Tiger Man by ZICA

An early treat prior to New York Comic Con as ZICA (www.zicatoys.com) has unveiled one of their highly anticipated figures from the "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" line.  Draconian Bad Guy "Tiger Man" is one of the more memorable characters from the series and as you can see he's been done justice here.

                   See this and more at NYCC Booths #2880 and 2882

Venture has Adventure Toys

It's 1975 and even Batman is smiling and he should be, the entire Justice League is on sale!

Click on the ad to gain an even bigger view.

Dinah-Mite Deals!

A sampling of ads from Mego's little wonder, Dinah-Mite!

The Ski Chalet was a bargain at $6.99.

The Campmobile rose sharply in value from $8.99

Dinah's Beach House was a steal at 50% off, after all Barbie's pool was sold separately...

For more on Mego's First Lady visit her gallery

Protectors of freedom and justice

NEW YORK — Five gold-uniformed private soldiers led by a Captain Eagle dropped onto a pier by the East River from a helicopter hovering overhead one day last month. They planted a flag, checked their weapons and began moving inland.

Monday, Mar. 1, 1982


The man who financed the invading troops, Martin D. Abrams, announced: "Military themes are back in America. The need for the military has regained the respectability it lost during the late '60s and 70s."


That is the kind of thing they do to get publicity at the annual Toy Show. Abrams is the chairman of Mego Corp., which was introducing an army-sized line of military toys called "Eagle Force."


"Makers Bent on Military" was the lead headline of Toy Trade News for Feb. 27. "Makers Back Military, Buyers Are Divided," reported the February issue of Toys, Hobbies & Crafts.


"The indications are good," said Craig Collier of Consolidated Toy of St. Louis. "During the Vietnam War people were turned off, but now they are getting over it. There's another generation of kids out there."

"Military is in resurgence because of a change in the political attitude of the country," said Mark Nuccio of H-G Toys Inc. of Long Beach, N.Y. "The government is putting more money into defense. It has a higher profile with certain tactical groups being promoted, such as ah* the maneuvers that occurred in the Middle East last year."

The military boom at this year Toy Show — aimed at that new generation of kids out there — is a facinating case study of the synergistic relationship between commerce and government in theUnited States. The toymakers are not responding to a greatly increased public demand for war toys — that's what the line "Buyers Are Divided" meant in the Toys, Hobby and Craft headline.


The manufacturers are betting that the Reagan administration'smilitaristic bent will create the market. The toymakers also see themselves as performing a national service. "We set out to develop a toy line which would capitalize upon and reinforce the renewed sense of national pride, strengnth, courage and determination sweeping America," said Abrams of Mego.


"Our military toy, then, is, we hope, going to reinforce an accepted American concept: Terrorism is wrong and should be stamped out."


Eagle Force wil be sold, like some Reagan military programs, as an anti-terrorist force. "Captain Eagle," "Goldie Hawk," "Zapper" and other die-cast metal Force members are trying to stamp out villains like "Shock Trooper" and "General Mamba."".




An old favorite, "G.I. Joe" — the soldier doll — is being reintroduced after years of retirement. Joe is also after terrorists now, villainous dolls hi the paramilitary uniforms of something called COBRA.


The television commercials will soon begin. The rhetoric will bemodeled after the talk coming out of Washington these days. "Research has shown there is a potential consumer resistance for military toys due to the connotations of war that they hold," said a Mego official, Alan Chernoff. (Editor's note: Alan Chernoff would appear on Donahue to defend the Eagle Force line)  "The Eagle Force figures we are introducing are positioned not as a war toy, but as protectors of freedom and justice."


There were also a number of booklets at the show. One called "Toys Are Teaching Tools," published by the Toy Manufacturers of America, Inc., said: "Today's toys are tomorrow's adult tools, scaled-down versions of real-life objects. With them children can create imaginary lifelike situations. Toys help children to assume adult roles and to experiment with the objects, machines and technology of adult society . . .Children gain a sense of values from their toys."


So, that's what our children will be taught this year.

Mego Museum Eagle Force Gallery

This isn't the toy business.It's show business

Wed., June 23,1976

"This isn't the toy business.It's show business." That approach brought Martin Abrams, 33, the flashy young entrepreneur of Mego International, a real-life fortune in make-believe. Abrarns' dolls are made in the image and likeness of television and motion picture deities such as Sonny and Cher, Muhammed Ali, the Waltons, the characters from Star Trek and the Wizard of Oz, as well as old established comic strip heroes like Superman.


Their appeal has catapaulted Mego from about 300th to sixth in return on sales in the highly competitive toy business nationwide since Abrams took over in 1971. Mego's newest offering is a 10-inch image of the current hip sensation, Henry (The Fonz) Winkler of television's "Happy Days." Abrams was still in his twenties when be took over the family business and bet on his instincts, sensing that there was a vast pre-developed market among children and youth for the stars and "cult" figures of the moment

He piled one on top of the other, signing dozens of personalities for up to 5 per cent of safes, and getting the doll rights to whole shows. "We grab the top stars and pay big." said the jaunty young New Yorker.


No matter if a few should become obsolete in a hurry, like his "Planet of the Apes" line did when the TV show folded. He just took the bodies and put new heads on them.

His promotions include huge parties for buyers featuringthe personalities themselves. One was a 150,000 bash in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria where 1,000 guests met all the surviving stars of the 'Wizard of Oz." including Scarecrow Ray Bolger  and Tin Man Jack Haley.


Mego's dolls have flexible arms and can sit, stand or be placed in attitudes of leaping  tall buildings in a single bound. They're all American and all made in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but distributed jnternationally from a center on Long Island. Abrams' father, Marty, (Editor's note: the author meant to write David) founder of the business in 1952, runs the production end of it in Hong Kong. His father,mother and brother are all in the business, but Martin is calling the shots.


That's because he's tripled sales in the past three years  alone, to an estimated 180 million for the fiscal year just ending, and has multiplied  earnings five times, to about $4 million. For all the flash and razzledazzle, Abrams says Mego hasn't overexpanded and is into stay. He says he's found a way to beat one of the main drawbacks of the business-copycatting— by signing up thestars long in advance and locking everyone else out"We're already negotiating for our 1977 line," he says.

More Heroes on Sale

Click on the pic for a larger look, good deal on G.I. Joes too!

Special on Superheroes

Another excerpt from the Mason's ad from last week, showing everybody 1974 wasn't completely Ape-centric.

EMCE Monsters are on the loose!

 Entertainment Earth has just listed the EMCE Universal Frankenstein and Wolfman as in stock! That means that Mego and Monster fans should start to expect to see them in comic and toy stores soon!

EMCE Universal Monsters Gallery at the Mego Museum

Order Universal Monsters Retro Series 1 Action Figure Set from Entertainment Earth!

Ape Mania at Masons

This ad could only be from 1974.

Megomuseum Planet of the Apes Gallery

Sears has Action Jackson at Great Prices

A little gem from 1974, for more of the original Mego Action Figure, check out the Mego Action Jackson Gallery.

Neat Update from China

Production is clicking along on the Brick Mantooth/Megomuseum Super Collector doll with this shot of the newly pantographed head. Look for costume shots in the next week...

Soon!