Upcoming WGSH Spotlight: Lex Luthor

Courtesy of World's Greatest Toys author Benjamin Holcomb is the Lex Luthor prototype, our first of the new figures from this Mattel/EMCE collaberation.

With all due respect to fans of Mr. Mxyzptlk, this figure is helping to erase one of the original WGSH lines biggest errors, the addition of Superman's true arch enemy, the leader of the Legion of Doom himself, Lex Luthor.

Again, we have a look that 70s kids will immediately identify as being from Challenge of the Superfriends, Bravo EMCE and Mattel!

What do you think? Have your say on the Mego Forums

Read the Original EMCE announcement here

World's Greatest Toys buy a copy today!

Upcoming WGSH Spotlight: Superman

Now that the dust has settled from the SDCC, we thought it might be fun to take a look individually of wave one of Mattel's World's Greatest Superheroes line (which is, still trippy to say) and hey, it'll pass the time until Spring right? So, courtesy of World's Greatest Toys author Benjamin Holcomb is the Superman prototype, a very fitting choice for wave one as he is part of the "original four".

Eventhough his look has been altered, there is something very familiar about Supes, you can almost hear Danny Dark's voice coming out of this figure, Bravo EMCE and Mattel!

What do you think? Have your say on the Mego Forums

Read the Original EMCE announcement here

World's Greatest Toys buy a copy today!

The Mego World's Greatest Superheroes are Back!

At the "Mattel and DC Comics: A Heroic Partnership" Panel at this year's San Diego Comic Con the big announcement was the return of the 8" Superhero format!

It's the one Mego fans have been waiting for and something Dr.Mego (AKA Paul Clarke) and Joe Sena of EMCE toys have toiled on for ages.

It's a bright and sunny day in Megoland, for soon the heroes will return to toy store shelves before Easter 2010.

Wave One Includes:

Green Arrow

Hal Jordan GL

Superman

Lex Luthor

Sinestro

John Stewart GL

Read all about it here at EMCE Forum

8" Obama Figure available at San Diego Comic Con

The First Release from new company Heroes in Action is available at conventions this summer, the 8" President Obama doll features a new style 8" body not seen before.

The minature president is available in two different coloured suits, regular black and limited edition gray.

To get one at SDCC visit either the Heroes West Coast Booth (#729) or the Toy Tokyo Booth (#5237).

More details how non attendees can get one will follow. Watch for more great releases from Heroes in Action in the near future.

Discuss this at the Mego Museum Forums

Bif Bang Pow! unveils 8" Flash Gordon Movie figure at SDCC

Premiering at this year’s San Diego Comic Con is Bif Bang Pow!'s 8” Flash Gordon figure. The proposed series will feature a Cast A Way body and will embody the likeness of Flash Gordon (Sam Jones) and Ming the Merciless (Max Von Sydow) on the 1980 cult Classic Dino De Laurentiis film “Flash Gordon”.

proposed card artwork

The prototype Flash figure will be on display at this year’s San Diego Comic Con at the Entertainment Earth booth (Which is booth #2343). Be sure to drop by and let the folks there know how much you want this to happen!

proposed card artwork back

Visit the Bif Bang Pow! Website Here

Discuss this at the Mego Museum Forums.

Vintage Mego Ad from the pages of Starlog

Click on the ad for a larger view

New to the MegoMuseum Ad Archive is this wonderful ad from Starlog Magazine circa 1985, over the years I've heard many folks mention this ad as being the thing that drew them back to Mego in their adult life. The company is no long called "Planet Earth" but they are still in business.

I ordered a Frankenstein from this ad, I had never seen one before and had to have it. The Spider-Man figures in this ad were actually the very rare Canadian Parkdale Novelty cards.

Check out the MegoMuseum Library for hours of Mego browsing.

Canadian Boxed Spider-Car

Mark Schmidt sent in photos of this rare item, a bilingual boxed Spider-Car from Parkdale Novelty. Previously it was believed all Parkdale did was sticker the US packaging, it seems that they also did a run of their own box. Thanks to Mark for sharing this northern rarity.

MegoMuseum Spider Car Gallery

The Mego Superheroes Down Under

New to the MegoMuseum Ad Archive is this rare Australian Magazine Ad for Toltoys (the down under distributer) who took the 1973 Mego Superheroes Catalog page and made it their own! Click on the image to see a bigger version.

Many thanks to Catherine AKA "SlipperyLilSuckers" for bringing this to our attention!

Check out the MegoMuseum Library for hours of Mego browsing.

For More on Toltoys and Australian toys in general visit this great blog

1973s Greatest Stars: The World's Greatest Superheroes

Again thanks to Steve F., we've got a much bigger scan of the 1974 Mego World's Greatest Superheroes Catalog page, click on it to see a larger view.

I want to go to there...

Mego Catalog Library

The American West Series

Thanks to the generosity of Steve F., we also have a much bigger scan of the 1974 Mego American West Catalog page, click on it to see a larger view.

That includes a much nicer view of the Dodge City Playset, sigh....

Mego Catalog Library

The Mad Monsters Series

Thanks to the generosity of Steve F., we have a much bigger scan of the 1974 Mego Mad Monsters Catalog page, click on it to see a larger view.

I'd also love to know what the heck this is supposed to be....

Mego Catalog Library

Monkey Around With These.....

Terrific Mego Ad from Marvel's "Planet of the Apes Magazine" Issue #4. For more Mego Advertising and Articles, check out our Ad Archive at the Mego Library.

Mego Solid Box Robin

New to Mego Museum Robin Page (and long overdue!) is the Solid Boxed Robin. Were you a lucky kid who snatched up one of these in '73?

8" Buck Rogers Line Announced

ZICA Toys is excited to announce its first official foray into the world of licensed collectibles with an all new, highly articulated 1/9th scale line of action figures based on the fantastic television movie and series, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. This indelible incarnation of the original hero of tomorrow debuted in 1979, starring Gil Gerard as William “Buck” Rogers. Buck was the last astronaut to pilot a deep space probe. During a freak mishap he was hurdled 500 years into the future. When he awoke he found himself in a strange new place surrounded by gorgeous disco-dancing spandex-clad aliens. With his blaster, a babe, and a robot buddy at his side, he used his 20th century wit to defend the innocent and bring evil to justice.

Characters planned for the first assortment are Buck Rogers, Hawk, Killer Kane, Tigerman and Draconian Guard. For the first time ever these figures will be made in the 8” style and scale that was hugely popular in the 70’s. By keeping the retro style and incorporating a more modern body design, the line is sure to please both vintage and modern collectors alike.

ABOUT BUCK ROGERS: In 1928, Buck Rogers blasted off in the pages of John F. Dille’s National Newspaper Service syndicate. Dille called on author Philip Francis Nowlan and artist Dick Calkins to develop his ideas of the future into a never before seen style of comic strip. Buck Rogers, like Rip Van Winkle, would awake to find himself in a strange new world filled with robots, rockets, and ray guns! Over the last 80 years Buck Rogers has been in Two Network TV Series, One Feature Film, One Feature Film Serial, 12,061 Daily Comic Strips, 1839 Sunday Comic Strips, 139 Sub-Strips and has sold in 40 Countries in 18 Languages, 400 Newspapers, and 1500 Radio Shows. 2008 marks the return of the future with new collectibles, books, comics, video games, and feature film projects! For more information on new Buck Rogers products, visit www.inthe25thcentury.com.

ABOUT ZICA TOYS: Since 2005 ZICA Toys has been behind the scenes of select toy projects in the designer toy, figurine, and comic-book world. With a passion for retro design and an eye for quality, ZICA is set to create new collectibles that hearken back to our collective childhoods. Look for Buck Rogers and more licensed collectibles at zicatoys.com.

Visit the Mego Museum Buck Rogers Gallery.

Celebrity Dolls: Cameos Of Our Culture

NEW YORK - If the $3 billion toy business is a "crap shoot." as Marty Abrams savs, he's on a winning streak betting that kids would rather dress a sexv superstar than change diapers “ After all," says the youthful entrepreneur, "toys are cameos of our culture " So even as the dogwoods are blossoming, Abrams is launching an advertising campaign for Christmas buyers featuring - you guessed it — Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Fonzie and Cher and Tennile and other hot show biz characters While many tov manufacturers soured on the idea after the market was glutted with Batman toys in the late 1960s. Abrams has built the family business into a $70 million a-year enterprise with celebrity dolls In the past six years his Mego International Inc has climbed from about 100th on the list to seventh among the country's largest toy firms.

The only companies that really got hurt licensing ( contracting for celebrity dolls) were those that over-licensed."
Abrams said Last vear his Cher doll was the top seller in the industry. For her part Mrs Cher Bono Allman collected a cool $1 million in royalties from Mego. Abrams said But Abrams won't divulge his contract
Terms “It varies from star to star," he said "It's a crap shoot, anyway," he added.

Fawcett-Majors, as well as the others will remain at the top of the heap long enough to sell as mans dolls as she did pinup posters (five million) last fall.

"We have to keep our fingers on the pulse of pop culture." he said "I'm continually watching TV and reading the show business publications The media continually creates new fads new idols "

Abrams' instincts are reflected in his showroom 40 floors above Fifth Avenue where this season's real life stars such as Starsky and Hutch share shelf space with science fiction’s King Kong, Wonder Woman and characters from Star Ti ek. Noting the boom in citizens band radios. Abrams was quick to come out w ith a line of toy trucks and microphones built around a character called CB McHaul.


There is a Diana Ross doll and Muhammad Ali, aimed at the black market.


When a star is hot she or he gets a full compliment of accessories. To dress Cher in the styIe to which she is accustomed. for example, there are 32 different costumes There is a vintage sports car with Cher's ex-husband and TV partner. Sonny Bono, at the wheel. Figuring that Farrah's sunstreaked hair is her top asset Mego has a bust of the beauty so that little girls can wash and comb her hair They may even apply lipstick and makeup and false eye lashes. "It's somewhat of a status svmbol to be a doll," Abrams said.

May 1977

Mego's Superheroes lead pack in Windy City Sales

Canadian Comic Action Heroes Spider-Car

Really neat foreign variation today, courtesy of Mark Schmidt, it's the Canadian Version of the Mego Comic Action heroes Spider-Car which is drastically different than it's US counterpart seen below:

For more on these figures, please visit the Mego Museum Comic Action Heroes Gallery:

Broadway Joe Namath and his Mod About Town Wardrobe

Chris Johnson submitted this awesome 1971 Wards spread for Joe Namath and his super funky wardrobe. You can check it out at the Department Store Catalog Archive. Watch for a Joe Namath section coming soon to the Mego Museum.

Action Jackson Goes Vroom Vroom

Cool update to the Mego Action Jackson Galleries today, thanks to the help of Scott Arendsen, Rob Chatlin and Tom Ligotti. It's the ever elusive Formula Racer and it's mysterious Australian counter part, the Green BP Racer. Be sure to check out the rest of the AJ gallery, it's some of the coolest stuff Mego made...

Meet Spider-Man, the Wicked Witch and Cornelius the Ape at Gold Circle!

There is just so much to love about this vintage Mego store appearance ad, like the word Shaboom and the use of Aquaman and Tarzan in the toy ad. Below are some of the pieces of paper you would get from such an appearance.

Spidey would hand these little fliers to kids, fortunately kids saved them!

Lucky Apes kids would get this, a signed picture of Caesar acting as Cornelius, a McDowell is a McDowell to mego....

Mego Greatest American Hero Gallery Updates

Today we've got an indepth look at a Ralph Hinkley production sample figure from the Greatest American Hero line of toys. What makes this one different is that he's an earlier production sample, lots of big pictures and history about this neat figure.

Mego Museum Greatest American Hero Gallery

Mego Mad Monsters Display Box

New to the Mego Mad Monsters Gallery is a sweet original Mad Monsters display box complete with boxed Frankensteins, from the personal collection of Mark Huckabone. Click on the image for a larger view.

More Updates shortly!

The Mego Museum Raffle Sticker

Scott made this beauty of a sticker featuring the European exclusive Jousting Horse in conjunction with our bandwidth raffle this weekend. Every person who buys a ticket, gets one of these and a secret surprise sticker (say that fast).

Mego Meet Raffle You don't have to atten Mego Meet to win or get a sticker.

Mego Meet starts tomorrow....

Mego Meet "Kit Bash" Contest

Cast-A-Way toys has come up with a fun promotion at this year's Mego Meet, the "Kit Bash" contest.

The rules are simple: Make it at the show! Whatever you get from the Meet dealer room is fair game. No sandbagging with stuff from home, this is to see what you guys can do on the "fly". So bring your ideas, and any other construction materials and tools you'll need, but that's all! Cast-A-Way will bring some paints, and brushes for those who forget, but if you need specialized stuff bring it with ya.

The prizes: Up for grabs is "Red Italian version Phantom", store credit, "one off" custom parts etc (don't worry we'll have that all ready for the winner)... but best of all the chance to call yourself "CHAMPION"Is it in you?.... will you rise to meet this challenge?... Do you have what it takes? Let's find out...

Read More at the Mego Meet Forum

Mego Meet is this weekend.

Some of the offerings at this weekend's MegoMeet

Folks are showing off some of their wares early this year at the Megomeet Forum. Hang on to your waller, here is just a sampling of what will be available this weekend:

Romulans by Azrak

Vintage Mego will be in abundance thanks to folks like Blue Meanie, these type two monsters won't last long nor will this beauty of a mego Superheroes display card:

Here is Mego Spidey's Megomeet display, bet it looks even better in person!

Here is the box for this year's exclusive figure Doctor KromeDome, ignore that webslinger, box creator Mike just put him there for show.

Boss is bringing some of his custom creations to the show like this lovely Superman.

Forget Matt Murdock, the Knock Knock Toy Company will have a different Dare Devil available...

Check out the Mego Meet Forum for more

Megomeet Official Website