Earlier this year I posted a series of articles taking a close and covetous look at my sister's childhood collection of vintage Mego 8-inch action figures that we had recently uncovered in our parents' loft in pristine condition. What a wonderful surprise, therefore, to unwrap my Christmas gift from my sister this year and discover another absolute classic from Mego – a vintage 8-inch Fonzie from their Happy Days line! Aaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!! Is this the coolest action figure ever made? Thanks sis! … [Read more...]
Mego
The Mego brand name was synonymous with action figures during most of the 1970s. The Mego Corporation displayed enormous business acumen in its purchasing of the licensing rights to many successful movies, television shows and comic books, such as classics like Planet of the Apes and Star Trek, as well as their bestselling The World's Greatest Superhero line which featured Marvel and DC Comic book heroes.
Production features of interest:
- the Mego Bubble Card placed the clear plastic bubble containing the action figure in the middle of the card;
- action figures were made with interchangeable heads so that generic bodies could be more easily mass produced then transformed with the addition of only different heads or clothing;
- in 1976 founder David Abrams turned down an offer to license toys for a certain upcoming Sci Fi flick...that film was Star Wars!
The Mego Corporation closed shop for good in 1983 and vintage Mego action figures have since become highly collectible.
Robin: Mego and the World’s Greatest Super Heroes…and Sidekicks!
As promised in an earlier post, here's another vintage Mego 8-inch action figure that was found in a recent loft exploration at my parents' home. Like Batman, the Lizard and Cornelius, this was another of my sister's childhood toys, but of all of them, this Fist Fighting Robin probably made me smile the most when I first set eyes on it. Once again, this is a figure in almost perfect condition with only one immediate defect – the original paper logo glued to the left side of his tunic is missing … [Read more...]
The Lizard: Mego and the World’s Greatest Super Heroes…and Villains!
The World's Greatest Super Heroes was the line that made Mego's name, kicking off with the most famous characters from DC Comics and then moving into the Marvel Universe with a plethora of new heroes appearing from 1975 onwards such as Captain America, the Hulk and Spider-Man. A line of good guys only would have been no fun at all though, so a couple of villains were thrown in for good measure – The Green Goblin and The Lizard. When Mego's UK distributors Palitoy added Marvel characters to their … [Read more...]
Cornelius from Planet of the Apes, a Mego classic!
As promised in last week's post, here's another of the Mego action figure treasures from the loft that were excavated on my last trip back home to visit family in the UK. Like the Fist Fighting Batman we looked at last time, this is another highly collectible action figure that my sister played with as a child. Of all her toys, this 8-inch Mego Cornelius figure is one that I remember in particular as being one of her absolute favourites. As kids we adored the Planet of the Apes TV show and would … [Read more...]
Holy Fist Fighting Super Heroes, Batman!
I recently returned home to Rome from my summer holidays in the UK visiting friends and family. I managed to pick up a few action figure bargains in flea markets, but also made some exciting discoveries in my parents' loft! As a kid back in the 1970s my younger sister had some pretty cool action figures. I vaguely remembered her having owned a Batman and Robin and a Planet of the Apes figure, so had been itching to send Dad up into the attic for some time to check if they were produced by the … [Read more...]
Mego’s Mr. Spock from Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Mego's original 8-inch Star Trek action figures hit stores in 1974 and are arguably some of the most well known and indeed well loved figures the toy company ever produced. The Mego figures were tied to the 1960s TV series which continued to have repeat showings all over the world throughout the next decade and beyond, but when Star Trek: The Motion Picture was first announced Mego had to negotiate with Paramount to ensure that they would also get the license to produce the movie toys too. … [Read more...]
Yeeeee-Haaa! It’s Bo Duke!
I know it's April Fools' Day and I'm sure that this action figure was never intended to be a joke even though many young fans of The Dukes of Hazzard must surely have looked at it and said: You're kidding...right?! For as much as I love this 3 ¾ inch Bo Duke action figure produced by Mego in 1981, there is no way I can find even a passing resemblance to the actor John Schneider who played Bo in the TV series! … [Read more...]