2] US 5,207,132, https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloa...
Edited to add: the "Torx Plus" design's patent expired in 2011, which was put in place in 1990 as the original Torx patent was expiring then. Some more nuance, but there ya go.