World’s Greatest Toys!

Here’s our Daily Mego Adoration for Thursday, April 10, 2008:

Mego Spring 1975 Catalog (Part 4 of 5)!

All week, we are revealing pages from the scarce Spring 1975 Mego Catalog, which comes courtesy of the Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) estate’s private Mego archive.

When John McNett (Mego’s former Director of Design) introduced himself to the Mego community, he and his wife, Linda, auctioned many of the remaining Mego items they had collected during their time spent working together at the venerable toy company. The McNetts also graciously granted me complete access to their memorabilia and photo albums, all of which is lovingly presented in the “Inside Mego” chapter of World’s Greatest Toys!

One of several random items John collected is an actual doorknob, embossed with the building’s logo, from the entryway to Mego’s Toy Fair showroom at The New York Merchandise Mart, where Mego held office space between 1976-1983.

When this particular item went on the auction block, I just knew I had to own it. I had immediate dreams of one day owning a nice big house with a dedicated “toy room.” Natch, I planned to install a door specifically suited to utilize the original Mego door knob.

Did someone say “door knob?”

Yeah, that’s me, all right (remember back in the ’80s, when “door knob” was a put-down?!).

Anyway, Mego’s Spring 1975 catalog has another such item. It may be ridiculous, but my first reaction was “ooooh. I wish I could have that!” And “that” is a group of stupid bean-bags that spell out M-E-G-O.

Below are pages 3 and 4 of Mego’s Spring 1975 catalog (click images to embiggen):

Check back tomorrow for the final two pages from Mego’s Spring 1975 catalog!

Benjamin

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Images published by Benjamin Holcomb, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and TwoMorrows Publications. All rights reserved. Images may not be reprinted or published without prior written consent from the publishers.

Over at Plaid Stallions, Brian has posted a cool Evel Knievel toothbrush ad. Meanwhile, we have a little Evel memorabilia that is not so dentist-friendly!
Here’s our Daily Mego Adoration for Wednesday, April 9, 2008:

Mego Spring 1975 Catalog (Part 3 of 5)!

All week, we are revealing pages from the scarce Spring 1975 Mego Catalog, which comes courtesy of the Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) estate’s private Mego archive.

When Mego produced the Spring 1975 catalog — during 1974, actually — they did not yet have production samples for several of the products being promoted. An example of this is the Evel Knievel toy line the company planned.

By the time Mego completed the Final 1975 catalog, they had procured a plethora of Evel-related bicycle goodies (as demonstrated by the Final 1975 Catalog page, shown at right).

Prior to that, however, Mego lacked actual production samples and opted to mock-up a simple page, using a peculiar-looking kid and the promise of a few ill-conceived freezer treats. Surprisingly, Mego actually offered the strange “Sky-Sicle” and “Motor-Sicle” molds in the Final 1975 Catalog. Wow.

As evidenced by the Spring 1975 catalog’s back cover (see yesterday’s Blog), Mego did not receive production samples for the Bend N’ Flex Super-Gals or Bend N’ Flex Super-Foes in time to include product photography. But Mego did receive samples of the Bend N’ Flex Planet of the Apes toys in time… so those are depicted.

Below are pages 1 and 2 of Mego’s Spring 1975 catalog (click images to embiggen):

Check back tomorrow for the next two pages from Mego’s Spring 1975 catalog!

Benjamin

Links: Plaid Stallions MegoMuseum.com 1975 Mego Catalog 1975 Mego Catalog - WGSH (Mego Museum) 1975 Mego Catalog - Evel Knievel (Mego Museum)

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Images published by Benjamin Holcomb, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and TwoMorrows Publications. All rights reserved. Images may not be reprinted or published without prior written consent from the publishers.

Here’s our Daily Mego Adoration for Tuesday, April 8, 2008:

Mego Spring 1975 Catalog (Part 2 of 5)!

All week, we are revealing pages from the scarce Spring 1975 Mego Catalog, which comes courtesy of the Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) estate’s private Mego archive.

Mego actually produced and distributed the Spring 1975 catalog during 1974, with the intention of offering an early preview of the products they would ultimately offer at the following Toy Fair (in February 1975).

Comparing this early catalog to the Final 1975 Catalog reveals that certain items were still in development at the time the Spring ‘75 catalog was printed!

For example, Mego planned to offer Bend N’ Flex Super-Gals and Bend N’ Flex Super-Foes in 1975, yet they did not have any production samples to show. Thus, they were forced to use box-art illustrations and a promise of “Super Coming Attractions” to represent those lines.

The front and back covers of Mego’s Spring 1975 catalog look like this (click images to embiggen):

If you review the Final 1975 catalog, you’ll see that Mego received production samples of the new Bend N’ Flex figures between production of the Spring 1975 and the Final 1975 Catalog.

Check back tomorrow for more pages from Mego’s Spring 1975 catalog.

Benjamin

Links: MegoMuseum.com 1975 Mego Catalog 1975 Mego Catalog - WGSH (Mego Museum)

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Images published by Benjamin Holcomb, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and TwoMorrows Publications. All rights reserved. Images may not be reprinted or published without prior written consent from the publishers.

Here’s our Daily Mego Adoration for Monday, April 7, 2008:

Mego Spring 1975 Catalog (Part 1 of 5)!

Who IS this peculiar-looking kid, and just WHAT is his connection to Mego?!

This week, we proudly reveal a thorough examination of the incredibly rare Spring 1975 Mego Catalog. I discovered this scarce, 8-page catalog inside the Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) estate’s private Mego archive, and it is as interesting as it is informative.

While researching World’s Greatest Toys!, I was truly blessed to gain access to ERB’s private Mego documentation, which sat in a file cabinet, untouched — until I came a’ knockin’ — for more than 30 years.

The Spring 1975 Mego catalog is one of many special artifacts I discovered during my exciting encounters with Danton Burroughs, grandson of the late Edgar Rice Burroughs, who created Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle.

In other words, be aware that there are many more, amazing and insightful Mego blogs coming in the near future.

Vintage 1970s toy goodness abounds!

World’s Greatest Super-Heroes! Planet of the Apes! Bend N’ Flex! Super-Gals! Super-Foes! Collector Banks! Plush toys!

Be sure to check back each day this week, as we will publish daily spreads of every single page from this long-lost Mego ephemera!

I want to send a special shout-out to Danton Burroughs, the sweetest and most generous man I have ever met. Danton, who suffers from a chronic and progressive disease, doesn’t even have a computer (let alone read blogs), so he will never see this. Still, I want to broadcast my respect and appreciation of him. Danton, you took the Mego book to a ‘whole nuva levoh’, and I am forever indebted to you.

I wish you nothing but the best, my friend, and may every day be “a good day.”

Benjamin

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Images published by Benjamin Holcomb, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and TwoMorrows Publications. All rights reserved. Images may not be reprinted or published without prior written consent from the publishers.

Here’s our Daily Mego Adoration for Friday, April 4, 2008:

1st Issue Kresge Super-Gals’ Card Backs!

The whole point of my so-called “Poster Fun!” series is to showcase analogous Mego photos that I could not fit into World’s Greatest Toys!

My unabashed adoration of “1st Issue” blister cards is no secret, so I’ll probably devote quite a few Blogs to that particular packaging style. Today, we enjoy the card-backs for each of the 1st Issue/1st Version (Kresge-branded) Super-Gals cards (documented on page 97 of World’s Greatest Toys!). Enjoy!

Gorgeous. Every last one of ‘em. And I dare say they look even more impressive when lined up together.

Benjamin

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Images published by Benjamin Holcomb and TwoMorrows Publications. All rights reserved. Images may not be reprinted or published without prior written consent from the publishers.

Here’s our Daily Mego Adoration for Thursday April 3, 2008:

Star Wars and Mego’s New Corporate Office!

Martin B. Abrams, president, Mego International, Inc. and Lewis Rudin, executive vice president, Rudin Mangement Corp. shake hands after the signing of a lease for new corporate headquarters for the toy manufacturer in the New York Merchandise Mart, a Rudin building. Mego has taken approximately 20,000 square feet on 11½ floors with an option to acquire an additional 8,000 feet, as well. Standing in the rear are Judson H. Spencer, executive director of NYMM and Harvey Richer of Harvery Richer, Inc., exclusive rental agent for the building.

In 1975, Mego was riding high. With exponential growth and success, Mego was forced to move to larger quarters. I love this April 1975 photo… just look at Marty’s pride! Yet, interestingly, I opted to use this photo in the 1977 chapter of World’s Greatest Toys!

The irony is the fact that I took one of Mego’s happiest, most successful moments, and juxtaposed it against one of Mego’s greatest failures:

Not acquiring the George Lucas/20th Century Fox “Star Wars” license.

From World’s Greatest Toys!:

An ad in the February 1977 issue of Toys mentions Mego’s showroom in the New York Merchandise Mart. Originally located at 1133 Broadway, Mego first relocated to 1 Madison Square Plaza. In 1975, Mego signed a 15-year, $2.3 million lease for approximately 20,000 square feet on 11½ floors in the New York Merchandise Mart, located at 41 Madison Avenue.

This new office was the setting for Mego’s legendary failure to acquire the Star Wars license. To protect the Micronauts line, all Mego executives enjoyed plenipotentiary authority to approve any science fiction license. Legend has it that both Marty Abrams and Neal Kublan were out of the state when the Lucasfilm representative showed up at Mego’s office.

Differing recollections obfuscate whether it was Mego patriarch D. David Abrams or merely a front desk receptionist who greeted Charles Lippincott, the Lucasfilm representative. In any case, Lippincott was turned away, only to take the elevator up one flight… to the office and showroom of Kenner toys.

During the “MegoCon” convention in June 2004, Marty Abrams discussed the profound misstep of losing the Star Wars license. “I believe that ‘to thine own self be true,’” Abrams confessed. “[The owner of] Kenner did a better job with Star Wars than we would have done. Because what he did was, he did not ship the product. He shipped empty boxes. We would have shipped the product. And so that means we would have been behind the movie curve, rather that at the movie curve.” Alluding to fact that Kenner did not ship the original toys until 1978, months after the movie was released, Abrams added, “He created demand for product, and so opportunity came out of the problem. He was so late, he couldn’t ship the product.” Considering the benefits of this timing, Abrams concluded, “There was nothing to fill the pipeline to hit the craving… so that combination worked. It was almost a magical explosion.”

Ever the Mego cheerleader, Kublan dissented. “See, I don’t agree. I think we would have done much better.” Collectors love to speculate how Mego would have handled the license.

Want to learn more? Buy Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! Just $32.97

Benjamin

I absolutely adore Aquaman. As a child, I had more Mego Aquaman figures than any other character; ruined every one of ‘em in the bathtub. Inexplicably, my mom kept on replacing them.

As a friend of the constantly-dissed Aquaman (or “F.O.A.M.” as Rob dubbed us few and proud), there is no better treat in the world than Rob Kelly’s incredible Aquaman Shrine, a “daily devotional” blog dedicated to the proverbial King of the Seven Seas.

I am entertained by every one of Rob’s blogs, and I plan to call out the articles I find especially exciting.

For example, check out this goodness: Rob just scored a major interview, publishing a fascinating interview with DC Comics’ President and Publisher, Paul Levitz. Way to go, Rob!

Benjamin

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Blog masthead © 2008 Rob Kelly. Mego Aquaman ©2004 Tom L. All rights reserved. Images may not be reprinted or published without prior written consent from the publishers.

Here’s our Daily Mego Adoration for Wednesday, April 2, 2008:

Poster Fun: 2nd Issue ©1975 Marvel Cards!

Here’s a new addition to my Poster Fun series. Today, we truly marvel (ahem!) at every Marvel character Mego issued on a 2nd Issue ©1975 card, in chronological order of release. Originally, I didn’t want to present this poster, because I cannot show the original, ©1975a card for each character.*

But Dan Crandall, whom we all can thank for most of the cards pictured below (thank you, Dan), suggested it would look cool anyway. So, this one’s for you, Cranny. You were definitely right. There are 13 such cards. Enjoy!

*All cards below are ©1975a cards, except Spider-Man, Hulk and the Fantastic Four, which are the ©1975b cards.

Want to learn more? Buy Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! Just $32.97

 In keeping with today’s Marvel theme, Brian Heiler has a great look at vintage Spider-Man goodness over at Plaid Stallions. It’s great stuff!

Benjamin

p.s. If anyone out there owns a ©1975a Spider-Man, Hulk, Thing, Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic or Invisible Girl, please send me pictures and I’ll update the poster!

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Images published by Benjamin Holcomb and TwoMorrows Publications. All rights reserved. Images may not be reprinted or published without prior written consent from the publishers.

Here’s our Daily Mego Adoration for Tuesday April 1, 2008:

New Mego Discovery: 2nd Issue ©1977a Superman Card!

I am not all that surprised to finally find this specimen, but it is still incredibly exciting!

Sometime around Summer 1977, Mego produced a mysterious packaging variation, presumably a “filler” piece, which appeared between the “©1976″ and “©1977b” cards. This transitional card variation boasts a totally unique ‘butterfly’ peg hole, and the back uses uncoated card stock. It is as mysterious as it is different.

Until today, it was believed that Mego issued only four characters on this card: Batman, Robin, Shazam and Green Arrow. We now know Mego issued Superman on this card, too.

With the odd assortment of figures previously known to exist on this card, it’s not surprising that Mego produced other characters (especially the popular Superman!) on this card. I discuss this particular packaging variation on page 224 of World’s Greatest Toys!, as presented below:

“1977a” 2nd Issue/2nd Version (DC) Card—Summer 1977 (c2-DC-77a)

This card was produced between the ©1976 and the ©1977b card, which includes more characters. The card has a 1977 copyright and new illustrations, but bears the same Country of Origin statement as the ©1976 card. The graphics on the back of the card remain identical to the ©1976 card. These elements suggest it preceded the more common ©1977b card.

This variation has several striking differences from every other 2nd Issue card. First, the card stock is glossy only on the front; the back of the card has an uncoated matte finish. This card also boasts a peculiar “butterfly” peg hole not seen on any other WGSH package. The die cut shape is different than the Teen Titans’ butterfly peg hole.

To date, only four characters are confirmed to exist on this variation: Batman, Robin, Shazam and Green Arrow. Presuming these are the only characters produced on this card, one guesses Mego issued these cards to fill an immediate need for those characters. For this to be true, it would mean that inventory of the ©1976 cards was depleted. This is not unreasonable, given the relatively low production quantities of both Shazam and Green Arrow. The existence of Batman and Robin is surprising, but could reflect the immense popularity and constant demand for them. Only time will tell if other characters appear on this extremely rare card.

Most of the new “1977″ artwork is redrawn from the work of legendary comic book artist Neal Adams. A testament to his popularity, this is among the most popular artwork used on Mego packaging.

One more thing: Happy April Fool’s Day! Yep. Just funnin’ ya… A ©1977a Superman has not been discovered. YET.
Want to learn some things that are actually true? Buy Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! Just $32.97

Benjamin

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Fake images published by Benjamin Holcomb and TwoMorrows Publications. All rights reserved. Fake images may not be reprinted or published without prior written consent from the publishers.