We sit down with Paul and Marty from Mego Corp. to discuss the Marvel Mego figures Spider-Man 4 pack and when we can expect the next wave! Topics Discussed: Stan Weston, Mego Corp, Mego Disney 4 pack, Marty Abrams, Mike Germakian, X-Men, Electro, Lizard, Steve Ditko, World’s Greatest Superheroes, Mego 2024, Mego Collecting, Superheroes, Green […]

The long-awaited return of Marvel Mego Action Figures is finally here! Soon, we can order the first assortment at Disneystore.com and, starting Friday, at the Avengers Reserve shops at Disney Parks. The World’s Greatest Superheroes Spider-Man four pack consists of Spider-Man, The Green Goblin, The Lizard, and a new addition, Electro!   Update: The sets go on […]

On this very special episode of Vintage Mego, we visit legendary Canadian toy company Parkdale Novelty, AKA “Mego Canada, ” the first of Mego’s international distributors. We talk to Rob and Donna, the third-generation owners, who share stories and generously let me dig through their toy archives. #mego #megomuseum New to the channel? Subscribe! ►https://bit.ly/3D3zxJK […]

  I have a couple of these Knock-Off German fashion dolls with overstock clothes from other toys, my favourite being the Denys Fisher Tom Baker Doctor Who. This one had me at Space:1999 as she is rocking the Mattel Doctor Victor Bergman top but following up with plaid pants. Space:1999 would have run longer if […]

  I recently found this awesome vintage Toy Store shot from Stern’s Department stores featuring a Mego Star Trek bridge display from 1976. If you look below, you can see stacks upon stacks of Mego World’s Greatest Superhero figures, I spy the boxes for Superman and the Incredible Hulk, but I can’t make out the […]

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week- AHI Joker, the Visitors, Superman, X-Ploratrons and Frankenstein VS the Gargantuas! Warning links are sponsored and may also contain shrimp. Uh-oh. Rob Roy Superman Shirt (affiliate link) — This is a pretty incredible design for the middle 1970s, I would have loved this as a kid.     […]

Photo from Gimbel’s Toy Department in 1976, the caption reads that Mego Batman and Batcycle retailing respectively @ $3.49 and $7, but being promoted as a joint sale of $8.99. #mego #megomuseum #plaidstallions #toyventures #megosuperheroes #gimbels     The Lincoln Monsters are here!   Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying to bring […]

Toy-Ventures: Son of Monster Bash 2024 We had a blast at last week’s Monster Bash, thanks to everyone who came by and said hello! We’re going to recap the fun times and incredible sights and the cool grail I bought at one of my favourite conventions, Monster Bash 2024!     Toy-Ventures is our magazine; […]

Groovy Ghouls! Knock-Offs! Jigglers! Midnight Monsters! It’s the Toy-Ventures Halloween special with a slew of Monster toys, some new, Some Knock-Offs some vintage, all crazy! Get Lincoln Monsters Here: AbsolutelyRetro.com PlaidStallions.com WhiteElephantToyz.com Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying to bring back print toy magazines; if you would like to support us, please […]

Mego Announces Atlas Comics Line Plus Marvel Update! Mego Corporation is teaming up with Atlas Comics and Wal-Mart just in time for New York Comic Con! The Mego Museum interviewed Marty, Paul, and Bruce from Mego as they dropped their latest news, the Atlas Comics toy range. This Toy line is based on the characters […]

Toy-Ventures: Invasion of the Space Knock-Offs   Space Apes! Star Warriors! Galaxy Maidens! Toy-Ventures returns with a long-overdue look at recent knock-off action figure pickups based on Mego Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Moon McDare, and numerous space vixens. #Mego #startrek #knockoffs   Click Here for past installments of 5 Awesome Things on eBay […]

Major update on the Lincoln Monsters action figures! Our first wave is almost here, and this video showcases the final figures, reveals some bonus items and surprises, new merch and appearances and, of course, a little tease of what’s to come! Special thanks to Chris Franklin and Lisa Johnson for all their hard work. Contents: […]

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week, Frightenstein, Charlie’s Angels, Filmation Superboy, GI Joe’s greatest foe and Fred Dryer is HUNTER! (These links are sponsored and I get a small bag of coins thrown at me by a sneering nobleman on horseback.) Custom Igor from Hilarious House of Frightenstein (affiliate Link) I had to put […]

    Limited Edition enamel collector pin for Mego Meet 2024. This pin is limited to 100 units, and 100% of sales go directly to the bandwidth fees and overheard of the Mego Museum and PlaidStallions sites. Since 1996, the Mego Museum website has been keeping the torch lit for Mego Corporation’s toys. Ten years […]

Free Lincoln Monsters Halloween Decoration at Mego Meet! The Lincoln Monsters team will be on-site at Mego Meet 2024, inside this year’s Zolocon event! We’ll give away a free Frankenstein Halloween decoration and Lincoln Monsters stickers while supplies last. Come see the factory finished figures and talk monsters with us. Mego Meet is this August […]

The mystery of the Kung Fu Man has been solved! You probably have never heard of him, but “Action Jose: The Kung Fu Man” has been the subject of conjecture on action figure forums for decades. The discourse is due to the availability of outfits (comically labelled “Dresses”) for this happy Kung Fu Man but […]

Toy-Ventures: Rare Vintage Toys at SDCC! Toy-Ventures returns from #sdcc2024 with an after-hours look at some incredibly rare and expensive vintage toys available at the summer’s biggest fan event.   Mego Meet 2024 is August 17-18 in conjunction with Zolo-Con! https://www.facebook.com/events/236781772848368 Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying to bring back print toy […]

First Look: Mego Demon Etrigan from the Worlds Greatest Superheroes “Gone! Gone! – the form of man – Rise the demon Etrigan!”  This unlikely hero was created in 1972 as two characters – demonologist Jason Blood forced to share a body with the hell-born Etrigan. Merlin’s servant since the days of Camelot, Etrigan is a […]

  Pod Stallions 120 : Collector Culture So, you say you’re a collector, eh? Well, that’s a loaded descriptive these days, could mean just about anything! From bottle caps to vinyl records, toy soldiers and model kits, seems these days just about everyone collects something. But what does the modern collecting/fandom world look like? Luckily […]

Mego Lex Luthor in wave 19 Worlds Greatest Superheroes Although he has no superpowers to speak of, Luthor has come closer to defeating Superman more times than any of his other adversaries. With his brilliant mind, Luthor’s schemes nearly always come close, until his massive ego gets in his way. No matter the situation, it’s […]

The Batmobile! The Spider-Car with Web Trap and Captain America’s pick up? Come explore the amazing lot of Superhero vehicles that eBay almost lost. Mego, Mattel, Simms and some of the rarest 80s Marvel merchandise ever!   https://youtu.be/WH8xMQLhWM8   #toyventures #plaidstallions #mego #secretwars Plaidstallions, toyventures, mego, mego museum, pocket superheroes, pocket heroes, mattel secret wars, […]

Lincoln Monsters Exclusive Reveal! Here’s a first look at the factory sample of the Power of Frankenstein figure. We sent our designs to the factory, and they knocked us out with their attention to detail! We’re also pleased to announce that each Lincoln Monster will have ” Spectra—X Glow in the Dark” claws and a […]

I was jazzed to find this wonderful trade advert for the Ben Cooper Superhero Jigglers (their word was Wiggly but . Ben Cooper made these floppy figures for the better part of a decade and then they were bootlegged for another 10-15 years!   It was a good way to keep Ben Cooper products on […]

‘Toy-Ventures goes on tour as we head to Western New York and visit the Great American Garage Sale and That 80s Toy Shop! We encounter Bug Men, Hawkmen, Elves, Earthquake Towers, Jaws and Bigfoot! #toyventures #plaidstallions Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying to bring back print toy magazines; if you would like […]

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week- Hagar the Horrible, Kojak, deep discount Micronauts, Inflatable Apes and the worst/best Marvel toys ever.  ( legalese: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated) Excel Toys Kojak set with villain (eBay Affiliate Link) — Longtime PlaidStallions readers will know that I am borderline obsessed […]

Mego Museum Mint Off Card unwraps the latest Star Trek characters from Mego Wave 18. How do the Andorian and the Talosian stack up against their vintage Mego counterparts? You tell us!     Get Issue 12 of Toy-Ventures shipping this week! Click Here for past installments of 5 Awesome Things on eBay this week […]

  Vintage Mego is exciting and new. Climb aboard the Mego Love Boat Playset; we’re expecting you! Hear about the adventures I’ve had while bringing this episode to you. This special episode comes from a smoke-free home!     Get Issue 12 of Toy-Ventures shipping this week! Click Here for past installments of 5 Awesome […]

It’s Plaid Stallions’ birthday, and now I can ship it off to college or the army I guess. Starting this site on a lazy Saturday while my baby daughter napped was more important than I’d ever realized. I had no idea that when I started posting old catalogue photos online. Starting Plaid Stallions would open […]

The latest issue of (218) Rue Morgue magazine (on stands now!) features a gorgeous piece by James Burrell about the return of the Lincoln Monsters. We even made the cover! Truly grateful for this wonderful opportunity!     ABOUT LINCOLN MONSTERS A vintage toy brand is rising from the grave! “Lincoln Monsters” is a new […]

  Mego Museum’s Mint Off Card unboxes a couple of the Mego World’s Greatest Superheroes figures from Wave 18, and we’re having a special contest for a free Wave 18 figure. Special Thanks to AbsolutelyRetro.com for the prize donation. mego #megomuseum #unboxing     Order Early and get an Infl8able Monster at no extra charge […]

Mattel Slime with Worms commercial (eBay Link) — I never had slime as a kid, well, not “official Mattel brand” Slime; I did manage some through a grocery store vending machine (so good!) For some reason, I vividly remember this commercial and really wanting the stuff. In hindsight, this sort of thing is almost impossible […]

  Issue 12 Toy-Ventures magazine delves deep into a toy that, sadly, never was. Prank ‘N Stein was a 90s toy concept by Canada’s Irwin Toys that would have rivalled Kenner’s Hugo Man of a Thousand Faces in our monster kid hearts. Read about Prank ‘N Stein and much more in issue 12 of Toy-Ventures […]

  Spider-Man and Captain America Richochet Racers (eBay Link) — I’ve never owned these toys but have always been obsessed with them since I saw them at my friend Richard’s House. None of it makes sense and none of it has to, I always loved the comic book ad for this, it also makes zero […]

The wait is finally over, the Lincoln Monsters Pre-Orders are open today at absolutelyretro.com Plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop Whiteelephanttoyz.com The wait is finally over, Lincoln Monsters Pre-Orders are open today at Get your hand on our first two release “The Evil of Count Dracula” and “The Power of Frankenstein” each 8″ figure comes on a Type-S body with […]

Next Friday, join us for the first-ever Lincoln Monsters dead stream, featuring Brain from PlaidStallions, Jason from White Elephant Toyz and Frank from Absolutely Retro. Pre-order information, Q&A, reveals, and prizes. It’s all going to happen on the Brick Mantooth YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYta3nz_7FAzPvP8FPSgpg ABOUT LINCOLN MONSTERS A vintage toy brand is rising from the grave! […]

Toy-Ventures returns with a dream find of vintage toys as we recently were asked to look at a childhood toy collection that nobody wanted. What we found was a treasure trove of Kenner Star Wars, Fisher Price Adventure People, Mego Buck Rogers and so much more!   Watch Toy-Ventures on YouTube here

The team is well pleased to unveil the box for “The Evil of Count Dracula,” coming soon from Lincoln Monsters. Side A features the poster art created by Chris Franklin, and side B is a tribute to Lincoln International. We’ll have more surprises in the coming days, including final figure reveals and pre-orders. Thank you […]

Original Mattel Pulsar commercial Reel (eBay Link)\ Normally I’d buy this piece of history and transfer it but it’s been a pricey week and I’ve already bought three reels. The seller also has the Kenner Maskatron commercial reel as well. Mego Elastic Superman (eBay link)– I think these things are both dumb and awesome. I […]

  The team is well pleased to unveil the box for “The Evil of Count Dracula,” coming soon from Lincoln Monsters. Side A features the poster art created by Chris Franklin, and side B is a tribute to Lincoln International. We’ll have more surprises in the coming days, including final figure reveals and pre-orders. Thank […]

The wait is nearly over as we plan to reveal our premier Lincoln Monsters releases, “The Evil of Count Dracula” and “The Power of Frankenstein.” For more about our live stream and pre-orders, please subscribe to this channel or our social media accounts. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lincolnmonsterstoys/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lincolnmonster We’re going to bring back the 8″ Retro […]

After a lifetime of wanting one, I finally tracked down a Parker Brothers ROM Space Knight Toy. How could a character that sold millions of comic books flop? We’ll get into that in the latest episode. #ROM #toyventures #plaidstallions Interview with Lawrence McCoy for reference. https://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/comics/rom/actionfig/mccoy.shtml Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying […]

  Toy-Ventures returns with a look at the Super Hero Utility belts produced by Remco and me reuniting with my childhood bat belt. A toy I loved and enjoyed for a whole afternoon before it broke but I’d do it again!   #batman #remco #mego   Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying […]

I was so excited to stumble upon this ad for Korvettes from 1978 featuring a Mego Superhero and Micronaut Mall Appearance. Mego famously did promotional tours with the Marvel Superheroes, Planet of the Apes characters, Action Jackson and even the cast of Star Trek. However, they also created this amazing costume of the Giant Acroyear […]

Jack Lord’s Hawaii 5-0 Outfit (eBay Link) – I struggle with words here, I mean, it’s….complete with ascot! What more do you need? Buy this and expect nothing but good things to happen to you. I bet it smells like cologne and cigarettes…   Thriller Graveyard Gang (eBay Link) – I adore this 1980s KO […]

Toy-Ventures: Bigfoot Sighting at Vintage Toy Show! Nothing starts a year better than a Vintage Toy Hunt! Toy-Ventures returns with a recap of Ontario Collector Con, including Action Force, Star Wars, McDonald’s, GoDaikin and Kenner Six Million Dollar Man. As usual, I did something irresponsible. Come and toy hunt with me and the boy!   […]

 Lincoln Monsters Flash Back! From the 1976 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalogue comes the most iconic image the toy line would inspire: an all-out battle with the Mego World’s Greatest Superheroes. Now in 2024, the Lincoln Monsters will soon be looking to spar with the 50th Anniversary releases from Mego. Who wins? We all do. Follow […]

Episode 3 of Toy Talk Show is here, and this time around, we’re chatting with the artist and toy designer Tim Baron. We talk about influential toy packaging, Tim’s work with Super 7 and Tony Hawk, Star Wars and the joys of skateboarding after 40. It’s a great conversation! Find Tim Baron at www.TimBaron.com   […]

Telly Favourites Play Figures. “Suspects are pantsless, I repeat pantsless” Another weird way to sell unsold Mego factory seconds, both these figures are on the wrong bodies and each just has a tunic. I love the header card with the lowest-resolution picture of Adam West they could find. Did they take a Polaroid of an […]

We’re not ones to dwell on the passage of time (and let’s face it, no one wants that shock to the system) but it IS hard to believe that it’s now been 60 years since two schoolteachers went to that junkyard for the trip of a lifetime, and Doctor Who began. Luckily, according to the […]

5 Must-Have Toys from this 1981 Christmas Catalog | Toy-Ventures   Toy-Ventures digs deep into the 1981 Hudson’s Bay Toy Flyer, and as an extra challenge, we pick five things we’d ask for. Everything from Smurfs to Star Wars to Strawberry Shortcake, this show is seriously a timewarp. #toyventures #starwars #80stoys Toy-Ventures is our magazine; […]

Weird Italian AHI Parachuting Superman (eBay Link) — I’m the proud owner of one of these AHI Superman figures from Italy on the “Bong” card. Now, you can join my exclusive club and get this example. We can totally get matching jackets!     Sweathogs Grease Machine (eBay Link) —  I was six when “Sweathog […]

Toy-Ventures: Major Mego Score at Toy & Nostalgia Show! Toy-Ventures visits the Toronto Toy and Nostalgia Show and scores big time with Canadian Mego Black Hole and Buck Rogers action figures! If that wasn’t enough, we also hit an antique mall! https://youtu.be/v9YDCIV7GpI #toyventures #mego #buckrogers Lincoln Monsters Return from the Crypt in our latest Collaboration […]

Following up on our recent video, where we looked at the 1982 Canadian Tire Toy Parade Flyer.  I thought it would be fun to share some of the images from the flyer and the old favourites inside.     Remco Mini Monsters were sold in Canada by Irwin Toys   It wouldn’t be 1982 without […]

Toy-Ventures looks at last week’s Canadian Toy-Con, including what I picked up and some amazing stuff I wish I had purchased. #toyventures #godzilla #planetoftheapes     Join our weekly newsletter. The Super Collector Newsletter combines all the news from Mego Museum and Plaid Stallions and a lot of other fun stuff across the Interwebs. It’s […]

  Toy-Ventures: 1982 Toy Parade! It’s time for another blast from the past vintage toy catalogue. The year is 1982, and the toy offerings of Canadian Tire stores. Monsters, Annie, Atari, Space Lego and Smurfs!     Join our weekly newsletter. The Super Collector Newsletter combines all the news from Mego Museum and Plaid Stallions […]

Lincoln Monsters brings back the Retro Monster action figure Toronto, Ontario, October 31, 2023- A vintage toy brand is rising from the grave! “Lincoln Monsters”  is a new collaboration from White Elephant Toyz, Absolutely Retro and Plaid Stallions, who have joined forces to make dimestore retro monsters. The name is inspired by the legendary knock-off […]

Tonight at 9:30: Vintage Mego is back with a mind-blowing update; for decades, Mego collectors have wondered, “Who is this guy?” and, well, we finally know his name. #brickmantooth #megomuseum #mego If you want to read about this, check out Toy-Ventures Issue 11 with features an article about this discovery: https://plaidstallions.com/reboot/product/plaid-stallions-toy-ventures-magazine-issue-11-tonka-steel-monsters/ #mego #megomuseum #actionfigures Mego […]

Toy-Ventures returns with a look at the 1975 Star Trek Captain Kirk Mix-N-Mold set. I will use all my middling skills to make this vintage hobby item; come see how I do! The one thing I am good at is making a mess. #startrek #toyventures #captainkirk #modelkits Toy-Ventures Issue 11 is almost here. Check out […]

Toy-Ventures counts down the top 10 coolest (and silliest) bits of Star Trek merchandise this week. Join us as we talk about Mego, Remco, Worcestor toy, AHI, AMT and much more. #startrek #mego #toyventures Topics include: top ten, star trek TOS, Star Trek, Mego Star Trek, mego figures, Remco, Utility belts, rack toys, parachuting, Mr […]

Toy-Ventures covers last week’s Mego Meet which was a show within show at Power-Con! We talk about the latest news from Mego Corp, take a look at the show floor and then I share my haul, which was pretty incredible.   Check out the PlaidStallions store for Toy-Ventures magazine, Tura Satana and much more: www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop Join […]

Toy-Ventures: Epic Toy Trek Part 2     Ayyyyyyyy, we wrap up our Toy Trek with an impossible mission, two flea markets, three antique malls, 250 miles in one day. Check out what we saw and what we got! I promise it’s neat! Places Visited: Joi De Vintage facebook.com/JoieVintage Pinery Market pinerymarket.com Aberfoyle Antique Market […]

Toy-Ventures: The Great Toy Trek Part 1     Toy-Ventures hits the road, and this time, I’m not alone. My wife joins me on a 500-mile journey as we hit flea markets, Antique Malls, thrift shops and comic shops across Ontario. Places Visited: One of a Kind Antique Mall https://www.oneofakindantiquemall.com/ Dark Matter Toys https://www.facebook.com/DarkMatterToys/ Heroes […]

 Episode 2 of Toy Talk Show is finally here, and this time around, we’re chatting with the legendary Raymond Castile, host of “Basement of Horror.” We chat about collector origin stories, holy grails, coming to grips with not “collecting them all”, preserving rubber masks and, of course, monster toys. Join us, if you dare! […]

Toy-Ventures take a trip to the spinner rack to highlight the memorable and truly forgettable comic books based on toy lines. We won’t tell you number one but rest assured; it ain’t Man Tech. #mego #micronauts #gijoe   Check out the PlaidStallions store for Toy-Ventures magazine, Tura Satan and much more: www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop Join the fun […]

My friend Jason at White Elephant Toyz, my Tura Satana action figure partner, unleashed his most ambitious product launch ever. I wanted to show a friend and fellow small business person some support. Plus he makes super neat stuff! Over 80 different items are now available, and here are just a few of his offerings. […]

  Mego Museum Mint Off Card returns, and we’ve got an actual Mego Figure this time! This week we look at the newest action figure of rock legend Alice Cooper. Something I’ve wanted since I was 8; how does he stack up? Decide for yourself.   What other rock stars do you want from Mego? […]

The point is of no return, and you’ve reached it! Hello folks, the day has come; pre-orders are now open for the officially licensed Tura Satana action figure! White Elephant Toyz and Odeon present the first officially licensed action figure of Tura Satana. This limited edition action figure is 8″ tall and features a detailed […]

Issue 10 starts with a stunning piece of art by Peter Carsillo, who told me he’d do a Pulsar cover ages ago should the need arise. So when I reached out, we began to explore concepts. When the idea of a movie poster came up, I mentioned “Infra-Man” probably because I was staring at it […]

#super7 #mego #blackhole Mint Off Card looks at the highly anticipated figures from Super 7 based on the Walt Disney film “The Black Hole.” Do Maximillian, old B.O.B and Vincent stack up against the Mego originals? Bonus is a suggestion for wave 2. Visit our shop: www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop Get the Super 7 Black Hole figures at […]

The Palitoy collecting community has a very unique opportunity to come together and help rescue more than 100 lost Palitoy television advertisements. Currently there is an Action Man enthusiast who is in possession of 3 rolls of original 35mm film prints that contain 103 Palitoy TV adverts from the 1970s and these advertisements feature many […]

Toy-Ventures this week is all about the groundbreaking TV mini-series V, and it’s many sequels. We talk about the merchandise, weep for the cancelled action figure and rejoice in the bootleg toys that have come in from around the world. Also, I talk about my 40-year crush on a Lizard lady, I Know I can […]

Ever wonder what was selling in 1978? Probably not, but here is Gary (seen below holding a Micronauts Astro Station and Shogun Warriors Dragun), a manager at Bradberry in Decatur IL, explaining the hot-selling toys for 1978. Gary Bradberry Manager Lionel Play World Decatur, Illinois Our best-selling items this year are the Star Wars characters, […]

Mego Comic Action Heroes Board Game When I was putting together issue 10 of Toy-Ventures magazine’s Mego Comic Action Heroes guide, I almost forgot to add this fantastic oddity from the United Kingdom. What’s worse is I’ve owned a copy for over 25 years, finding it in a London (Ontario) thrift shop and it was […]

Photoshop fun with Mego Planet of the Apes! Working on issue 10 of Toy-Ventures Magazine, and for no good reason, I thought it might be fun to try and recreate the artwork of the beautiful accessories boxes. I am something of an impulsive creature. My first attempt is the Planet of the Apes Jail, a […]

The Shadow Toys- Toy-Ventures Toy-Ventures celebrates its 150th-ish episode talking about 70s merchandise based on the Shadow, a radio legend. We explore the origins of the Shadow character, and talk about the odd merchandising blitz of the late 70s. Later on, then visit a local toy show! I show the stuff that will haunt me […]

https://youtu.be/_uTMAW8hQhU Toy-Ventures is about a fantastic Planet of the Apes toy time capsule I received. It’s about trust and finding a kindred soul you’ve never met. This episode is a really positive experience. This episode delves into Rack Toys, Planet of the Apes, Mego Knock-Off figures, Trading Cards or Non-Sports cards, AHI, Croner toys, Scanlens, […]

Regarding the cover design for Toy-Ventures Magazine, I am surprisingly pretty hands-off. I explain my concept to the artist, and often, in that discussion, they make it better. I retire to the interior knowing I’m in good hands, and honestly, it’s always worked out great. However, for issue 9 and crafting the Mego Comic Action […]

Vintage Mego has an episode with more questions than answers. This week we look at recent discoveries from Japan, including a Dinah-Mite wanna-be and is that GI Joe? Visit our shop at: www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop Megomuseum.com #mego #gijoe #ultraman   Do you miss toy collector magazines? That’s why we created Toy-Ventures magazine, an old-school print publication dedicated […]

Presenting the Lincoln International Monsters Collectible Pins by Toy-Ventures Collectibles. The Lincoln International Monsters are one of my favourite childhood memories, and I always want to find ways to work with them. I designed each pin based on the original packaging art I’m utterly infatuated with. The idea came because I wanted to make a […]

I recently stumbled across this fantastic issue of Japanese Starlog, which was a lot like the US version, except its graphic design was way more exciting. This particular issue has a feature on all the imported Superhero toys from the US you can buy. So the best way to describe it is like a Heroes […]

Toy-Ventures: Awesome Vintage Toy Hunt Toy-Ventures returns with a super fan recap of an Awesome Vintage Toy Hunt at an Antique Mall and then a toy show. I see some incredible things and go home with a surprisingly cool vintage toy. Get Toy-Ventures Magazine here: plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop #toyventures #godzilla #mego #mightycrusaders #remco #antiquemallfinds #toyshow #80stoys   […]

  Were you one of the lucky kids who, at Christmas, got the deluxe Kojak playset from, oh, let’s just assume, your grandparents? That was way better than a Mego Batman, right? I mean, now you can take the Penguin downtown and process him. Get him a lawyer and see if he’ll talk about that […]

Super Happy to announce that Issue 9 of Toy-Ventures Magazine is on the press and will be shipping this month. Issue 9 is jam-packed with vintage toy goodness. Walloping Websnappers: Vincent Cerbone shares this strange 8” Tong Inc. Spider- Man discovery from France. Mego Planet of the Apes Part 6 Our ongoing coverage of the […]

Toy-Ventures: New Year Unboxing plus I got a grail! Happy New Year, let’s open the packages I’ve received, including Mego oddities, Japanese Planet of the Apes, Paul Williams, trippy 1970s Knock-Offs and one of my biggest grails ever!  Topics discussed: Mego Logan’s Run, Knock-Off Superheroes, Gerry Anderson’s UFO, Planet of the Apes toys, Mego Superheroes […]

Toy-Ventures this week is all about Christmas past with this look at a 1979 Childworld Flyer. Child World was a legendary Toy Store chain, and this flyer is packed with iconic toys like Micronauts, Kenner Star Wars, Suckerman, Mego Superheroes, Tonka Trucks and Big Wheels! What would you choose from this list? Let me know […]

We here at Pod Stallions H.Q. haven’t fully given up on the notion of Santa, or some similarly benevolent but less popular entity, taking requests for the Big Day. So in ultra-modern fashion, we’re broadcasting our Wish Lists rather than risking the letters getting lost in the holiday shuffle. Who knows, maybe someone’s listening and […]

Well, folks, today is the day. It would have been sooner, but I hesitated to order bodies because I didn’t want it to end. Then I realized that was silly and put this together. I am selling my last Brick Mantooth action figures, and once this sale is over, he will be retired, at least […]

 Toy Talk Show Episode 1- Toyshop on Tour Welcome to the Toy Talk Show, a new feature on the channel where we talk toys with others. Our first guests are the amazing Joe and Gav from Leicester Vintage Toy Shop and hosts of Toy Shop on Tour now in its second season on YouTube. […]

Toy-Ventures: Epic Toy Hunt 1 day, 3 antique malls, 300 miles and ten thousand steps. Come join us on our biggest toy hunt yet, the Epic Toy Hunt. We see more vintage toy eye candy that should be legal, pick up some charming stuff and play a little “antique mall bingo.” All on the extra […]

70s Sticker Collection Whacky Packs! Ugly Monsters! Steve Austin, the Fonz and JJ Evans are some of the cool vintage stickers I picked up in this amazing collection. There is even some bootleg Mego weirdess from Star Trek and Planet of the Apes.      It’s a time capsule from the middle 1970s; please join […]

    This week, we’re heading back to Space:1999 and talking about Mattel’s Moonbase Alpha Playset. This neat set uses parts from another classic space toy line. Check out the original commercial here: https://youtu.be/CBEAa5O42Yg #space1999 #mego #mattel Other Mattel Space:1999 videos we’ve done: Mattel Space:1999 Eagle 1 Spaceship   Mattel Space:1999 Zython Action Figure ISSUE […]

Issue 8 of Toy-Ventures is the first in the new direction for the magazine, with more content, new voices and the same quality you’ve come to expect from our print toy magazine. Darran Hight, AKA Doc Multiverse, created our striking cover. Toy-Ventures Issue 8 has the most articles we’ve ever included, and we’re adding two of […]

This past week I picked up a wishbook from a regional chain of stores called “Monroe,” mainly because of its cover and the most 1970s people ever (see below).   I mean, the only thing missing from this is macrame and a fresh pot of Chicory brewing. However, the more curious thing is the selection […]

Toy-Ventures takes a trip to Canadian Toy-Con 2022, where we find a pile of fabulous vintage toys; we share what we saw and then show you the goodies we brought home. #toyshow #mego #actionfigures New to the channel? Subscribe! ►https://bit.ly/3D3zxJK Our book Knock-Offs is available here: New Home Pod Stallions Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/podst… Follow PlaidStallions […]

Hello All, I’m happy to share a sneak preview of Toy-Ventures magazine issue 8. Due in October, this issue will showcase the new direction for the magazine but will also retain the flavour you’ve come to expect from TV. Toy-Ventures Issue 8 will contain the most vintage toy articles we’ve ever attempted, covering genres from […]

Toy-Ventures goes to PowerCon 2022 On this week’s episode of Toy-Ventures, we head down to Columbus, Ohio, to attend PowerCon 2022, a Toy convention that celebrates the toy industry. Come check out the fantastic vintage goodies I saw at this incredible event and what I picked up. #mego #powercon #motu Do you miss toy magazines? […]

1976 Child World Flyer- Space:1999, Mego and more This week, Toy-Ventures looks at a flyer from the legendary toy store chain Child World. 1976 was a great year, and this is packed with toys from Space:1999, Mego, Six Million Dollar man, McDonaldland and Vincent Price shrinking heads! New to the channel? Subscribe! ►https://bit.ly/3D3zxJK Toy-Ventures Magazine […]

Toy-Ventures Road Trip One- Action Toyman New to the channel? Subscribe! ►https://bit.ly/3D3zxJK In Part One of our Road Trip series, we visit ActionToyman, an epic toy store in Erie, PA. Do I manage to find anything with three floors of wall-to-wall vintage toys? Find out in the latest Toy-Ventures! Special thanks to Action Toyman, visit […]

This is just a quick episode to announce the 16th-anniversary contest, plus talk about an amazing gift to the channel! Check out the action figure Adventure Kick Starter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/afa/action-figure-adventure-season-two?ref=section-film-projectcollection-6-category   Do you miss toy magazines? That’s why we created Toy-Ventures magazine, an old-school print publication dedicated to vintage toys from the 1960s to the 1990s. […]

Toy-Ventures this week talks about Big Bad John, the rarest Lincoln International figure out there and a relatively new discovery. A generic bad guy figure for your Mego Starsky and Hutch figures. One of the best things online toy communities can do is work together and discover new things. The story of Big Bad John […]

Toy-Ventures Toy Show Recap https://youtu.be/7C-NZGwTj50 Toy-Ventures is on the road this week with a visit to Ontario Collectors Con with a recap of this busy toy show. Also, a tale of real regret and what I picked up. So what are some of your toy show regrets? Let me know in the comments or the […]

Pod Stallions 99: More Planet of the Apes Never say we don’t finish things, here is the second part to an episode we started in 2015 (we were just kids them) where J and B discuss the many Planet of the Apes sequels, the tv series, the cartoon, the Tim Burton movie and the Matt […]

Hey folks, I’m happy to say that Issue 6 is finally on the press, finding paper in 2022 isn’t fun but we got there!  It’s a really great issue and one I’m proud of so let me walk you through it. First off, the striking cover is by my friend Dave Waugh, he was my […]

Toy-Ventures this week is entering the 36 chambers of Knock-Offs as we use our five fingers of death to reveal some incredible martial arts-themed bootleg toys. Meet the Karate Masters, the mysterious Spy Girl and the unbelievable Black Belt Brawlers in this week’s episode. We have a new book out called “Knock-Offs: Totally Unauthorized Action […]

New to the channel? Subscribe! ►https://bit.ly/3D3zxJK We’re living in such strange times that it truly feels like yesterday that we were going over our ‘Best Of 2020’ list, commenting on how quickly we got there. Well, we blinked a few times and 2021 is done and gone, so here we are again with our picks […]

Knock-Off Unboxing Hey, it’s Christmas Eve, so let’s open a mystery box of Knock-Offs brought to me by Santa (at least I think that was the DHL guy’s name), and I can show you the most extraordinary KO figure that I have ever purchased. Meet Frank, Dolly girl and The Terror from Beyond Space! Merry […]

Welcome to the Toy-Ventures Christmas special! In this episode, I dig up my Christmas Wish List from 1979 and tell you which toys I got and the ones that got away. Mego Superheroes, Micronauts, Kenner Star Wars and apparently, I had a thing for cats?   We’ve got a new book coming! Knock-Offs Totally Unauthorized […]

  One of the pages that I drooled over in the 1980 Consumer’s Distributing catalogue would be this spread of Mego (Well here in Canada, Grand Toys), Star Trek the Motion Picture and Buck Rogers toys. I was that kid who loved the Motion Picture merchandise mainly because of the Marvel comic. Buck Rogers was […]

LJN toys had a long tradition of picking up cool cop shows like SWAT and The Rookies and that tradition carried on in the 1983 LJN catalog where they hoped to continue for toymaker Mego (who shut it’s doors that year) left off by continuing the CHiPs line. However, it’s not likely any LJN branded […]

  Toy-Ventures walks the plank this week with a look at the Pirate and Cowboy figures from the Matchbox Fighting Furies. One of the more underrated toylines of the 1970s, these Mego scaled figures had a longer life than most US kids know. We also talk about Mego, Big Jim, Karl May, Marvin Glass and […]

    New to the channel? Subscribe! ►https://bit.ly/3D3zxJK On this week’s Toy-Ventures, I take you along on another toy hunt, this time to one of Toronto’s finest shops, Tree-House Collectibles. Nestled in the East end, Treehouse is jam-packed with goodies from vintage and modern toys, comic books, vinyl records, and video games. Some of the […]

New to the channel? Subscribe! ►https://bit.ly/3D3zxJK Aw yeah, as summer winds to a close we do another toy hunt at local antique malls and flea markets searching for treasure. It’s a real overload of nostaligic items from the 1960s to the 1990s and of course, we manage to find some really awesome items. Check Out […]

I’m so thrilled to be able to announce that Plaid Stallions Toy-Ventures Magazine issue 5 is now available for Pre-Order (shipping this September). Our Cover artist for this issue is the amazing Robyn Adams. Let’s dig into what’s in between the covers, shall we?   I’m Not Like Other Guys– New contributor Tyler Ham joins […]

5 Awesome Things on eBay this Week EBAY LINK:Grizzly Adams Halloween Costume If anything is a testament to the fact that we had three networks (though growing up in Canada we had our own programs that didn’t warrant merchandise) is the fact that we got Grizzly Adams merchandise. To be fair, the show about a […]

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week. Join me on an eclectic adventure of window shopping.   EBAY LINK A glass painting of Drunk E.T.– The mind boggles as to why this was made, I need to know why this was made, it’s keeping me up. The description gives no back story but thank heaven, […]

This week we look at the fun and interesting toy lines put out to catch some sales heat from the popular Mego Superheroes line of toys from Kooky Aliens to Biblical Heroes to some just plain blatant copyright infringement, it’s a fun ride. Get Toy-Ventures Magazine here: PlaidStallions Toy-Ventures Issue One (September 2020) Tell us […]

Recently, while rooting around for a catalogue, I found this notebook, friends have seen it before but I really wanted to share it at this moment in my life because of the effect it had on me today. This was a Mego toy book that I was attempting to write when I was 17, using […]

    It’s the 15th anniversary of PlaidStallions.com, and we decided to do a special Toy-Ventures with our first special guest Jason Lenzi, we take a look at some weird figures like Lady Dragon and Superhero Punch-Up. Then it turns into a PodCast about Knock-Offs and we can talk about the site’s 15th Anniversary. Get […]

Planet of the Apes was a new hot ticket item for 70s wunderkind Mego who also produced the World’s Greatest Superheroes around the same time. Big Jim was Mattel’s answer to G.I. Joe and Dinah-Mite was Mego’s stab at Barbie, who was the original. Child Guidance was one of the bigger players in Sesame Street merchandise, […]

    Toy-Ventures Magazine recently was featured on Global News in Canada (where Toy-Ventures is based) and the story went national. You can check it out here. We’re very grateful to Frazer Snowden and the Global News team for this vital exposure as a small start-up it was deeply appreciated.       PlaidStallions Toy-Ventures […]

I recently acquired the 1979 Consumer’s Distributing catalog, a Canadian chain, Consumers was one of those stores where you filled out a slip of paper (I tended to use fake names), it went down one of those cool tubes and then 20 minutes later your purchase rolled up a conveyer belt (or a substitution item, […]

As far as 70s toystores go, none are as far remembered and beloved as Childworld, a chain which had at one point 180 stores across the united states. This 1975 flier preserves what they had to offer during that time including the greats like Mego Star Trek and Planet of the Apes. This is the […]

Toy-Ventures this week is all about Buck Rogers but not the toys made by Mego, we’re going to talk about the slightly more obscure and rare action figures made in the UK and Australia Join our FB group PodStallions https://www.facebook.com/groups/podstallions Order Toy-Ventures issue 1 here: http://www.megomuseum.com/odeon/store/products/   Limited Edition Gift Sets Available Now! Rather than […]

  In the “amazing surprises in my mailbox” category comes this awesome find from Scott, who recently found this “Sword of Izzur” from the fabled PAC Toys “Lords of Light” toyline,  which was a reimagining of the “Micronauts” toys after Mego went bankrupt. We’ve done a Toy-Ventures episode on this range:   The thing about […]

Thanks to the amazing AcroRay (link to his channel below) we have this wonderful supercut of marketing from Toy Fair 1984. PAC toys attempted to create the Lords of Light toy line from Mego Micronauts Molds and glow sticks, an ambitious and fun toy concept that sadly didn’t make it to market. This rare piece […]

Rather than a focused subject, this week we just look at what a summer of flea markets, toy shows, and networking can get you as I talk about the stuff I picked up over the summer.  Hosted and edited by Brian Heiler (@plaidstallions)   PlaidStallions Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/Plaidstallionsdotcom/   Plaidstallions facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2226244254053126/  Twitter: @plaidstallions   Subscribe to […]

This week is all about one of my favourite childhood friends, the amazing Mike Power : Atomic Man from the GI Joe Adventure Team. We talk about his origins, foreign incarnations, accessories and his sales.  Special thanks to Chris at www.1964gijoe.com Hosted and edited by Brian Heiler (@plaidstallions) PlaidStallions Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Plaidstallionsdotcom/ Plaidstallions facebook group […]

Note: Warner Brothers doesn’t like that i used the show intro in the video and has blocked it on mobile devices. Sorry. Instead of looking at a single toy, I thought I’d share my collection of merchandise from the 1970s tv classic “Kung Fu”. There wasn’t a ton of merchandise for the show but there […]

I’ve just returned from my favourite toy convention of all time, Mego Meet and please excuse the sleepy voice but I haven’t had much sleep! Thought it would be fun to go over the various items I picked up at this weekend’s festivities, stuff from Planet of the apes, the Monster Squad, Stretch Armstrong, Godzilla, […]

Heading off to the annual Mego Meet toy show in Columbus this weekend, where I will be giving updates on my twitter and facebook pages.  Also, I would have watched the Walton’s way more if monsters lived next door, just sayin’ For more information on Mego Meet please visit here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1689488711196630/

1979 was a good year for corn syrup filled heroes and monsters. Kenner would eventually sue Mego over their Elastic Heroes line. New Six Million Dollar Man Shirt in our Redbubble store! Don’t forget to join our new facebook group. Get the expanded digital edition of Rack Toys here.

The subject of this weeks Toy-Ventures is one of the most notorious and hilarious knock-off action figures from the 20th century, Mr. Rock the outer space adventurer from Lincoln International. With his flare gun and pink transistor radio, Mr. Rock is set for his intergalactic mission of confusing parents and disappointing children across the galaxy.  […]

This is one of my greatest “wish this toy was made” events of my childhood. You see, I was the kid that preferred “The Black Hole” to Star Wars, call it hipsterism if you will but I was in that minority. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Star Wars but I didn’t stop caring about […]

This week’s toy-ventures is all about Planet of the Apes, well not officially licensed mind you, nope we’re talking about the weird knock offs called the Astro Apes. Astro Apes are cheap, blatant and totally charming rip-offs of our favourite Ape characters. So come meet Artemus, Myra and Dr. Zorma! Collection pics courtesy of William, […]

Not much to add to this except, all of it please, all of it. New Six Million Dollar Man Shirt in our Redbubble store! Don’t forget to join our new facebook group. Get the expanded digital edition of Rack Toys here.

This week’s installment of Toy Ventures is a bit of a departure as I just got a big box of weird Mego Knock off items and I decided to share it with you while i “unbox”.  We talk about various Mego and Captain Action related knock offs i’ve found over the years and well, some […]

This wonderful package was likely handed to every attendee of the 1975 Marvel Comics Convention it includes a program which we’ll get into but it also includes the Might Marvel Mail Order Catalog. This wonderful catalog features Marvel merchandise from Fleetwood, Mego. Durham, Aurora and more. The historical significance is that Marvel would eventually abandon […]

This week’s installment of Toy-Ventures is all about the action figures produced by Larami for the 1980 TV mini-series “The Martian Chronicles”, just how does a mini-series get an action figure line the first place? We’ll try to explain.  You can check out our gallery of Martian Chronicles Toys Here.  Visit us online at www.plaidstallions.com  […]

It’s time for the annual Retro Awards where we celebrate the best of 2018 and all the things we enjoyed that embody the retro feelings and vibrations that we hold so dear. It was a big year and we had an amazing luxury of choice. So many comic book movies, awesome DVDs and Blurays, heck even print […]

 This week’s installment of Toy-Ventures is all about the story PAC toys and their sadly too short toyline called the Lords of Light. I get into my relationship with their creator and what might have been with this 80s toy line that ended all too quickly.   Visit us online at www.plaidstallions.com   Twitter: @plaidstallions Shameless […]

 This week’s episode examines the Tomland toys Sonic Man and Sonic, who look suspiciously like a certain Bionic Couple we all know and love. We also delve into Tomland’s history of ripping off some of the 1970s most popular tv and movie properties.   You can see more Tomland toy merchandise at this site: www.tomlandmonsters.com  Visit […]

I’ve talked about the ERTL Star Trek 3 figures before and I especially love this press photo of the handmade mockups. While the Kirk, Spock and Scottie are obviously repainted Mego The Motion Picture figures, I always wondered what the Klingon figure was.  Well, today I got that answer, more after the jump: Recently I […]

Monster Squad Frankenstein– Admittadly, i prefer the TV series “The Monster Squad” over the 1980s movie but everytime I do a search I do run into these custom Mego-esque figures done by the amazing Distinctive Dummies and they give me pause. Cliffhangers TV Week Cover– Remember the TV series “Cliffhangers” featuring three stories that were […]

Inspired by the new movie “My Dinner with Hervé” (Dinklage is pretty amazing in it BTW) I thought it would be fun to showcase the nick nacks (pun intended) that I’ve collected from the TV series “Fantasy Island“. Growing up I rarely missed the show on Saturday nights, it’s mix of fantasy, comedy and horror […]

On the eve of what would have been his 101st birthday, Jason and Brian celebrate the legendary career of comics legend, Jack “King” Kirby. Kirby left a gigantic mark on pop culture and we’re both better human beings for exposure to his incredible storytelling. We discuss our gateway entry into Kirby, what made us fans, his […]

Man, do we have something wonderful this Friday, an original Child World Toy Flyer straight from November 1976. If you’re a fan of this site, this is going to be a real treat as it features all the hits, Mego Star Trek, Mattel Space:1999, Kenner Stretch Armstrong, Mego Cher, LJN SWAT, Hasbro Weebles, Ideal Evel […]

(Many thanks to my friend Eddie for this awesome image above)  The Martial Arts explosion of the early 1970s was not lost on action figures, growing up in this time, it gave me a lifelong obsession with the culture.  It also turned out to be a real positive influence in my life, so I’ve decided […]

Iconic Action Figure Brand Mego Reveals First Wave Characters The hit toy line rolls out on Target shelves this August New York, New York – July 20, 2018 – Mego Corporation is revealing its first wave of Mego action figures, which will be available exclusively at Target this August. Marty Abrams and Joe Namath will […]

I spent last evening loading up all the images for Mego’s grand launch back to Target stores (You can see it all at the MegoMuseum), even got a call from Mego’s president last night. So I’m suer nostalgic, grateful and entirely validated right now, also tired. Anyway, Mego is what brought me on this grand […]

Wow, throw in a Mr Kotter doll and you’ve got a great episode of “Battle of the Network Stars”

It’s sadly looking like the end for Toys R Us in the United States, so let’s go and focus on when it was a growing company that made for an amazing experience. This Flyer from 1980 is so jam-packed with late 1970s pop culture that every page seems to have some Incredible Hulk or Wonder Woman […]

Something that didn’t get mentioned in the recent “The Toys That Made us” was the first Star Trek action figure wasn’t of Kirk or Spock it was of Janice Rand? This Japanese toy line is something I’ve seen in small black and white catalogs since I was a teenager but at the recent MegoMeet celebration […]

I’m still in recovery mode from Mego Meet but wanted to share this story of my first experience walking on the show floor. My friend Scott takes me aside and hands me this, a custom Dyna Girl.  Last year Scott had done a limited amount of Electra Woman but only one Dyna Girl. He said […]

Well folks that’s it for me as I’m off on a road trip with good friends to Mego Meet 2018 in Columbus, Ohio.  Look for live updates here and on the Mego Museum facebook page all weekend. Also, we’ve got a new podcast as well!  If you’re within driving distance please consider coming and saying […]

For Immediate Release: Star Trek! Spider-Man! The Micronauts! Planet of the Apes! Cher! Famous 1970s toymaker Mego had them all and made for a generation of happy childhoods, each year the company is celebrated with this special convention.   Special Guest is Mego President Martin Abrams, who was recently featured in several episodes of Netflix’s hit series […]

I have a strange bond with Mego’s Action Jackson, I was slightly too young for him when he came out but thanks to my father’s business of buying closeouts, I had a small army of them during childhood. Action Jackson became a character actor in my backyard adventures becoming Sinestro, Klingons, Planet of the Apes […]

The Mego Wayne Foundation is like a Barbie Dreamhouse but it’s for Batman, so it’s completely awesome and not a doll house. For this entry, I can swipe all the photos from the MegoMuseum because I work there (mainly to steal stuff from the break room and use the photocopier). I never had the set […]

We return once again with an all new Pod Stallions and in celebration of the Man of Steel’s 80th birthday we thought we’d make him our topic (We haven’t done this one right? Cause it feels real familiar). So we dig right in and talk about George Reeves, Filmation, the Super Friends, Dean Cain, Superboy, […]

The world of the Micronauts is my happy place. Like our Facebook Page Check out our Instagram Get the expanded digital edition of Rack Toys here.

I have a real soft spot for generic knock-off action figures and I find this page from France kind of mind-blowing as I’ve never seen many of these “Steve the Adventurer” toys. The Mego like Steve was known as “Demo Man” in other parts of the world and his head is a really blatant copy of Big […]

My pal Eddie sent me this wonderful page from France yesterday and it’s all the reasons I collect catalogs, a wonderful smattering of what Superhero toys were available in 1977. A little Mego, some AHI rack toys and a whole bunch of cool as hell stuff we never saw like the Goldarak Action figures! I love […]

My local Eaton’s growing up had a huge McDonaldland display that looked just like this in a cube in the middle of their toy department. I recall being kind of in awe of the diorama but it couldn’t compete with Big Jim, Bulletman or the Mego Superheroes in my five year old brain. I was later […]

It’s really hard to believe but in 1979, Star Wars and other Sci-Fi related toys hit a major slump. So much so that many retailers considered it all a “fad” and stopped ordering new items. This article taken from a “Toys, Hobbies and Crafts” magazine interviews major buyers and the vice president of Mego about the […]

Ok, this isn’t much of Mini as it runs over an hour (Boy, we can talk!) but it is a fun show nonetheless. For this “Mini” Jason proposed the challenge that we talk about our “top five” Christmas presents as kids. That’s a hard thing to pick but we managed. Topics include Kenner Star Wars […]

All i want for Christmas is a MIB Stretch Monster……and some Mego Superheroes…..and a Blip….covered in Shogun Warriors.

I thought it would be fun today to talk about a Star Trek action figure line that nobody really ever does, from 1984 let’s explore the ERTL toys Star Trek 3 line and I’ve even got prototype shots! More about this fun (and very affordable) line after the jump! So after the merchandising disaster of […]

No, this isn’t a still from the upcoming Justice League movie (it’s too bright for one thing) this my friends is from a clever late 70s promotion for a company that seems to brilliantly pioneer what we call “Cosplay” today. Take a better look after the jump. You’ll be glad you did. Major props to […]

Episode 55 is all about the Lord of the Jungle, Tarzan of the Apes J&B (the hosts, not the crappy scotch) discuss their initial exposure to the Lord of the Jungle in his many television, film, print and comic adaptions over their life times culminating with last summer’s adaptation. Some of the subjects we touch […]

For our 54th show, we start with a brief (well for us) discussion about our thoughts on the newest actor to take the mantle of Doctor Who.  Then we dig deep into the movies released the summer of 1982. Some call it the greatest summer for movies and hey, a lot of these movies went […]

I was kinda crushed to hear of the passing of Martin Landau yesterday besides being a fan of his work, there is also a true connection to him and this site. It was my admiration for merchandise based on Space:1999 that got me into toy collecting in the first place, so without Martin Landau toys, […]

It’s not a closely guarded secret that I’m Canadian. So on the day of my country’s 150th birthday, it seems duly patriotic that i share my favourite toys in Canadian packaging.  Due to having two official languages, we had different toy packages than the US and brother,  it’s tough to find.  Hunting these is my […]

This weekend marks the annual Mego Meet convention in Skokie, IL. I’ll be heading there to help out at the door, see old friends and spend money on things I probably don’t need. If you’re in the area, it’s a terrific show and we’d love to have you. If not, I’ll be posting live pics […]

The Top Ten Coolest 1970s Wonder Woman Merchandise The 1970s were a good time for female heroes, between Jaime Sommers, The Angels, Police Woman and Diana Prince, sisters were kicking butt like never before. Wonder Woman was not only on prime time but a Saturday morning fixture with “The Super Friends”, this combined with her […]

This is where i tapped out as a kid, 48 action figures was too much to “Collect ’em all” and I remember taking a hard line with Cloud Car pilot (I already had a Bespin guard). I may have been the exception but I really got into Black Hole and Star Trek TMP figures at […]

For our 53rd show, we are joined once again by former Famous Monsters editor and current host of “It Came From Blog” Mr David Weiner (@TikiAmbassador) for a rousing two hour discussion on Walt Disney’s 1979 Science Fiction opus “The Black Hole”. The conversation talks about the film itself, the it’s origins and somewhat discordant tone, […]

Can’t say I’m a huge fan of either S.W.A.T or Emergency! but those vinyl & cardboard playsets are awesome and I totally want them. That old timey computer….sigh…. LJN TV Super Stars Catalog

If I could wish one not produced toy into existence, it would likely be the Mego Palomino play set pictured here. I had a strong affection for the Black Hole as a kid and it continues to this day. More on the Mego Black Hole line here.

I debated whether to put this here or on the Mego Museum but considering it’s a vintage photo of a toy store in Hong Kong (and let’s face it, this site has an obsession with such things). This display of Mego Superhero items and Micronauts is my happy place, I drove my mother crazy looking […]

I recently came across this wonderful article about action figures circa 1977, it mentions Micronauts, Pulsar, Metal Man, Electroman, Stretch Monster, Shogun Warriors and their impact on the toy market place. It features interviews with not only toy buyers but toy makers from Hasbro, Mego, Zee Toys and Mattel. Seeing as these are things that […]

This picture, from the 1977 Palitoy Bradgate Catalog is so much like my childhood (and adult dreams) it’s scary. I love a world where the Star Trek crew can mingle with the Fantastic Four and take on Doctor Zaius. You can see the whole thing at the Mego Museum.

For our 50th show we put it to you, our wonderful audience and boy did you have some good ideas, seriously you gave us a year’s worth of topics, Jason and I don’t have to do any thinking in 2017 and we thank you because we hate thinking. But for this show we chose these […]

One section of any wish book that I love is the “other” action figure pages in the era of Star Wars. There is a lot of great stuff on this page! While my time with the Mego Superheroes decreased sharply in 1979, I still viewed them like old friends. I still kinda do….

Seeing as it’s December, I thought I’d showcase some of my favourite Christmas Catalog images of all time starting with this one. I remember exactly where I was when I first laid eyes on this, riding in the back seat of my father’s gigantic car to go visit Vince, his barber. It blew my mind […]

The Witches Castle was a Sears exclusive (and now a pricey collectible) and was originally meant for the Super Knights toys.  My local toy store put these in the same basket as the Superheroes, as a six year old boy they just couldn’t compete with Aquaman. 

I joined ebay in 1997, since then like clock work, i have searched “Black Hole” and “Shreddies” in hope of finding this item. Recently on one boring Tuesday morning, there it was with a Buy It Now price that was so agreeable, it still makes me smile. Sure it’s an empty cereal box but to […]

I had a nice contribution by a fellow named Bob last night of this Azrak Hamway Dracula on the card. I actually didn’t have this version in the AHI Monsters gallery so it was a welcome addition. Dracula was sold in the AHI Official World Famous Super Monsters wave but in a way that distinguished him […]

I’ve blogged about the bootleg Planet of the Apes knock off action figure line “The Astro Apes” before but I never thought I’d run into more merchandising for such a fly by night line. Then I run into these insane dime store rarities, let us have a looksie this box inside after the jump. The […]

Star Trek turns 50 today as it marks the day the initial episode (although most Trek fans know it’s not technically the first) “The Man Trap” first graced out screens. Being a kid of 1970s, I fell under it’s siren song when the show was just under ten and we have blogged about it a […]

We’re thrilled to be back recording PodStallions after some truly turbulent times. Today’s show is all about our mutual love for the Monkee’s, although neither of us were alive for the show’s original run we were both hooked on reruns and records during the middle 1970s. We kick off the show playing catch up and […]

As I prepare for this week’s Mego Meet Toy Show this weekend, I thought it would be cool to showcase this awesome catalog from the United Kingdom. Pedigree Toys began distributed the Mego Toy Lines in the late 1970s and did a knock out job with the 12″ Superheroes, more pages after the jump! I […]

Sorry for the long delay in shows but we’re back with a vengeance! Our latest show is all about one of our favourite subjects Mego Action Figures!  We’re joined by fellow Mego enthusiast and best selling author Art Baltazar to talk about the world’s greatest toy company and next week’s up coming Aw Yeah Mego Meet Toy […]

Our website turns 10 this month so we begin by discussing it’s origins and why it came to be. With the topic already being nostalgia, we thought it would be fun to talk about the top ten thing we miss about the 1970s. This is not a “things were better in our day” type discussion […]

This page will be my happy place all day.

For our 40th episode we are joined by actor/comedian Chris Tallman (@MrChristallman on twitter) for a celebration of the Interchangeable World of the Micronauts, the classic toy line from Mego that is about to get a major motion picture and new comic book series this year. The discussion begins with the toy line’s Japanese origins, it’s halcyon […]

Today’s update is a fun look at the amazing displays my pal Ray “Acroray” Miller put up at the Kruger Street Toy Museum a few years back.  I was lucky enough to see it first hand (luckily we also held Mego Meet there at the time) but for those of you who didn’t, this is […]

This ad is from France where then distributor  “Pin Pin Toys” had good fortune with the Micronauts line, it truly was an international affair with the line enjoying good sales in Canada,  the UK, German, Greece and especially Italy. This Friday our new podcast is all about the Interchangeable world of the Micronauts.

Today we feature the original toy trade catalog given to buyers when Mego launched the Micronauts in February of 1977. It’s a wonderful and rarely seen piece, more after the jump. Micronauts really was an ambitious and risky gamble for Mego, it’s a sprawling toy line with aggressive TV advertising. Luckily kids were drawn to […]

In honour of this Friday’s new podcast episode (which is about Micronauts in case you were wondering) I plan to theme this week around Mego’s memorable toy line. Above is a Christmas catalog spread from 1979, it’s one of 3 pages that year. ’79 was truly my big year with the line and one where […]

Happy New Year! It’s time for our annual salute to all the things that made us happy in 2015, especially those that harkened back to our childhoods and brother, did we have a lot to smile about. The 2015 Retro Awards salutes the movies, books, magazines and toys we raved about this year and we […]

This ad from Viacom was put out in all the toy trades at the time enticing licensees that Thundarr was a good idea. I wish more of them took it seriously. Heck, I still want the unproduced Mego line.

GI Joe, Action Jackson, Big Jim and Mego Superheroes, pretty close to everything I thought about before Star Wars blew up.

For this year’s last Friday feature, I bring you my favourite of all sections of PlaidStallions another volume of vintage toy store pictures! Celebrating the time when we had unique independent retailers dotting our landscape and came up with colourful and and interesting ways of selling us toys. Volume 18 is our biggest yet and loaded with […]

The Lone Ranger toyline is easily one of the nicest action figure lines of the 1970s if not all time and Gabriel Toys had some real long running success with it. This 1977 Catalog is the third year for the line and shows that it was still going strong, Gabriel put a lot of effort […]

Even though Star Wars was all the rage, the Mego Star Trek figures miraculously re-appeared in the 1978 Sears Catalog. The figures came on cards with blank backers, it’s largely believed it was a tactic by Mego to retain the Star Trek license for the upcoming move.  Always nice to see the Space Command Center […]

It wouldn’t be Halloween without me waxing poetic about my favourite monster toy line of all time, the Lincoln Monsters. This year I came across one of my absolute grails, in the form of finding the 1976 Galoob toys catalog. Although Galoob was later known for licensed items  and things such as Micro Machines, 1976 […]

I adore the Mego Mad Monsters, it’s definitely in my top five all time Monster toy lines (which I’ll speak more about this month). While Mego didn’t get the Universal license, they created a really crazy series of generic Monster figures that even glow in the dark! Here’s Mego Dracula and the Mummy in their […]

I’m really happy to showcase this neat discovery of this lost Lords of Light toy. I’ve been smitten with these figures since the mid 1990s when I first found out this hidden treasure. A bit of a background on Lords of Light: After Mego Toys folded, a company known as PAC packaging (who light assembled […]

This month’s topic is some of the  disappointing toy lines that have stemmed from our more beloved properties over the years. It’s totally done out of love (as we both freely admit we bought and still own a lot of this stuff) but we talk about toys for Men in Black, the Phantom, Star Trek […]

With the passing of Yvonne Craig, I thought I’d pay tribute with Mego. As a kid I truly wanted a Batgirl figure, my crush on Craig was the motivating factor but i had no idea of this at my young age. In the end, my fear of what my friends would think won out and […]

There aren’t many better ways to spend an afternoon in 1980 than acting out a “Buck Rogers on Tatooine” storyline.

Yes! A new installment of  one of my favorites, vintage toy store photos. A journey back to the days of oddly named department stores and independent mall toy stores and chains that are fondly remembered but sadly mostly gone. Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 17 covers the US and Canada this time and features appearances […]

Click here for a larger view. It’s been a grinder of a week here, so today’s Friday feature is this incredible toy sale at Alexanders, where they appear to be just giving away Shogun Warriors. I could cry…. Check out the awesome Toynami Shogun Warriors Godzilla coming this July

It’s been a long time coming, the first foray into what is the quintessential science fiction block buster of the early 1970s, the Planet of the Apes Phenom. Episode 1 deals with the first movie (we’re going to take our time with this) and brushes lightly on the actors, the makeup, the script, our man […]

I found this ruler on Ebay a few months ago, i collect Superhero school supplies (sorry ladies, I’m spoken for) but the more interesting thing to me was the hi-jacking of the Mego World’s Greatest Superheroes packaging art. Many of these images were specifically drawn by Mego and didn’t appear on other company products, while […]

Yesterday’s loss of Leonard Nimoy felt strangely personal to me, perhaps because as someone smarter than me said “It feels like we lost a friend”. Nimoy’s portrayal of Mr Spock has always been a topic of conversation here at PlaidStallions, especially all the wonderful Star Trek merchandise that we 70s kids got. Toy makers such […]

Dukes of Hazzard was the first time as a kid where there was a show that I watched and enjoyed but when that avalanche of merchandise arrived, I had no desire to own any of it. Boy though in 1981, if you could think of it, you could buy it with the General Lee on […]

Our November podcast has Jason and Brian waxing nostalgic (which technically is our job) about the glory days of Starlog magazine. Starlog magazine was how both of us first cut our nerdy teeth, a wonderful window into the world of SF and fantasy that gave us that connection. It’s safe to say, this podcast owes […]

(click on any photo for an enlargement) Like a lot of 70s kids, I cut my nerdy teeth on Starlog magazine. It was basically my window into a world of wonder that wasn’t available where I grew up. As a struggling student in the 90s, I used to visit the Starlog store in New Jersey […]

Presenting the latest (and long overdue) release by Odeon Toys, RON:Spacepimp one of our mascots, RON  is a limited edition 8 inch action figure in the 70s Mego style. He comes complete with genuine vintage threads (real thrift store clothing was murdered to create each figure) and bustling with Kirby dots!  Every one of the […]

What’s not to love about this 1977 licensing ad for Marvel Comics, it’s like Spider-Man is dropping a treasure trove of Mego items on you along with classics like Crazy Foam and Colorforms. That’s a monsterous improvement over  the usual rain and bird poop that normally falls on me from above…

The 1979 Disney sci fi spectacular “The Black Hole” didn’t quite become the next Star Wars but the film did make an impression on a lot of us until the Empire Strikes back made us forget all about it.  The merchandising bonanza lead by Mego was particularly memorable. In the UK, the brand was handled by Louis Marx […]

I’ve posted this photo on the MegoMuseum before but it needs to be put here because it’s awesome. Courtesy of Ken Abrams, I present Mego CEO dressed as Action Jackson atop the Mego Planet of the Apes parade float. The gentleman in the Ape costume is VP of Mego R&D Neal Kublan and the “human […]

Finding weird bits of Micronauts merchandise in a catalog is to me, like finding buried treasure. Also note Pajamas featuring some guy called “The Hulk”.

While taping our upcoming Podcast about Apocalypse movies, I couldn’t help but bring up one of the weirder but fonder memories of my childhood. Behold the Forbidden Zone Trap, my favourite Mego play set of all time. I wanted this so bad as a kid it hurt, which is weird because it’s basically a city […]

The underlying theme of this year’s Mego Meet customs auction was Brick Mantooth, I donated Brick heads to any customizer that wanted to provide their own take at our spokes model. The results are as I’d hoped, a fun fusion of mad skills and imagination. Above is Brikk Mannigan and yes, he goes commando. Meet […]

   There was a time in my younger days where I was absolutely obsessed with these guys. Made by Japanese toy maker Popy, these 8″ figures were meant to fit in with Mego Superheroes (which Popy also supplied in Japan). That 8″ Mark from “Battle of the Planets” is the toy we deserved as kids. […]

This past Sunday I set up at Burlington Toy Show, mostly to hang out with friends and eat food that’s not good for me but also to hopefully earn some money for next week’s Mego Meet toy show. It was hard being good but I took photos instead of buying, above is easily the rarest toy […]

Episode 17 is a benchmark for us, as it’s our first guest and that guest is comics legend Alex Ross. Alex joins us to talk about a favourite subject of both Jason and Brian, the animated series Battle of the Planets. We discuss our earliest memories of the show, it’s origins, merchandise, further iterations, how […]

As much as I do not regret one minute of those Saturday night “Love Boat/Fantasy Island” fests I had as a kid (especially when they CROSSED OVER, which was like Batman joining the Avengers) I just never really got the need for stuff like the Mego action figures or this little set from Multiple. Although, […]

Episode 16 finds us going “Full On Glen A Larson” with a delving into his seminal science fiction works. Even though we touched upon both of these shows in episode 7, neither Jason nor Brian felt we did either justice. Episode 16 goes deeper into both Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers and sees our hosts […]

Click for a larger view. Cryotron is a spacey action figure case offered by Sears Canada in their epic 1980 catalog. I’m not sure who made it and I never had one but I remember it mostly because I stared at the page it was on for a LONG time as a kid. It’s one […]

I gave up writing a weekly list for Topless Robot, in order to finish writing Rack Toys. I will admit to missing it from time to time, so I’m going to keep fresh by churning out the odd one for PlaidStallions. The Kenner Six Million Dollar Man toy line is one of the most memorable […]

I am pleased to reveal the latest update to our Tomland galleries, the copyright infringing superheroine herself, the Sonic Woman! Tomland was more well known for their Star Raiders and Famous of Monsters of Legend action figures, which both demonstrate how little they thought of paying for licenses. I’ve known about these particular figures for […]

I found these guys in a British catalog (Burbank Toys), released in 1980, I’m actually unsure as to who made them.  While it does jive with the four characters Mego seemed to be obsessed with in the early 1980s, there is no evidence that they made these guys. Rack Toys: Cheap, Crazed Playthings is a […]

Star Trek is the main course in this month’s episode, that is right after Brian brings up My Little Pony for absolutely no good reason. As always, we open with our first memories of Star Trek and our love of the merchandise, particularly the Mego dolls, segwaying into the first two films and our feelings […]

This wonderful piece from December 1977 arrived this week and while I plan to show case the whole thing in loving detail next Christmas, it’s just to good not to share at least a little bit right now. Above is the Mattel Space:1999 Eagle which I think is on my 2014 wish list. I think […]

This ad piece for Licensing Corporation of America, really brings me joy. This photo meant to highlight how good an idea licensing the DC comics heroes is full of 70s eye candy from Mego, Remco and AHI. It’s also the least believable toy store set ever, that’s clearly the LCA showroom with some dude from […]

It seems fitting to end a month of Wish Book pages with what I consider the greatest one ever. From Monkey Wards 1976, the Mego Superheroes battling the Lincoln Monsters. It’s not my favourite because of childhood (we didn’t have Wards in Canada) but when I was a teen tracking down my childhood monster friends, […]

Seeing all the Doctor Who merchandise in main stream stores this Christmas makes me nostalgic for the time when all Sci Fi shows were marketed towards kids.  Space:1999 mania was in full swing in 1976 and it produced buckets of memotable merchandise. That big Eagle is still something I plan on reacquiring in 2014.. On the […]

Canada’s Superhero gets his first action figure Toronto, ON, Canada (Dec 12, 2013) – Following his new animated web series, Canada’s own iconic champion, Captain Canuck gets the action figure kids have been looking for since his debut in 1975 with a new release from Odeon Toys.  He’s been on a postage stamp, even the […]

Toys R Us is one of the last toy chains we have left and the only one featured on this site that is actually still around. This flyer from December 1981 is a time capsule of what we could have expected under the tree, Barbies, Glamour gals, Atari games, Remco Monsters and Mego Superheroes. It’ll […]

This page from Simpsons is pretty much all I thought about in 1976, Big Jim P.A.C.K, GI Joe Super Adventure Team and Mego Superheroes, throw in monsters and sandwiches and that’s the brain patterns of six year old me. I think it’s ironic that the Mego heroes are so small on this page, their popularity […]

Presenting the latest release by Odeon Toys, Satin Monster, one of our mascots,  is a limited edition 8 inch action figure in the 70s Mego style. He comes complete with genuine vintage threads (real thrift store clothing was murdered to create each figure) and packed with more manliness than is allowed in the state of […]

Muhammed Ali was one of my earliest heroes as a kid, I religiously watched his cartoon series and I was first in line to watch him punch Superman. I must have never run into his action figure because I never owned one, with my dad being a boxing fan, this would have been an easy work […]

This commercial reel has sat on my desk for over two years, it’s been driving me mad to honest. It did not disappoint, even though I honestly don’t recollect the Fighting Furies, seeing 70s sensation Mason Reese pimp this toy line is truly a highlight of my year, behold the original commercial for “The Kung Fu […]

This little picture is another thing that I love about toy catalogs. You see, in 1976 Mego rushed the Fonz doll to the market place but his friends and his trademark motorcycle would have to wait until 1977. JC Penney offered the Fonz with this fill in motorcyle, it probably wasn’t even made by Mego […]

Wizard of Oz merchandise seems commonplace today but in 1975, when Mego nabbed the toy license it was a huge, hairy deal. The company actually put one of the film’s producers on their board of directors and for Toy fair reunited the living cast members, the orders flowed like melted butter. The remaining cast of […]

Originally we were going to do our Empire Strikes Back show but then realized that discussion of all the other Sci Fi properties of the late 1970s would have left us with a four hour show. So, Episode 7 lovingly talks about all those “other” SF movies of the disco era from the feety pajamas […]

As promised to Jason in our upcoming episode of Pod Stallions, I’ve finally scanned this and put it on the blog for the world to see. While Disney had a ban on guns in the US (Mego couldn’t give their Black Hole characters weapons) it didn’t stop UK distributor Marx from attempting to produce a […]

Dust off your spear gun and get comfy in your volcano lair, this one’s all about Spies and spy like products. Jason and Brian talk about their love of the genre including James Bond, Man from U.N.C.L.E, Matt Helm, Derek Flint and there was just no way of avoiding discussion of “A Man Called Sloane”.  […]

As much as I enjoyed my childhood, it sometimes pains me to think of the stuff we didn’t get, for whatever boring grown up decision. Sure, some of these licensed wouldn’t have sold and could have forced the companies into risky financial positions but baby Brian wants his toys dammit! Here are the top ten […]

It’s been a while since I went on about my obsession with Mego’s short lived “CB Mchaul” toy line, inspired by the country’s fleeting obsession with trucker culture. By the time Ol’ CB hit toy shelves, the whole thing was starting to wind down making the line (especially the carded figures) difficult to find. I […]

It’s been over a year since I launched the Tomland Star Raiders gallery on the site and I’ve had some good luck with regards to new images and information thanks to some lovely people who like to share. For those not in the know, the Star Raiders were a brazen and rather kooky attempt to […]

    Most people would hear the word Mego and associate it with the eight inch action figure craze they created in the 1970s that still has enduring fandom. However, the company started out as a producer of low cost “Hush Up Toys” which we now call “Rack Toys”. The majority of the companies output […]

I’ve never heard of Pied Piper Stores, not surprising, as I didn’t grow up in California in the 1970s. No doubt they were one of the many “Mom and Pop” toy store chains that at one magical time dotted our landscape. One thing i do know is that Pied Piper stores had a pretty grasp […]

I gave up writing a weekly list for Topless Robot, in order to finish writing Rack Toys. I will admit to missing it from time to time, so I’m going to keep fresh by churning out the odd one for PlaidStallions.   One of the things children of the 1970s were witness to was the birth […]

How ABC didn’t see how a Dolly Parton/Wonder Woman team up wasn’t ratings gold I’ll never know.

I love art like this in old catalogs, here Mr Spock is totally screening his calls but careful not to send the Captain to voicemail…

The mobile Bat Lab by Mego is one of those “I missed a meeting as a kid moments” as I have virtually no memory of this item. As far as I know, I never saw it in a store, nor on television, despite friends telling me they had it growing up and it definitely was […]

Life is strange, if you had asked me 30 days ago if there was going to be a Lincoln Monster update in the Halloween blog posts this year, I’d have answered no.  Truth was, there wasn’t much by the way of things to update. Then all hell broke loose and I’ve got more than I […]

Been really under pressure to put the final touch on Rack Toys this month so i was coming up short with a Friday feature.  Enter Kip and his amazing, newly displayed Ape collection to the rescue! I’ve seen plenty of Planet of the Apes and King Kong collections in my time but Kip seems to […]

Oddly, even though i named Brick Mantooth after Randy, I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Emergency! The show and the toys do have a ravenous following to this day however.

For years now, it’s been bugging me if this 6 inch fashion doll that has been dubbed “The Victim” and said to be part of the Lincoln Monsters line of toys was a real thing or not. I had heard from people over the years who claimed to have her as a kid or saw […]

I can’t believe it’s taken me a year to get these samples created but these are the first two figures from the Project: Mantooth sub series I’ve been working on. Each figure will be limited to about ten units and have custom packaging. All of this (and me!) will be at this weekend’s MegoMeet toy show […]

The 1970s was an absolute windfall of Marvel comics merchandise, the house of ideas sold out and we were better off for it. By 1976, the Marvel comics license was shared with dozens of toy manufacturers all vying for our parents hard earned money.  Here are top ten of the best Marvel comics toys from […]

It’s time once again to be whisked back to a simplier time, one that was dominated by “Mom and Pop” toy chains and the wonderful, almost chaotic way toys were distributed. Plaidstallions Vintage Toy Store Photos volume twelve is different from previous entries in that it features images from a photo album of a former Mattel employee, who […]

For this installment, I’ll be skipping back to the mid 1970s, which is pretty appropriate considering this blog. Like many of you, I grew up in what was a golden age of action figures, the Mego era. We 70s kids had an amazing breadth of licensed characters and they were mostly all in the same […]

It may seem odd to launch a Monster themed page in December but it’s Halloween all year round at my place and it’s rare these days that I get this excited, so it simply couldn’t wait. Tomland is probably best known for the Star Raiders, an 8″ Mego like line of action figures clearly meant […]

Seeing that it’s close to Christmas, let’s take a trip back 30 years and see what toys were on special with the 1981 Child World Flyer, celebrating the best playthings that 1981 had to offer.  You’ll find a lot of familiar faces in this one including Star Wars figures, Mego Superheroes, Intellivision, Jordache dolls, Fisher […]

I’ve updated the site for my semi-fictional toy company Odeon Toys adding some new sections to help chronicle some of the happenings of The Brick Mantooth action doll, here are a few highlights of what’s available: Project Mantooth will be a series of limited Edition Brick figures that are based on iconic characters of the […]

I picked up these little guys on Ebay UK (a lot of wonderful strangeness comes out of the UK for some reason) and while I’ve never seen or heard of them before, they did look oddly familiar… More after the jump While not licensed it’s pretty obvious that these two were based on the Mego […]

Tomland (a UK Company who was in the Marx family of companies) marketed these fun and strange 8 inch mego-like action figures under a variety of names but the best known is “Star Raiders” which were obviously meant to cash in on the renewed interest in Sci Fi thanks entirely to “Star Wars” coming on […]

Now that I’ve introduced you to AHI‘s Action Apeman line, it seems only fitting to  get you acquainted with Warrior, Artemus, Myra and Dr Zorma, otherwise known as the Astro Apes. If the Action Apemen were blatant ripoffs (and they were) then the Astro Apes would need to go down as the “Most Blantantest Rippyoffiest Ever”. […]

It is with great pride that I open up the ordering for the Brick Mantooth doll. Some important information:  This is just for Brick, it does not include the Mego Museum Supercollector outfit, those will be back in stock in mid August at the same URL. (The mini museums are a pain to make) This is the first batch, […]

Growing up, one of my favourite Superheroes of all time was Marvel Comic’s Sentinel of Lberty, Captain America! Which is totally weird because I’m Canadian, but I digress. As a child, the good Captain adorned a ton of merchandise that I do not own. Fortunately, I know one of Cap’s biggest fans Tim A (Marvelmania on the […]

You know here and in my other life at the MegoMuseum, I’ve often ignored the Cher toy line which is odd because a) She was huge in the 1970s and b)Cher was a huge freaking deal for Mego. It’s a glaring oversight seeing as I’ve never known a world without Cher and I promise to […]

Recently discovered in the basement of Odeon Toys Founder Vic Machismo’s house, this commercial for the Brick Mantooth doll hasn’t seen air since the fall of 1976, when it aired on Buffalo 29 at 3:30 am in between a rerun of “Room 222” and another rerun of “Room 222”. We are happy to unveil this unique […]

While I shared the Super Collector Factory test shots at the Mego Museum a while back, I never revealed the factory test shots for Brick himself. I put Brick’s production into the careful hands of Paul “Dr Mego” Clarke and I gotta say, he treated my brain child as one of his own. When I […]

Located in Kentucky, Johnny’s Toys was one of those independant Toy retailers you sorely miss in this day and age. The store was very customer friendly, sending children birthday cards that contained a key that could unlock a free gift on their next visit. In addition, they printed these fun catalogs that showcased some of […]

It’s real as in real soon peeps, Happy Holidays!

I cannot think of a better update for our fifth anniversary other than doing another vintage toy store update. When I set out to create  the original vintage toy store gallery for the site, I never imagined I’d get to part 2 let alone roman numeral X!  Being a toy nerd this is my favourite section […]

From the UK I bring you James Austin and Stevie Sommers, the “Don’t Sue Us” Bionic couple. These unlicensed wonders were created by Tomland, a company that seemed to get it’s kicks from knocking off Star Wars and other films. Their Star Raiders and Famous Monsters line are a both a child’s and a lawyer’s dream. […]

Happy to showcase these weird little figures, produced in 1979 by a UK company called Tomland (under the umbrella of Marx) these stylin’ mini monsters were based on my beloved Lincoln International Monsters. I don’t know why and I honestly don’t care, I’m just pleased that they were. Tomland made their own 8″ versions of […]

I can’t go a Halloween season without extolling the virtue of this fun line of Action figures by 70s giant Mego. Despite not having the license to the Universal characters Mego created a truly fun set of Monster toys that embody the spirit if not the look of their silver screen counterparts. The packaging and […]

Time to dig through the vault and see some real Monster bargains when it comes to the many, many monster action figure lines we were treated to in the 1970s. Above is a great ad featuring the Azrak Hamway World Famous Super Monsters. As you can see they are mingled in with the Mego Super […]

A riot indeed, a lot of my personal toy favourites in this one, including Sky Dive to Danger, Atomic Man, mego Fonzie and I still have one of those “Ranger ” walkie Talkies on my desk as I type this. Sometimes I think I’m kind of immune, then I find something like this and I […]

This past weekend’s Mego Meet convention was another wallet draining explosion of 70s toy goodness combined with a comraderie (translation: I got drunk). While devoted solely to toys made by Mego corporation, there were a lot of other gems there that were interesting, dare i say weird, so I decided to share. The Korg thermos, […]

I love Buck Rogers, I watched it faithfully as a kid every week and as an adult I’ve worn out my boxed set. It’s the perfect 70s entertainment for me, cheese, sci fi and sexy all sloppily tucked into an ill fitting spandex jumpsuit.As a kid however, the closest I ever got to the toys […]

I get a lot of confused emails about the Empire Toys brand of Helicopter, for those not in the know Empire made licensed helicopters and vans for properties like CHiPs and Spiderman. It was all kind “wink, wink put your Mego dolls in here” or in the case of the Six Million Dollar man, they […]

I guess because of my duties over at the MegoMuseum, I never really think to mention Mego’s awesome Micronauts Toy line and for that I am sorry. Like a lot of 70s children I was totally blown away by this line, one part action figure, another part lego it was the stuff of dreams. My […]

Headed over to the Toronto Comic Con yesterday with my son, purpose was to take in the chaos, do some shopping and of course, meet Buck Rogers himself, Gil Gerard. Well, I failed on the shopping aspect but once I got through the several hundred washed up wrestlers ( the WWE needs a job retraining […]

I’ve never really understood what possessed Mego to make these beautiful action figures based on the Flash Gordon comic strip, it was two years before the movie and animated series and while I admit I knew who the character was as a kid, I just didn’t see this being a hit. Anyway, I’m really glad […]

I’ve gone on record on many occasions as to not understanding the toyetic appeal of Kojak. Starsky and Huth or SWAT I readily enjoyed as a child but Kojak wasn’t something I ever wanted a toy of.I do admit I think that the Kojak office set is pretty damned skippy however, it even comes with […]

As far as 70s toystores go, none are as far remembered and beloved as Childworld, a chain which had at one point 180 stores across the united states. This 1975 flier preserves what they had to offer during that time including the greats like Mego Star Trek and Planet of the Apes:

Tune into PS’s sister site: The Mego Museum today for an incredible scoop about Bif Bang Pow! I’ll give you a hint, some time this year you can have your Mego Captain Kirk get scared by a gremlin on the wing of the enterprise and your Mego Superman can finally go toe to toe with […]

In the late seventies, Charles Fries productions (the same people who brought you the TV version of Spider-Man) undertook an ambitious project, bringing Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed book of short stories “The Martian Chronicles” to Television as a 6 hour event. The names involved were a Science Fiction fans dream, Richard Matheson wrote the screenplay and […]

I’ve done a couple of ebay transactions with Colbie in the past, so I knew he some great toy tastes but recently he sent shots of his toy room and will admit to being gob smacked, so much to see, it’s like walking into your childhood.Ahh, Vintage Star Wars, Black Hole even the foreign produced […]

I could be wrong as I’m Canadian but I’m not sure any kid ever thought “I wish I had a John Paul Jones doll”, this seems like bicentennial overload. If you had these as a kid and thought up exciting adventures for Ben Franklin like “The secret of the Bi-Focal Wearing Mummy’s Tomb”, please correct […]

While most children of the ’70s recall the Star Trek merchandise explosion of the 1970s led by the Mego Corporation it’s surprising just how much merchandise the show generated when it actually was on the air. Much of these products are so rare that they almost seemed shrouded in mystery or misinformation,That’s why we’re lucky […]

Yep, I’m doing an awards show, except without the musical numbers (this is a good thing if you’ve met me), stilted humour and most of all, Billy Crystal. Just thought that instead of talking vintage, I’d point out my favourite nerdy retro treats of the last year. Movies Star Trek: Oh hot damn did I […]

I had an epic day last Wednesday, what I thought would be a boring trip to a storage unit turned out to be an amazing discovery! When I found the records and remnants of my father’s 1970s toy distribution business including these funky signs he used to use. I have been looking for one of […]

While the newspaper flyer has yet to be replaced in this digital age and I admit I still check the Christmas toys out, it’s just not as cool as when I was eight. That’s why I thought it would be fun to see the toys on sale at K Mart during this week thirty one […]

Card number 28 is dedicated to one of my personal favourite toy lines of my child hood, Mego’s Pocket Superheroes. Released in the late 1970s, these 3 3/4″ figures kept my love of Superheroes alive in a time when everything around was space orientated.For more on this killer line, check out the Mego Museum Pocket […]

October is the perfect time to highlight the cool custom Mego Monster figures from my pal Thomas in Belgium. He’s both made and collected 8″ versions of the classic Universal and Hammer monsters for his collection. I love his Christopher Lee Dracula figure.You can check out more, including his cool 1966 Batman customs here.Got a […]

Chris sent in the cool pic of his KIng Kong merchandise from the 1977 remake, all of this stuff was made by Mego and is really hard to find. I have to admit I love that Japanese Vinyl. Here’s a page about 1977 Mego King Kong Merchandise in case this whetted your appetite.

Seeing as today is the ten year anniversary of the supposed date that the moon blew out of orbit in Gerry Anderson’s 1975 television series “Space:1999” I thought it would be fun to look at some of the cool merchandise that came out during it’s two year run. Above is the trading card I made […]

Lili Ledy was Mexico’s premiere toy manufacturer and because of trade restrictions, all toys they sold had to be manufactured in Mexico. So many of the popular US lines were licensed and then produced by Lili Ledy resulting in wonderful variations that toy collectors hunt for to this day. 1977 was a killer year with […]

Trading Card #26 is Palitoy Space:1999, I did this card for the 2009 Megomeet convention back in June because timing didn’t allow a Megomuseum card for the event (as the card quality shows, it takes me a lot less time to do these). This UK exclusive toyline kind of changed my life, in that it […]

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one of these Mego Muhammad Ali bop bags surface in collectors circles before. Is it just me or does Ali look cool standing next to Batman? Maybe DC teamed him up with the wrong guy. For more on Mego and Muhammad Ali, check out this page. BREAKING TOY GEEK […]

1974 saw the deluge of Apechandise as evidenced by this great newspaper ad, with the cancellation of the series in 1975 would see this stuff go on clearance. When I started toy collecting in the early eighties, you could find discounted Apes merchandise in almost every convience store in Toronto, it was a good time […]

Card #24 is the Densy Fisher Doctor Who line, it may seem weird to do a Mego line here considering the Megomuseum cards but I’m not sure when we’re ever going to get around to this line and me being a monster fan, just had to do it. I consider it a foreign mego subset. […]

Talk about good omens, the first thing I saw when entering this year’s 2009 Megomeet show was Art Baltazar’s 8″ mego custom of our very own spokes model, Brick Mantooth. Art got the bug when he did a portrait of Brick a couple of week’s ago and I’m glad he did.Using a modified Big Jim […]

I love this ad for Licensing Corporation of America (the people who you had to contact if you wanted to make any sort of superhero toy goodness in the 1970s) featuring the Mego Superheroes. Eventhough it’s been featured at the Mego Museum, I just thought it deserved more attention. And Speaking of Mego (like my […]

This is the Hasbro booth for 1975, that’s the suer awesome G.I Joe Skyhawk zooming over these gentleman’s heads. From left to right they are Jim Camilleri, Jack Kipperman and Merril Hassenfeld, the man who put the H in Hasbro. Neat! 1976 Hasbro G.I. Joe Catalog B. Goldberg and J. Romain are off the see […]

With the J.J. Abram’s helmed film poised to be a block buster, I thought it only fitting to do a top ten list of some of the better 23rd century items we got in the 1970s. Many might seem crude by todays standards but most have never been topped in the fun department.The 1970s were […]

I’m too full of chocolate and coffee to do anything like Colouring Book Theatre today but I thought I’d share this fun shot of me and Mego Spider-Man (who does not have a great view) on Easter morning, I’m guessing in 1976. I am assuming that there was some sort if law that children had […]

Sorry, this is a shill post.Thanks to a good find and the amazing help of my pal Dave, I’m releasing another volume of 1970s toy commercials all transferred from the original 16 mm reels. The majority of these are from 1979 and from Mego, Mattel and Kenner. Stretch Monster Barbie Superstar Traveler (Judy “Dyna Girl” […]

Children’s Palace is a well known Toy chain to anyone who grew up on the East Coast, these castle themed stores were eventually bought up by Child World in 1977 and ran until 1992 when they finally closed their doors, leaving many a 70s kid in mourning.This 1974 Toy circular shows a retailer in it’s […]

No offense to Charles Schulz but I’d knock both Snoopy and Woodstock down to get those Mego figures…. Mall Appearance Gallery

While action figure giant Mego was busy swooping up all the comic book and science fiction properties it could for their 8″ action figure lines, rival toy maker LJN was going after a different sort of hero. In the seventies, LJN pursued the men in uniform namely the TV shows Emergency and The Rookies, both […]

Yeah, I did another batch of trading cards that I’ll slowly reveal on slow news days. The first being my favourite catalog spread of all time, so it’s surprising it didn’t come out earlier. There are something so damn awesome about seeing two of my favourite toylines (in this case the Lincoln Monsters and the […]

It’s hard to find vintage newspaper toy circulars, most people threw them out five minutes after reading. That’s a shame because they are such a neat and attractive way to see pop culture history. That’s why this toy circular from the Zayre stores is one of my favourites, first I was five years old when […]

I would still go see Spider-Man to this day. Got a vintage Mall Appearance Photo? We want to see it! Drop us a line here.

With the release of “the Dark Knight” this weekend (which I can’t see until next week, grrrr!) it seemed apt to pay homage to the multitude of merchandising that has been created in the Caped Crusader’s name, particularly during the 1970’s. How did Bruce Wayne make his millions? Merchandising! No Superhero is a bigger pimp […]

Got a great couple of vintage images this week from Dan Brackett, who here is opening up his Shogun Warriors Mazinga (man that box looks sweet) and behind him is a Bat-Away set. Dan says he managed to replace the Bat-Away on Ebay for under $10 but no such luck on Mazinga… Want to see […]

The Lincoln Monsters can often be dismissed as “Knockoffs” which they are but they are also a charming and fun monster toy line to collect. These eight inch Mego inspired figures debuted in the mid 1970’s by Lincoln International, these figures saw distribution in the United Kingdon, Europe and much of North America. They’re also […]

They’re on a mission and ladies, failure is not an option. I’m still working on it but be sure to check out the MegoMuseum Blog for coverage of Megomeet later on today, I gots some fancy moving pictures and everything!

Some nice new additions to our Gallery of Rack Toys today, the concentration being on Azarak Hamway or AHI (which I find surprising how many folks call it “Ahheee”). Above is an amazing dual branded package for Star Trek/Space:1999 Jet Disks. You wouldn’t see stuff like this today. This is courtesy of Will Frost. Also […]

I’ve mentioned this before but Bop Bags truly confuse me, why would you want to beat the crap out of your favourite character? This Captain America Bop Bag is ever worse, isn’t he the sentinel of liberty? Isn’t throwing a punch at old cap a bit like punching the flag? If you had one of […]

It’s movie day today! Surfing YouTube last night and I found this great block 70’s Toy Commercials that weren’t really marked as such, this series features Shogun Warriors, Micronauts and Suckerman! This second block of commercials features the Mattel Battlestar Galactica Action Figures, Viper Launch Station, More Micronauts and Mego World’s Greatest Superheroes. I get […]

A Mego fan sent in this rare shot of a Planet of the Apes store appearance in the mid seventies, note the Mego Apes Play sets and the Addar model kits in the foreground.Erik sent in this great early 80’s Vader appearance, I love that Iron On Empire shirt! Only as a kid was it […]

This has to be one of my favourite obsessions, finding pictures of toy stores and aisles past. So I’m really pleased to be coming out with Vintage Toy Stores Part Five with a collection of images that feature classic toys of the seventies including Mego Superheroes, Adventure Team G.I. Joes, Aurora Monster Models, View Masters, […]

Mego Corp had one of it’s biggest hits on it’s hands when they transformed the Japanese line “Microman” into the “Micronauts” for children in North America.

Toy Fair 1974 saw the introduction of the Mego Superfoe figures and my obsession with the Riddler was born. For more Mego action figure goodness check out the Mego Museum (whose members have already seen this, it was too good not recycle).

Lili Ledy was Mexico’s premiere toy manufacturer and because of trade restrictions, all toys they sold had to be manufactured in Mexico. So many of the popular US lines were licensed and then produced by Lili Ledy resulting in wonderful variations that toy collectors hunt for to this day. Alot of favourites like the Mego […]

Today’s colouring book is a personal favourite of mine, Mego Action Jackson.For those not in the know, Action Jackson was Mego’s attempt to muscle into the boy’s market dominated by G.I. Joe with a new character and plenty of TV advertising.Action Jackson was a sportsman/adventurer/military man who kids just had to think of what they […]

This is one of my more cherised items, a Christmas wish list I created in 1979 clipping items out of the Sears catalog. As you can see the Mego collecting bug was strong even then and I still can’t spell millenium. As I recall it was a pretty great haul and yes, I got a […]

With the holiday season almost here it seemed like an appropriate time to once again look at the toy departments of long ago, Vintage Toy Stores Part Four offers more shots of forgotten retailers and their shelves packed with memories. Look for appearances by Mego Superheroes, the Shogun Warriors, AMT model kits, Fisher Price Little […]

Technical difficulties prevent me from doing a forgotten TV segment today, so I bring you some truly useless knowledge and opinion in it’s place:Top three worst Female Action Figures of the 1970’s#3- Ilia (Star Trek the Motion Picture by Mego)I want to preface by saying I like the Motion Picture and I think this figure […]

G.I. Joe meets the Six Million Dollar Man, that’s a cross over that happened more than once in my house. This page comes from Simpsons, a long gone Canadian retailer.Speaking of cross overs, you can see the other side to this beautiful double page spread (which features Big Jim and Mego) at the Megomuseum. It’s […]

I got the Ideal Jaws game one year for Christmas, the movie itself made me to timid swim in the ocean, lakes and even pools. I never said I was a bright kid.It was a pretty inventive game but I really only remember playing it once or twice before Jaws became a supervillain for my […]

My pal Eric sent this amazing cool advertisement for costumes in France, this stuff is just killer. I guess Bionic Woman was called “Super Jamie” over there, I wonder if they’ll call the new series that?These Leia and C-3PO costumes are undeniably cool, the Leia looks exactly like the Kenner figure!Mighty Mightor was kind of […]

Here’s one by Mego that never made it out, Frankenbumps was a twist on stretch armstrong except you could use a pump to vacum seal his bean filled body and you’d be able to twist him into different positions. If this at all sounds familiar it’s because Cap toys revived the concept years later as […]

I did a page highlighting some of the cooler monster toys of last year’s Halloween features and thought today was as good day to point it out. There’s nothing quite like phoning it in is there?

Red Kryptonite has turned Superman into a blob of corn syrup! How will he defeat Godzilla now?I love the lower pic of Elastic Superman hugging Godzilla’s leg, that’s how my daughter fights me. I used to have a couple of these Supermen, one burst and I found a mouse trapped in the corn syrup. Needless […]

I have to admit I really liked Star Trek The Motion Picture as a kid, not really the movie itself but the merchandising. As a kid I had all the Mego figures and the styrene bridge playset. I never saw this southbend enterprise or phasers but those would have been once they hit clearance because […]

Thanks to the generous donation of our blog readers I have some fantastic new images of 70’s mall appearances by Superheroes, Jawas, Micronauts, Apes and even Lee Majors! This is a subject I will admit to being obsessed with so if you have photos like these and want to share please drop us a line, […]

This one’s kind of personal to me, seeing as my mom seemed to do most of her Christmas shopping with her Eaton’s Card. Three years after they stopped making Wishbooks, Eaton’s department stores made this cool newspaper circular that featured the hot toys of the time. From Muppets to Micronauts, Star Wars to Green Machines, […]

These bring me back, I can remember watching “Charlie Chan and the Chan Clan” on my neighbour’s wall back in 1977. They had played with it so much that all three siblings were saying the dialogue in unison, kind of strange.Two thoughts entered my mind, one was “Who is Charlie Chan?” and the other was […]

It seems as good a time as any to talk about my appreciation of a muscular man in a loin cloth. I’m talking about Tarzan and today’s update to the site is all about the various cool Tarzan toys I’ve picked up over the years. Check out the (Hopefully soon to expand) Gallery of Tarzan […]

Innocent purple jumpsuit or blatent attempt to steal the look of the Mego Dinah Mite doll? You be the judge. I’m really worried about how turned on I am….

I envy all of you who had Shogun Warriors as a kid, I was perpetually denied. The closest I came to owning them was waiting the neighbour kids out until they were 13 and their parents had yard sales. I still have your Mazinga Willy! Victory is mine! , If you haven’t preordered the upcoming […]

Doctor Kromedome was created to fill a void in 1975 for Bionic Villains (Maskatron came in ’76) , the buyer for Wards contacted friends at Mego Corp and this catalog exclusive “Bionic Villain” was born.Kromedome’s weird purple outfit, Cape and Cane kind of give him a bit of Cybernetic “Mack Daddy” vibe. Like he’d be […]

I don’t know why I don’t own a Mego Batcave playset but for some reason I’ve never been able to get one. It really is a sweet item and was recycled a couple of times by Mego, it’s even the Planet of the Apes Village!

With all the Pirate stuff in toy stores, I was reminded by the Matchbox line Fighting Furies, which was a line I never even saw as a kid.The figures were very well made but it was probably was hurt by the fact that the line only had two characters (although a third ghost figure was […]

After the great response to our previous feature on 1970’s Toy Stores I decided to try and find some more images and it turned out better than i hoped.Check out a pile of cool images from stores like Woolco, Macy’s, Kuhn’s Big K, Jeffersons and more. Toys include Star Wars, Mego Micronauts, Charlies Angels, Tonka […]

The CB craze was something that taught more than one toy company a valuable lesson, no matter how fast you can turn out a product, sometimes it’s just not fast enough to jump on a fad. CB Mchaul was the Mego attempt to cash in, a series of nine figures, three vehicles (although a fourth […]