Mego Action Figures Identification Tool with Pictures

Mego did not begin as a major producer of toys and action figures. When the company was founded in 1954 by D. David Abrams and Madeline Abrams, the company focused its efforts on producing toys for dime stores. While these toys were inexpensive, they kept the company going for well over a decade. This all changed when the Abrams’s son, Marty Adams, returned to the company after completing his business degree.

In 1971, Marty Abrams took over as President of Mego and set forth to set the company on the path to market domination. Feeling that pop culture was gaining popularity, he began making deals to acquire as many licenses as possible. This led to Mego obtaining the rights to create toys based on celebrities, comics, movies, and television shows. His ambitions also gained him the title, of the “father of action figures”.

As Mego capitalized on these licenses, they developed a standard action figure mold that they could rely on. Most of their toys were created in the 8” scale. While the heads were individually sculpted, most of the bodies were interchangeable. The indistinct design of the bodies made them versatile and easy to mass produce. Their action figure dolls also often featured removable clothing, allowing Mego to sell clothing accessories and costume sets.

Mego’s first ventures into action figures began in earnest with the Action Jackson toy line. They began producing the line in 1971, setting the standard for their future toy lines. The line featured three variants, two Caucasian men and one African American man. The company also tried its hand at creating accessories and vehicles for an action figure line. This line ran until 1974.

Their next major action figure toy line was the World’s Greatest Super Heroes. When the toy line launched in 1972, it only featured four superheroes: Batman, Robin, Aquaman, and Superman. However, the line quickly expanded to include multiple other superheroes. Mego even acquired the rights to include Marvel characters like Captain America, The Hulk, Spider-Man, and more. This line’s popularity kept it around until Mego’s demise in 1983.

Following the same vein as the World’s Greatest Super Heroes, Mego snatched up the license for the Wonder Woman television series starring Lynda Carter. Their toy line came out in 1977 with five characters from the show. There was Wonder Woman, Nubia, Queen Hippolyta, and Steve Trevor.

Mego also signed on to create toys based on the original live-action Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve. These toys came out in 1978. Contrary to Mego’s typical designs, they created 12” scale action figures for this line. This line featured multiple characters from the film including Superman, Jor-El, Lex Luthor, and General Zod. Notably, General Zod never appeared in the original film, but both parts of the film were shot at the same time. So, Mego likely was given production notes from both halves of Richard Donner’s planned Superman film.

Mego’s licenses also included multiple popular television shows and movies. For instance, they pioneered toys for movie licenses with the 1974 Planet of the Apes line. This line successfully ran until 1977, prompting Mego to continue picking up licenses for films. Some of their other notable movie-based toy lines were The Wizard of Oz in 1975 and James Bond Moonraker in 1979.

As for Mego’s ventures into television licenses, they began with the Star Trek: The Original Series toys in 1974. The success of this original line also led to Mego creating toys for Star Trek: The First Motion Picture in 1979. Some of their other notable television licenses were Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century, which ran from 1979 until 1981.  Mego also produced toys for The Flint Stones, Happy Days, Starsky & Hutch, The Greatest American Hero, ChiPs, Dukes of Hazzard, and many more.

Another tier of their licensed action figures was the toys based on contemporary celebrities. For instance, Mego created a memorable KISS toy line in 1978. Some of their other celebrity choices included Muhammed Ali, Sonny and Cher, and Suzanne Summers.

Before the robot craze fully hit America, Mego decided to import the Micronauts toy line from Takara. They launched the toy line in 1976. This line notably had 3 ¾” action figures, unlike the scale that Mego was famous for. To help sell these toys, Mego partnered with Marvel Comics. The comics based on these toys began production in 1979. They outlasted the toy line, which was canceled in 1980, and concluded in 1986.

The company had great success in other facets of its catalog, including fashion dolls. However, they hit a major hurdle after they attempted to compete in the emerging electronic games and toys market. One of their most profitable electronic toys was the 2-XL robot. However, this sector of their business languished and sent the company into debt.

Near the end of Mego’s run, the company decided to challenge Hasbro with their take on toy soldiers: the Eagle Force. These 2 ¾” action figures featured die-cast designs, helping them stand out. They entered the market in 1981 but failed to generate enough profits to save Mego. This was basically one of Mego’s final toy lines and was concluded in 1982.

Mego’s decline had many factors. One of the largest blows to the company was their decision to turn away George Lucas and not pick up the Star Wars license. However, the company faced many other issues. Some of these included news of rat infestations in their warehouses and lawsuits accusing the company of stealing trade secrets. Furthermore, Martin Abrams and many of his fellow executives were indicted and found guilty of federal wire fraud.

By 1982, the company no longer could support its team. Thus, Mego filed in 1982. Their doors officially closed as the company went defunct in 1983.

Despite its demise in the 1980s, the company would gain a chance to return from the ashes decades later. As Marty Abrams had kept the license to Micronauts, he profited from Hasbro’s incarnation. This allowed him to officially revive Mego in 2018. This new company has focused on the collector’s market, mainly creating Comic-Con and Target-exclusive toy lines.