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Toy-Ventures 4: Black Hole Cereal Premiums

This week’s installment of Toy-Ventures is all about the wonderful relationship between the Movie “The Black Hole”, Shreddies cereal and Mego toys. It’s one of my favourite childhood memories. Visit us online at www.plaidstallions.com Twitter: @plaidstallions New Six Million Dollar Man Shirt in our Redbubble store! Don’t forget to join our new facebook group. Get […]

The Great Sci-Fi Toy Slump of 1979

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 […]

Black Hole Kites

I was amused to find these ads for Black Hole branded kites from Hi-Flier tucked in a trade magazine from 1979. The toy industry really thought the robots from Disney’s space epic were going to be the next big thing. And for me and my friends, they totally were! I had every Black Hole item […]

Palomino Dreaming

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.

Black Hole 1980

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 Mego Black Hole Cereal Promotion

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 […]

The 1980 Marx UK Black Hole Toy Catalog

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 […]

Cryotron

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 […]

Pod Stallions Episode 7: Battle Beyond the Star Wars

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 […]