This week I'm spotlighting Mego-style action figures. Mego (the company) was around since 1954. In the 1970's they became famous for producing licensed action figures such Superman, Spider-Man and Star Trek. The company unfortunately filed for bankruptcy in 1983, but to this day Mego figures are still highly collectible, with some figures selling for thousands of dollars.
Mego-style figures are making a comeback of sorts due to companies like Bif Bang Pow!, Diamond Select Toys (DST), Figures Toy Company and EMCE Toys. There are also many custom, retro-style Mego type figures out there.
For example, Bif Bang Pow! has continued to release a series of Twilight Zone figures which were fully articulated with real fabric clothing. The figures come in both color and in black/white (just like the original TV series). They even released a couple of Exclusive SDCC Twilight Zone figures back in 2010. (Talky Tina, Willie the Dummy)
DST decided to take a different route and release a horror-based set of Universal Studio Classic Monsters. The set included vibrant colors and beautiful construction. In this homage to figures of decades ago, this is probably my favorite set released to date. The figures included were "The Creature from the Black Lagoon", "The Bride of Frankenstein", "Phantom of the Opera", "Metaluna Mutant" from the movie This Island Earth, "The Wolfman", "Frankenstein", "The Mummy", and "Dracula".
EMCE Toys released a War of the Dead, a make-your-own zombie customizing kit. This kit featured three Mego-style base bodies, five heads (varying states of decay), plus interchangeable arms, legs, hands and feet, as well as two sets of clothing and a DVD with painting and assembly instructions/techniques. Continuing with the War of the Dead line was the new line of super detailed figures. The line of four included, a “Cadaver Disposal Technician” with HAZMAT suit, gas mask and acid spraying machine, a female “Researcher Zombie” with decayed face and a vicious scalp wound, a “Construction Worker” with dirty, tattered clothing, construction boots, safety vest, toolbelt, and a “Commando” with detailed SWAT uniform and weapons.
The last entry from EMCE Toys is the Night of the Living Dead series “Barbra” with a sense of terror on her little plastic molded face, "Ben" our ill fated hero, "Graveyard Zombie" with a tattered suit and perfect blonde hair, and “Zombie Karen”.
This brings us to the custom figures, there's so many out there so I'm going focus on just a few which I feel meet this upcoming festive time of year. Here are some figures from distinctivedummies.
They have released quite a lot of figures including "Pennywise", the clown from Stephen King's IT, Blackula, Fright Night's "Jerry Dandrige", "Charley Brewster", "Dwight Renfield" from Stephen King's The Night Flier, Candyman, "Jack Torrance" from Stephen King's The Shining, and The Vampire from Stephen King's Salem's Lot. They've also done some Cult Horror icons such as Vincent Price and Christopher Lee, in many different iconic horror roles. Each figure has custom hand made clothing and figures are Individually hand painted. These were released in very limited numbers.
There's a dear place in my heart for Mego-style figures as they were my very first introduction into the wild world of action figures. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. Well I'm all Mego'd out guys.