If you consider yourself a serious toy aficionado and you’ve never heard of a little company named “Mego”, then consider yourself garbage. But fear not, here to redeem you is Brain Heiler of the Mego Museum. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with the comprehensive website’s editor in chief, Brain, about the toy line and the website he helps run along with the site’s founder, Robyn Adams.
Jim: For starters, what is it about Mego that has drawn you in enough to dedicate 20 years to the Mego Museum? Especially since they folded up shop over ten years prior to you getting involved! Are they really that special?
Brain: The truth to it all is they were special to me growing up. From the age of two to about ten years old they were really my favourite toy company, I wanted to work there when I grew up. or take over for Stan Lee, whichever came first. I had other toys and loved them but Mego Superheroes, Star Trek and Planet of the Apes just had me. I strongly believe no toy line, era or toy company is truly "better" than another. It's just whatever hits that sweet spot of your childhood, I look at a Mego Spider-Man, it reminds of me of happiness, that is all.
Jim: Ah yes, the nostalgia zone. There's a lot to be said for it. You mentioned a few of the bigger Mego lines, but they had a number of licences. Were there any figures you didn't have back in the day but effectually scooped up later on?
Brain: Oh yeah, for me the biggest allure was the foreign toys and lines that I didn't know about as a kid. In fact, the reason I collect Mego in the first place was finding a figure from Space:1999 that was only sold in the UK. I collect many lines I saw as kid but never had like the Knights and the Monsters but I draw the line at the Waltons personally.
Jim: It’s as if Mego making toys based on the Waltons paved the way for Funko to make toys based on Duck Dynasty. And who am I kidding, it’s probably just a matter of time before they’ve scooped up the Waltons license too. Switching gears a bit, what kinds of resources does the Mego Museum offer for die-hard fans? And for those just trying to find an entry point?
Brain: We offer a ton of resources, from a gallery that establishes as many variants and information on all of the lines. To a section that helps identify all the reproduction items that have been produced in the last 25 years.
Our biggest strength is our community however, I've known some of these people for more than 20 years and they're still eager to answer a newbies question or point out a forgery, it's definitely something I'm proud of. We also hold an annual event "Mego Meet" which happens this June in Skokie, Illinois. It's a great way to surround yourself in people who "get it" and also, you can buy some pretty neat stuff!
Jim: Speaking of buying some pretty neat stuff, your site also shows off some impressive new Mego-style figures. What are your thoughts on these newcomers?
Brain: For me, I don't really get excited about straight reproductions but understand why some do. I prefer it when they create characters we didn't have as kids or better yet take on licenses I wish they made when I was a lad. My heart will always be in vintage but I've bought a lot of the new stuff as well.
Jim: I appreciate that I can buy a new reproduction of Superman for my son so he doesn't have to play with something older than I am. But I've got my fingers crossed for an Alan Scott Green Lantern too [which has never been made in Mego style before]. With the impact that the toy line has had on you , what would you say is your best Mego related memory?
Brain: I think around 1978, when "Challenge of the Superfriends" was on TV, all the kids in my neighbourhood would watch the show together and bring our Mego heroes. I remember building a big cardboard Legion of Doom and mocking up the missing heroes using Action Jackson and the American West figures. I used a lot of marker and tape but my imagination was at full power so it didn't matter. I would pay handsomely for a photo of that Legion of Doom now.
Jim: That's a great one. I remember 20 years ago, I went to my first large comic/toy convention and found a Mego Superman in good condition for $20. I was ecstatic, because it triggered a memory of the same figure I had as a child, but had completely forgotten about in a time where I wouldn't have even thought to look on the internet for a Mego Museum.
Brain: Most people don't remember "Mego" per se, they remember those "superhero dolls" so it's often the case.
Jim: That Superman is still one of my favorite toys. I'm sure your collection is considerably larger, but what is your favorite piece?
Brain: Always my talking Super Softie Spider-Man, I got him for my fifth birthday and I still have him. He still talks!
Big thanks to Brain Heiler for a great interview! I urge everyone to go check out the site at http://www.megomuseum.com/ and immerse yourself in toy history, and check out some of the modern day reproductions as well. Mego may be gone, but the legacy lives on. I’m Jim Ford reminding you to get with the prog. Prog is short for program.
