Professional illustrator and Aquaman aficionado Rob Kelly has posted a nice review of the book, along with an interview he conducted a few weeks back.

Read the Blog.

Thanks, Rob!

Benjamin

Wait. Before we talk about the 3rd Wave, let’s take a minute to admire the 3rd Wave.

(Above: Mego Green Arrow MIB and MOC)

(Above: Mego Green Goblin MIB and MOC)

(Above: Mego Lizard MIB and MOC)

(Above: Mego Falcon MIB and MOC)

(Above: Mego Iron Man MIB and MOC)

(Above: Mego Hulk MIB and MOC)

OK, enough drooling over the goodies. Let’s talk Mego.

Among questions I’ve gotten about the book, one of the more prevalent issues has to do with the 3rd Wave of Mego World’s Greatest Super-Heroes, which included Green Arrow, Green Goblin, Lizard, Falcon, Iron Man and Hulk. What seems to surprise people most is the fact that this wave of gorgeous action figures did not sell well, compared to other figures and waves within the WGSH line.

I touch on this in World’s Greatest Toys (Amazon pays me for purchases made through my Blog, so I thank you in advance for purchasing my book through links on this site). Here’s a snippet from the book (page 146, for those reading along), followed by a scan of the cited spread:

The 3rd Wave is comprised of one DC character, Green Arrow, and five Marvel characters: Green Goblin, Lizard, Falcon, Iron Man and Hulk. Mego did not heavily promote the wave to the industry, and it had a clear impact on sales. Granted a promotional feature in the February 1975 Toy Fair issue of Playthings, Mego announced additions to Planet of the Apes, upcoming Star Trek figures, and other lines such as The Waltons and Wizard of Oz. The solitary mention of Heroes makes no reference to the 3rd Wave. “Mego continues to build its Super-Hero line of basic action figures by adding new Fist Fighting Action to Batman and Robin, and the Joker and Riddler, the all-time favorites in this category.”

It is important to understand that the entire 3rd Wave of Super-Heroes performed terribly in the marketplace. Even Hulk, the only successful character in the wave, did not gain popularity until the CBS TV show gained momentum three years after the figure debuted. The wave’s failure impacts collectors today. Aside from Hulk, the other five 3rd Wave characters comprise many of the scarcest packaging variations today. The supply and demand is directly proportional to the relatively few specimens sold during the 1970s.

Perhaps contributing to the diminished support of 3rd Wave of heroes, Mego was aggressively adding new products in an attempt to find the next ‘big thing.’ While the line was ultimately abandoned in the planning stages, Mego even developed a “Doc Savage” line coinciding with the doomed film project. Drawings, models and prototypes still exist in the collections of a select few. It is unknown if these characters would have been promoted as World’s Greatest Super-Heroes.

Eagle-eyed Mego-heads will notice that the pictures atop the Blog depict the 1st Version (Old Logo) box and the 1st Version (©1975a) 2nd Issue card for each character…

…except for Hulk! (shown instead is the ©1975b card)

I wish I could show the same iteration of each packaging style, but I am unable to do so. There are two reasons for this: 1) There is only one 2nd Issue card design for Green Goblin, Lizard, Falcon and Iron Man (proof these characters sold poorly, resulting in discontinuation) and; 2) I have not yet tracked down a specimen of the extremely rare ©1975a Hulk packaging variation!

“Wha…?!” you sputter. “But I thought Hulk was the most common Mego figure out there?!” you insist.

Well, yes and no. I discuss this in the book, too.

Here’s a snippet from World’s Greatest Toys (page 182, for those reading along), followed by a scan of the cited spread:

Hulk holds the distinction of being issued on every 2nd Issue U.S. Marvel card, along with a Canadian Parkdale Novelties card in 1978 that was created specifically for Hulk and Spider-Man. Likely due to the abundance of ©1978 and ©1979 Hulk cards, many collectors are unaware of the scarcity of the ©1975a and ©1975b cards. The ©1975a, in particular, is a rare find.

The 3rd Wave of Mego super-hereos brought us some amazing figures. Sadly, the wave underperformed, which helps explain the scarcity of several of these characters’ packaging variations.

Feel free to post your thoughts and comments on the Mego Museum message board (NB: links to a specific thread about this subject). If you’re not already a member of the Mego Museum, now is the perfect time to join!

I have more great blogs lined up for the near future. Until then, I’ll see you on the boards!

Benjamin

Blog Credits and legal stuff: Mego boxes courtesy of Benjamin Holcomb and Charlie Balicki. 2nd Issue Mego cards courtesy of Dan Crandall and Scott Adams. 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.

“Bizarro want make Mego marketing decision today!”

For years, vintage super-hero action figure enthusiasts have engaged in heated-but-healthy discussions surrounding Mego’s decisions regarding the characters included in their magnificent World’s Greatest Super-Heroes line… especially within the wave of World’s Greatest Super-Foes, which gave us Penguin, Joker, Riddler and Mr. Mxyzptlk in 1974.

One of the more controversial figures in the entire line is Mr. Mxyzptlk, particularly since the underutilized DC character ended up being the only 8″ Superman villain Mego ever produced.

Fans may not be crazy about Mr. Mxyzptlk (either the character or the Mego figure), but Mego clearly put a lot of effort into developing Mr. Mxyzptlk, ultimately sculpting two different heads (shown at left) for the character.

Note to collectors: Mego produced the “Smirking” head (far left) first and it is considerably scarcer than the revised version (near left).

I discuss the issue of Mr. Mxyzptlk, in relation to other Super-Foes, in the book, World’s Greatest Toys! (currently in-stock and available for purchase through Amazon.com; Amazon pays me for purchases made through my blog, so I thank you in advance for buying it here).

Here’s a snippet from the Mr. Mxyzptlk chapter of the book, followed by a scan of the spread (starting on page 136, for those reading along):

“Collectors question Mego’s decision to produce Mr. Mxyzptlk, a relatively minor character. Mego clearly sought to capitalize on kids’ interest in Superman; the original packages proclaim “Superman’s Arch Enemy” in large type. Still, the character seems an odd choice compared to better-known Superman villains, including Lex Luthor and Brainiac. When pressed for an explanation in a 1998 interview, Neal Kublan offered “The [1978 Richard Donner] film had Lex [Luthor], but the comics had a lot of [Mr.] Mxyzptlk. The comics had a lot of it. And we did Superman before the first film.” A salient point, as Mego’s choice of Superman villain debuted four years before the movie opened.“

On a side note, the snippet above bothers/intrigues me, because my original manuscript cited Bizarro instead of Brainiac. Yet somehow, through myriad edits, Bizarro was replaced with Brainiac. I have no idea how or when this happened. The revision is unfortunate because, even while working on the book, I was aware of the fact that Mego once submitted a fascinating trademark request: Bizarro

Following is Mego’s canceled USPTO submission, along with a clever “Superfriends” custom:

As referenced in my recent Mego copyright and trademark Blog, Webbed-Hand Aquaman: Search for Atlantis?, which details a fleeting interest in all-things aquatic, Mego apparently also discussed the idea of a World’s Greatest Super-Hero Bizarro figure, possibly on several occasions. At least once during the 1977/1978 production meetings documented in Brian Heiler’s amazing interview with Mego artist Vinny Baiera, Mego considered expanding the original wave of four Super-Foes… as evidenced by Baiera’s own 30-year old meeting notes (shown at right).

It’s interesting to note that Baiera jotted these concepts and ideas at least two years after Mego submitted the trademark request for bizarro!

What could this mean?

Bearing in mind that Mego often submitted trademark applications well after a toy was produced (sometimes years later), this could suggest that Bizarro — presuming the trademark referenced the DC Comics character (and what else could it be?!) — had also been considered for the original wave of World’s Greatest Super-Foes!

Surely this is a trick perpetrated by that vengeful, arrogant little bastard imp from the 5th Dimension! (By that I mean Mr. Mxyzptlk, not me. I was about 3 years old when this Queen-Mother-Of-All marketing travesties occurred).

As a collector today, what amuses me is that, had Mego known about the inferior materials they used toward the end of the line — resulting in the dreaded, grey “Zombie” head — they were but a sticker and revised blister card-back away from issuing a Bizarro Superman anyway (below)!

Feel free to post your thoughts and comments on the Mego Museum message board (NB: links to a specific thread about this subject). If you’re not already a member of the Mego Museum, now is the perfect time to join!

I have more great blogs lined up for the near future. Until then, I’ll see you on the boards!

Benjamin

We had a lot of fun discussing the mysterious “Webbed-Hand” Aquaman (if you’re interested in Mego’s Aquaman, I encourage you to read the related Mego Museum thread, which is filled with interesting thoughts and ideas, well beyond my original blog), so let’s talk about another web-handed character that Mego considered manufacturing.

You already know this thread is about The Creature, but allow me to set the stage first.

In World’s Greatest Toys, I discuss Mego’s introduction of the term “Official,” an attempt to differentiate Mego products from their competitors’ similar products. Here’s a snippet from the book (page 91, for those reading along):

“With the introduction of the Super-Gals, the toy line received a revised name. “World’s Greatest Super-Heroes” became “Official World’s Greatest Super-Heroes” (the Super-Gals were called “Official World’s Greatest Super-Gals.”) This amendment probably happened as a reaction to other companies’ relentless mimicry of Mego’s licensed properties. Tomland, Lincoln, AHI and Remco (which was acquired by AHI in 1974) were very effective at producing “knock-off” figures. The particularly blatant AHI even issued their “Official World Famous Super Monsters” on blister cards nearly identical to Mego’s 1st Issue card. AHI also issued ersatz Western Heroes and Apes figures, looking to win the proverbial race for second place.

There was little flattery in the shameless imitation by its competitors, and it caused endless grief to Mego executives. But Mego did have a good sense of humor about it. When Mego introduced the Micronauts’ principle “bad guy” character, Mego Director of Design John McNett named him “Baron Karza.” McNett recalled, “Karza is [Mego’s primary competitor Marvin] Azrak spelled backwards. I cooked it up as a joke but Neal and Marty loved it. They quickly trademarked Nivram, Smarba, Nalbuk, Ytram, Laen, and many other backward names to forestall any retaliation from Marvin Azrak.” Records confirm that Mego filed to trademark the name “Baron Karza” on July 21, 1977, then filed to protect the name “Ogem” (“Mego” backward), on September 1, 1977.

In promoting the Super-Foes, Mego placed comic book ads [shown above] exclaiming, “Look for this emblem for the real thing” next to the new masthead. Inexplicably, the 1st Issue cards for the Super-Foes, released around the same time, do not feature the word “Official.”

Mego did not hesitate to file lawsuits against those who infringed upon their licenses, and doing so apparently solved the problem.”

Between January 1974 and January 1976, Mego submitted paperwork with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in an effort to protect their line of “Mad Monsters” line of characters, including Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy and the Wolfman. Mego created these generic toys without a license from Universal Studios, widely recognized as the Intellectual Property owners of these famous characters. Following are Mego’s USPTO submissions:

As discussed in the book, Mego fought a constant battle with competitor Azrak-Hamway, Int’l (also known as AHI, which Mego-Heads pronounce AH-HEE). The struggle is best exemplified by AHI’s “Official World Famous Super Monsters” packaging design, a blatant rip-off of Mego’s 1st Issue blister card design.

I don’t know the exact chronology of Mego and AHI’s respective Monster lines, but given the AHI Monsters’ use of the term “Official,” I’m guessing the AHI Monsters were intentionally designed to mock Mego’s attempts to protect the words “World” and “Super” in the action figure trade. And yes, AHI president Marvin Azrak and Mego president Marty Abrams were mortal enemies on a professional level. They really did ‘duke it out’ in the toy industry…

… a lot.

Throughout the entire 1970s, in fact.

The order in which the Mego and AHI toys were distributed is potentially important, because AHI also created the (particularly rare) “Creature” figure [shown at right].

Why is it an issue? Because Mego submitted — then subsequently abandoned — a fascinating trademark request: The Creature

I created the ‘artist’s rendtion’ pictured above, by altering a Star Trek “Neptunian” figure (a character Mego invented, which bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain inhabitant of a certain Black Lagoon). I removed the wings, changed the tunic color and added a “Creature” head from a wholly different toy.

But you get the idea.

So, what’s the deal here?

Did Mego intend to create a fifth character for their Mad Monsters line? Did Mego scrap the idea because AHI beat them to market with the same character? Had Mego already done some development on this toy? If so, did Mego re-work the existing toy into a brand-new Star Trek alien?

Feel free to post your thoughts and comments on the Mego Museum message board (NB: links to a specific thread about this subject). If you’re not already a member of the Mego Museum, now is the perfect time to join!

Benjamin

One of the great Mego Mysteries is the origin of Mego’s fascinating and unique “Webbed-Hand” Aquaman figure.

Only one specimen is known to exist today, but the figure (perhaps the same specimen) features prominently in Mego’s own 1978 product catalog, not to mention a hand-drawn appearance in the Fall 1978 “Heroes World” catalog (shown at right).

In both catalogs, the bizarre hands are attached to an 8 inch Mego Aquaman figure, ostensibly sold in conjunction with a battery-operated toy shark, under the title “Aquaman vs. The Great White Shark” (alarmingly, no Webbed-Hand specimens have yet surfaced in “Aquaman vs. The Great White Shark” playsets, to corroborate Mego’s intentions). Mego’s “Aquaman vs. The Great White Shark” is a fascinating toy that continues to garner heated discussion and speculation among collectors.

According to Brian Heiler’s amazing interview with Mego artist Vinny Baiera, the concept of underwater-themed toys came up several times during 1977/1978 production meetings, as evidenced by Baiera’s own 30-year old meeting notes:

Note the highlighted areas, including references to TV’s “Man from Atlantis,” (DC’s) Aquaman and (Marvel’s) Prince Namor, The Sub-Mariner.

I discuss this subject in World’s Greatest Toys! several times, including the Aquaman chapter:

And here is yet another Mego factoid to confound the issue: A mysterious United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) submission from Mego: “Search for Atlantis”

With a Filing Date of November 4, 1976, Mego claimed a ‘First Use’ date of July 26, 1976 (falsely, since it was never produced), under the category of “Dolls, Doll Clothing, Playsets and Equipment Sold as a Unit for Playing a Game.”

Even more interesting is the trademark citation, “Registered November 29, 1977,” which places the mysterious toy well within the chronological boundaries established by Mego’s 1978 distribution of their “Aquaman vs. The Great White Shark” playset.

Does this USPTO submission have anything to do with Mego’s mysterious “Webbed-Hand” Aquaman figure? Does it explain Mego’s creation of a strange, battery-operated Shark? Or does it simply corroborate the fact that Mego was interested in underwater themes at the time? Feel free to post your thoughts and comments on the Mego Museum message board (NB: links to a specific thread about this subject). If you’re not already a member of the Mego Museum, now is the perfect time to join!

I have several similar blogs lined up for the near future. Until then, I’ll see you on the boards!

Benjamin

As discussed in yesterday’s blog, my buddy Rob Chatlin and I sold vintage toys at the L.A. Comic Book and SciFi Con this past Sunday. During the show, an adorable young woman approached our tables and thumbed through my book, Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! She was very sweet and we chatted for a little while.

About 20 minutes later, she returned to our table and asked whether I was aware of TV’s “Deal or No Deal” or “1 vs. 100.” I confessed being a fan of both shows, and she introduced herself as a casting agent for the production company responsible for the shows. Kindly offering that she ‘liked my personality,’ she asked whether I would be interested in auditioning to appear on either show.

“The top prize is a million bucks, right?” I asked.

She nodded.

“On both shows, if I’m not mistaken” I stated, with inquisitive intonation.

“Yep, that’s right,” she confirmed.

“Uhhh, yeah. I’m in.”

I was told to call her this morning to set up the audition, which I did. Around 11am, I got the official Email inviting me to audition for both shows, at the production company’s offices inside Culver Studios in Culver City, CA. I had to be there promptly at 5pm, which is no small feat, given that I had to work today, my starting location of Burbank, and typical L.A. traffic (heavy even on this holiday Monday).

I arrived and filled out the requisite paperwork (an application and preliminary contract). Looking around the waiting room, I realized it was a “cattle call” audition. I asked around and discovered that most people were there to audition for a future game show revolving around Movie Trivia… NOT “D.O.N.D. or “1 vs. 100.” I also learned that many people had responded to an advert on CraigsList.org. I thought this was a good sign, since I was actually invited to audition.

Eventually, the entire lot of us was called into a conference room, where we were instructed to ‘go around the room’ and introduce ourselves, talk about our interests, vocation, etc. Because the audition included the as-yet unnamed Movie Trivia game show, we were also asked to state our Top Three favorite films.

I was appalled that every potential contestant — one after another — cited “Star Wars” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy as two of their three favorites! I like “Star Wars” as much as the next guy (though I loathe “Lord of the Rings”), but how about a little originality, people?! The room was essentially a herd of nerd lemmings.

When it came around to me, I introduced myself as an Art Director who recently published a book about the ‘World’s Greatest Toy line’ from the 1970s. “Which,” I mockingly announced to the room, “is NOT Star Wars.”

Oooooh. BIG groan from the room. I probably shouldn’t have taken a dig at my fellow contestant wannabes, but, oh man. I enjoyed it immensely.

Anyway, copping to the fact that I wasn’t a film buff there to compete on a Movie Trivia show, I cited “Bladerunner,” “Raising Arizona” and “Somewhere in Time” as my top three. I could just as easily have said “Alien” or “Aliens,” not to mention “Contact” or “American Beauty.” But my choices were irrelevant. I’m no film nerd, and I’d probably get my butt handed to me on a Movie Trivia show.

Once everyone had spoken, the two casting agents excused themselves from the room to discuss… well, I have no idea what they discussed. Who the cutest guy was, for all I know. They returned about five minutes later, expressing how much they enjoyed everyone in the room. And that was that. We submitted our applications and we were on our way, right off the lot. But not before giving my casting agent friend a copy of the book! If I’ve learned anything while promoting this book, it’s the fact that every office seems to have an employee who knows and loves Mego. Hopefully, my book will make the rounds in the game show production offices.

Who knows if I’ll ever get a call-back? I probably won’t, but it sure was a fun experience. I figure, as long as I live in Southern California, I should take advantage of such opportunities.

“When in Rome,” and all that.

I’ll post more here if anything ever comes of it.

It was show-time today, as Rob Chatlin and I had three dealer tables at the Los Angeles Comic Book & Sci Fi Convention at the Shrine Auditorium.

Above: Me (left), Rob Chatlin (middle) and our Mego buddy Jay (right)

As with last month, we had a broad range of Mego figures — MOC, MIB and Loose — on display and available for purchase. We also had vintage Kenner, Mattel, Popy, Medicom and more. It was a vintage toy lover’s dream, and we sold a lot of great toys. I also had copies of the Mego book on hand, and signed seven books!

I was also approached by a casting director, who discussed testing me for TV’s “Deal or No Deal” and “1 vs. 100.” I would dig being on either show! I will audition for them tomorrow, and I’ll report more here if anything comes of it.

Rob and I will have three tables at the next show (not until May, unfortunately). Here’s the info, for future reference:

Shrine Auditorium
Expo Center
700 West 32nd St.
Los Angeles, CA

The official Web site for the con is here:

Los Angeles Comic Book & Sci Fi Convention

Guests included stars from TV’s “Jericho,” actress Katy Sagal and Teen Titans Year 1 Writer Amy Wolfram.

Thanks to everyone who came out and said hello. I hope to see you in May!

UPDATE: MORE PICS!

Jay sent me more pics from the show:

Above: Rob sells a copy of World’s Greatest Toys! (left) and a young Mego-head-to-be (right) peruses the book

Above: Benjamin signs a copy of World’s Greatest Toys!

Above: Rob (far right) and Benjamin hard at work selling awesome vintage toys

Above: Benjamin (left) buying a little something for himself (the Blue Mego Batcycle with both Batman and Robin… for just $70!) and one of our repeat customers (right, a high-end comic book dealer), buying a Michael Jackson “Beat It” doll MIB for his brother’s birthday

Above: A sampling of Benjamin’s side of the table… a bunch of Mego goodness

It’s show-time again!

Rob Chatlin (editor of Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys!) and I will have a dealer table at this Sunday’s (02/17/08) Los Angeles Comic Book & Sci Fi Convention at the Shrine Auditorium.

As with last month, we will have a broad range of Mego figures — MOC, MIB and Loose — on display and available for purchase. We’ll also have vintage Kenner, Mattel, Popy, Medicom and more. It will be a vintage toy lover’s dream. I will also have copies of the Mego book on hand and can sign books for anyone interested in acquiring an inscribed edition.

If anyone out there in Blogland is in Southern California, we’d love it if you stopped by the show. We actually have THREE tables this time, and we’d love to see you there. Here’s the info:

Shrine Auditorium Expo Center
700 West 32nd St.
Los Angeles, CA

The official Web site for the con is here:

Los Angeles Comic Book & Sci Fi Convention

Guests include stars from TV’s Jericho, Katy Sagal and Teen Titans Year 1 Writer Amy Wolfram.

Hope to see you there!

Benjamin

Since the book was published, I’ve gotten some amazing Emails and feedback about the book. In keeping with the spirit of this Blog, I want to document the entire process. Accordingly, I will post questions and answers here. If you have a question about Mego or the book, please Email me: benjamin(at)worldsgreatesttoys.com

On January 31, reader John asked the following:

Question: Wasn’t there a package or catalog that showed a super-heroes that were planned but never made? I’m thinking it was Green Lantern. Wasn’t this mentioned in a Museum thread last year?

Answer: No. Green Lantern is depicted on the Hall of Justice, and I discuss that in the book. There is very little documentation of planned or unproduced figures; it is mostly speculation and wishful thinking on the part of collectors.

Question: Why not a section on rejected heroes or heroes that got only as far as planning stages? Was this not included because no art or prototypes exist to support the text on it?

Answer: I do mention Doc Savage, but as mentioned above, there is little documentation of other figures not created.

Question: Everyone seems to lament the lack of Flash and Green Lantern. It’s nearly the first thing they ask when they join the museum. Why not address that topic in the book?

Answer: As previously mentioned, I discuss Green Lantern, but not Flash. What’s the point? You could have asked why I didn’t discuss Doc Oc or Doctor Doom or countless other characters Mego never produced. But to what end? The book is a careful documentation of what Mego DID, as opposed to what they did NOT do.

Question: There was a sculpt of Joanna Cameron’s face for the ISIS figure. It probably does not survive but I would have loved to see an example of it.

Answer: Yes, and the Cameron sculpt is in the hands of a well-known collector, who was not willing to share it for the book. I have seen pictures, but was not allowed to include it in the book.

Question: I was under the impression examples existed of the Greatest American Hero figures, Ralph, Bill and Pam. They did appear in some advertisement tho the heads have not surfaced to my knowledge. Why not include that in the last section? Could not the GAH figures in 8 inch have been seen by Mego as a return to Super-Hero figures in the 1980’s?

Answer: Not really. Since the packaging prototypes are known and documented, we know that GAH was NOT to be branded as “WGSH.” I did include Isis and Teen Titans, despite their lack of WGSH branding, but again: I chose to focus on what Mego DID produce, rather than dwell on that which they did not produce.

I look forward to more questions and comments. As you read the book, make a note and send ‘em in!

Benjamin

I have a Google Alerts notification setting, which alerts me any time someone in the blogosphere uses the phrase, “World’s Greatest Toys.”

Tonight, I got a lovely message alerting me to a review of Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! posted on the ever-hip Mania.com.

What pleases me is that the book received an “A+” grade. What surprises me is that the reviewer, Tim Janson, clearly read the book cover-to-cover before offering his review. The book is dense, even for hard-core collectors, so I am really impressed.

You can read the Mania.com review here.

Here’s what Tim Janson and Mania.com had to say about the book:

Mania Rating

Grade: A+

Book Review: Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys!
By: Tim Janson, Columnist
Date: Tuesday, December 18, 2007

With only a week until Christmas I was literally like a kid in a toy store as I perused this book. TwoMorrows Publishing has long been one of my favorite publishers. Their books and magazines on comics are the best in the business. Yet here is a toy book…granted its about comic book heroes but I was surprised to see this offering coming from TM as opposed to someone else. Before Star Wars changed action figures like we know them today, the figures of the 60’s and 70’s were pretty similar in their design. They had joints, which moved on pins or with elastic of some kind, and they had costumes, which were made of cloth and removable. One of the few real challengers to Hasbro’s stranglehold on “boy toys” came from Mego. The company was founded in 1954 and while they put out a variety of toys it was their figural toys for which they are best remembered.

Mego produced all sorts of figures from movie characters such as Planet of the Apes, to TV personalities like Sonny & Cher and Charlie’s Angels. In an ironic bit of fate, Mego turned down the chance to license toys for Star Wars in 1976, which eventually went to Kenner. The rest is history as Kenner and now Hasbro have made a zillion dollars off the franchise while Mego went out of business in 1983. While Mego made figures in all sorts of sizes, this book focuses solely on the 8” super-hero line, a line which is filled with seemingly endless variations to the figures as well as the packaging. While cornering just this one line from Mego, TwoMorrows has delivered the most detailed and visually dynamic look yet at the World’s Greatest Super-Hero line. The book is packed with hundreds of color photos, which not only show the figures and packaging, but also zoom in to show intricate details such as the variations in stitching in the costumes, and changes in molding on boots and different paint schemes. It’s remarkable, really, the amount of detail that Holcomb has uncovered. This isn’t just a book filled with pictures but a true guide for hardcore Mego collectors. To prove this further, this isn’t a price guide, although the book does note some values on rare figures. This book concentrates on information. It features interviews with former Mego employees and vendors. Would you like to know how Mego figures were shipped from the factory, to the distribution centers and then on to the stores? Well it’s all here.

The meat of “Mego 8” Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys” lies in its exhaustive coverage of the figures themselves…each year, each wave of figures, and each figure and it’s myriad variations. As show in the first Batman section, the figure’s cape was made with a variety of materials from nylon to vinyl, all with unique textures and color differences. One of the most helpful tools for collectors is a U.S. packaging checklist. For example, from 1972 until 1979, the Batman figure appeared in 18 different packaging styles from cards to boxes, often with only minor changes to the graphics or placement of the blister pack or box window. It’s almost like looking at one of those picture puzzles where you have to spot the differences in two nearly identical pictures.

Mego started out strictly on the DC Comics side of things with Superman, Batman & Robin, Aquaman. Batgirl, Catwoman but expanded to Marvel characters very soon with Captain America and Spider-Man. Mego was always very cost-conscious and re-used molds over and over and freely substituted a Shazam head to be used for a Peter Parker Montgomery Ward’s exclusive figure. This cannibalizing of the line is what allowed Mego to sell these figures so cheap…usually for around $3 or $4 bucks, and sometimes even less when a Kresge store tossed them into a discount bin for as little as .99 cents. Boy, wouldn’t you love to be able to go back in time and scoop some of these up for a buck! Eventually Marvel figures began to dominate by the mid to late 1970’s with figures added for Iron Man, Thor, Conan, the Falcon, Green Goblin, The Lizard, The Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. I have a Conan and its truly one of the ugliest action figures ever made. Poor Conan is grimacing like he’s constipated but I still love him.

This is a wonderful book for collectors. It pictures a multitude of variations and accessories that will help build your own collection. There are also dozens of pictures of companion pieces such as vehicles, playsets, and examples of carton styles. It’s a true treasure trove for the Mego fanatic.

How cool is that?!

Don’t have the book yet? Order to Collectors Edition today!

Benjamin