Flash Gordon has been one of the greatest heroes of the Science Fiction genre since his comic strip debut in 1934. Dreamed up by the King Features Syndicate, Flash Gordon directly competed with Buck Rodgers for the readers’ hearts. They hired Alex Raymond as the illustrator and Don Moore as the writer for the first series of comic strips. These comic strips lasted for decades, with multiple artists and writers working on them. The daily strips remained active until 1992, while the Sunday strips lasted until 2003.
The Origins of Flash Gordon
These comic strips introduced readers to Flash Gordon, the Yale University graduate who made a name for himself as a polo player. After the Earth was threatened by the Planet Mongo, Flash Gordon and his friend, Dale Arden, began a new life of adventure as they attempted to prevent a collision with Earth. Their mission also brought them in direct opposition with the evil ruler of the planet, Ming the Merciless. As the comics evolved, Flash Gordon began to explore even more planets as a heroic astronaut.
The success of the comic strip series began an entire franchise. Beginning in 1936, Flash Gordon appeared in three serial films, which were also converted into feature-length films. As these films introduced new audiences to the character, Marx Toys created one of the first toys for the franchise. Around 1939, Marx introduced the Sparkling Rocket Fighter Ship, a wind-up toy shaped like Flash Gordon’s iconic ship. The success of this toy prompted Marx to rerelease it several times throughout the decades, up until the 1950s. There have also been modern remakes of this iconic Flash Gordon toy.
As television became popular, Flash Gordon’s adventure transitioned onto the small screen. His first live-action television series, starring Steve Holland, began airing in 1954. The series lasted for one season, ending in 1955 with 39 episodes. The series presented a Flash Gordon from the year 3203 who acted as an agent of the Galactic Bureau of Investigation.
Mego Flash Gordon action figures
Years after Flash Gordon’s first live-action series concluded, Mego presented their take on the character in their 1976 toy line. Unlike most of their vintage toy lines, Mego decided to experiment and introduce a new scale for their action figures. These action figures stood 10” tall, rather than Mego’s usual 8” tall scale. At the time, Flash Gordon would be the first out of many toy lines at the new scale. However, the industry would see a major shake-up in the following years.
Mego created four action figures for their Flash Gordon toy line. There were 10” scale action figures of Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, Dr. Zarkov, and Ming the Merciless. By 1977, they introduced a playset to complement these action figures. This playset also acted as a carrying case, so it was mostly a decorated cardboard box encased in protective plastic. The box then split into two scenes. On one side was a room for Flash Gordon and his allies. Meanwhile, a smaller room was beside it with Ming the Merciless’s lair.
A new era of Flash Gordon television series
Flash Gordon once again returned to television in 1979, this time in animated form. Filmation created this new incarnation, which fans refer to as the new adventures of Flash Gordon. As the series aired on NBC, Mattel introduced a toy line to the stores.
Mattel Flash Gordon toy line
Mattel’s version of Flash Gordon action figures appeared on toy shelves from 1979 until 1981. To compete with other lines, such as Kenner’s Star Wars, this toy line was around the 4” scale. The first series featured two versions of action figures like Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless, Prince Thun, and Lizard Man. Mattel then created Dr. Hans Zarkov and Beast Man action figures for the second series. The Third series introduced two more characters: King Vultan and Captain Arak.
Beyond the action figures, Mattel produced two vehicles for the toy line. First was the Rocket Ship, Flash Gordon’s famous space shuttle. Unfortunately, this was a 2’ ½” long inflatable ship, meaning few survived until today. Mattel also created a vehicle of Ming’s Space Shuttle. The shuttle could carry up to two of the Flash Gordon action figures and featured a space cannon.
The 1980s film and media
Flash Gordon finally returned to the silver screen in 1980 with a film directed by Mike Hodges. Sam J. Jones portrayed the famous space hero, while Melody Anderson played the part of Dale Arden. They battled against Max von Sydow’s Emperor Ming the Merciless. While this film had some success during its original era, its true success came years later as a cult classic.
The film’s release and the boom in science fiction media led to multiple new takes on Flash Gordon. In 1982, Filmation returned with Star Trek writer Samuel A. Peeples with a movie made for television, Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All. Then, Flash Gordon prominently appeared in the cartoon series that united most of King Feature’s heroes, Defenders of the Earth. Along with this cartoon series was a memorable toy line from Galoob. The toy line appeared in stores in 1985 before the cartoon aired in 1986.
The 1990s and 2000s series
Flash Gordon returned in animated form after nearly a decade with no new movies or shows in 1996. Hearst Entertainment developed the 1990s cartoon series. Accompanying this carton series was a toy line from Playmates. Playmates presented colorful action figures of Dale Arden, Prince Talon, Flash Gordon, Kobalt the Merchant, Princess Thundar, Ming the Merciless, and General Lynch. Notably, Playmates produced two variants of the Flash Gordon action figure. The toy line also featured a Triphibian vehicle and Ming’s Jaws of Death Throne playset.
Despite the comic strip concluding in the early 2000s, Flash Gordon remained a viable product. Thus, he gained another live-action television series produced by Reunion Pictures in 2007. This series aired on the Sci-Fi channel from 2007 until 2008, ending its run with 21 episodes.
The modern toy lines and media
Meanwhile, Flash Gordon has reemerged in the toy aisle thanks to multiple manufacturers. First, Bif Bang Pow! Created a Flash Gordon toy for the 1980 major motion picture in 2015. Most of these 3 ¾” action figures were released exclusively to Entertainment Earth. The company created action figures of Flash Gordon, Princess Aura, Prince Barin, Ming the Merciless, and Vultan.
Then, NECA has created several variants of Flash Gordon toys in the last few years. For instance, they produced Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless toys in 2021 as SDCC exclusives. These toys paid tribute to the vintage toy line from Mattel. Flash Gordon has also prominently appeared in NECA’s King Features toy line. The company has also created a special 2-pack of Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless, which features their appearance in the 1980 live-action film.
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