Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Bif Bang Pow! to Produce '70s Style Action Figures Based on Some of the World's Most Popular Properties


LOS ANGELES, CA (February 2, 2010) – Announcing one of the widest ranges of highly articulated 8-inch retro-style action figures in years. In cooperation with EMCE Toys, Bif Bang Pow!™ is proud to bring the original "’70s style" of play to a brand-new line of articulated action figures based on some of the world's most popular properties.


Reproductions reminiscent of the best-selling action figures of the 1970s and early 1980s, these
highly articulated figures will feature body designs by EMCE Toys. Each 8-inch scale figure will
include real cloth clothing and plastic accessories where appropriate.

Over 40 licensed action figures are planned for 2010. The first are targeted for an early summer arrival and Comic-Con International: San Diego 2010, with others to follow later in the year. Included are much-demanded characters from:
The Venture Bros.™ (Cartoon Network)


Dexter™ (Showtime Networks)


Lost™ (ABC Disney)


The Big Lebowski™ (NBC Universal)


The Twilight Zone™ (CBS)


Flash Gordon™ (King Features)


Scott Ian (Anthrax)



The Venture Bros.™ creator Jackson Publick, who has been working closely with Bif Bang Pow! to bring these to market, noted that the upcoming figures are “very impressive and extremely faithful to the characters, while also finding a very comfortable middle ground between 2-D and 3-D design. Bif Bang Pow! has deftly solved a number of design problems I thought anyone attempting a 3-D interpretation would get thrown off by. Brock, especially, is going to make the fanboys crap themselves. Let's show these to the world already!”


"We're very excited about launching this new range of action figures. For the first time in Bif Bang Pow! history, all of our licenses will be living in the same universe. So if you've always wanted Dr. Girlfriend to seduce Dexter Morgan, or for Ming™ the Merciless to fight The Dude, now's your chance!", said Jason Lenzi, CEO of Bif Bang Pow! "And the exceptional articulation makes the posing possibilities virtually limitless, which comes in handy for animated characters!"


"The 8-inch format hasn't seen this breadth of licenses since its peak during the Mego days," said Joe Sena, President of SphereWerx, corporate parent of the EMCE Toys brand. EMCE partner Paul "Dr. Mego" Clarke added, "It is exactly this intention to mix a variety of characters into imaginative play that started my journey to bring this format back ten years ago. We're honored that Jason and his team sought us out to 'Mego-ize' the licenses he holds."


Retailers and press can see the first prototypes at New York Toy Fair, February 14-17, 2010, at the EMCE Toys booth #4944. For sales and to schedule an appointment while attending New York Toy Fair, please contact your EE Distribution account representative or Jenna Banks, Sales Manager, at 818-255-0090 x128 / sales@eedistribution.com in advance.


About Bif Bang Pow!
Bif Bang Pow!™ (bifbangpow.com) produces first-rate collectibles for such popular properties as Dexter™, Lost™, Californication™, The Venture Bros.™, The Twilight Zone™, The Big Lebowski™, and Flash Gordon™. Founder Jason Lenzi is a seasoned television producer and the ultimate fan of cultish pop culture. So when he created his company in 2005, he took the fan's perspective. His idea was to bring items to the marketplace that he himself would want to own. Cultivated from TV, movies, books, comics, music, and more, Bif Bang Pow!’s mission is to provide high-quality action figures, toys, and collectibles to the massive cult audience (and kids of all ages) that wishes these toys were already in their collection. Bif Bang Pow! is a unit of JLA Direct, LLC.


About EMCE Toys
The EMCE Toys brand (pronounced "em-see") was founded to bring playability back to toys.
Inspired by the original action figure company, Mego Corp., we strive to craft quality, durable action figures, playsets, and collectibles that recreate the sense of fun that toys were originally made for. Our launch lines are either licensed reproductions of original Mego toys and packaging, or original creations modeled after the classic lines of the 1970s and early 1980s.
EMCE is proud to have the active input and cooperation of Marty Abrams, founder of Mego and father of the modern action figure. We hope to continue to honor his legacy with our work. We have also been honored to incorporate the talents of veteran artist Harold Shull, original illustrator of Mego's classic and distinctive packaging from the 1970s. As we continue to extend this kind of inclusion of the original Mego teams, we get closer to our goal of bringing Mego back as a viable toy company in all but name. EMCE was created by veteran pop culture entrepreneur Joe Sena, President of SphereWerx, LLC, and craftsman Paul "Dr. Mego" Clarke.

(Many, many heartfelt thanks to our friends at Bif Bang Pow! for giving the Mego Museum the opportunity to break this news to the world!)


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