Mego Corporation
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Toy manufacturing |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Founder | D. David Abrams, Madeline Abrams |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Fate | Filed for bankruptcy in 1982, ceased operations in 1983; relaunched in 2018 |
| Headquarters | Great Neck , United States |
Key people | Martin Abrams (President), D. David Abrams (Founder), Madeline Abrams (Founder) |
| Products | Licensed action figures (World's Greatest Super Heroes, Micronauts), celebrity dolls, electronic toys (2-XL robot) |
Mego Corporation () is a U.S.-based toy manufacturer established in 1954. Originally recognized for producing dime store toys, the company redirected its efforts in 1971 toward creating licensed action figures, notably launching the "World's Greatest Super Heroes" collection and the Micronauts series. Their 8-inch figures with interchangeable bodies became a hallmark of the 1970s toy industry.
After filing for bankruptcy in 1982, Mego ceased business operations by 1983. Nowadays, vintage Mego collectibles hold considerable value among enthusiasts. In July 2018, the revitalized Mego Corporation announced limited editions of retro-style dolls and figures available through Target Corporation, reintroducing their classic 1/9 and 1/5 scale product lines.
Corporate history
Mego was founded in 1954 by D. David Abrams and Madeline Abrams, initially flourishing as an importer of dime store toys. Facing escalating advertising expenses, the company underwent a strategic transformation in 1971 when Martin Abrams, son of one of the founders and a recent business school graduate, assumed the presidency.
Under Martin Abrams’s guidance, Mego innovated dolls featuring interchangeable bodies to optimize manufacturing efficiency and broaden product diversity. The company acquired significant licenses in 1972 from National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) and Marvel Comics, debuting the influential "World's Greatest Super Heroes" 8-inch action figure line that set the decade’s industry benchmark.
Mego further expanded its licensed offerings to encompass prominent film and television properties such as Planet of the Apes, Star Trek: The Original Series, and The Wizard of Oz, alongside literary icons like Tarzan. The 1974 Planet of the Apes series was among the earliest movie tie-in toys, succeeded by popular Star Trek figures in 1975, which helped solidify franchise-based action figure collections.
Renowned for high-profile promotional events, Mego hosted extravagant gatherings at the New York American International Toy Fair, enhancing brand exposure. The 1975 launch of Wizard of Oz dolls featured surviving cast members; a Waldorf-Astoria event introduced Sonny & Cher dolls, which became best-sellers—Cher dolls topped sales charts in 1976—elevating Mego to sixth place among U.S. toy manufacturers by retail revenue.
In 1976, Martin Abrams negotiated with Japanese company Takara to import articulated 3-inch Microman toys marketed as "Micronauts" in America, generating peak revenues surpassing $30 million. However, Mego failed to secure licensing for Star Wars, which was obtained by competitor Kenner; Kenner’s smaller-scale figures revolutionized industry standards through that franchise’s immense popularity.
Reacting to Star Wars' market dominance, Mego acquired licenses for science fiction properties including Moonraker, Buck Rogers, The Black Hole, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Despite superior craftsmanship relative to Kenner’s smaller figures, these lines did not achieve comparable commercial success as consumer preferences shifted toward smaller-scale toys pioneered by Kenner’s Star Wars products.
By the late 1970s, Mego reported annual sales near $100 million. The company diversified into electronic toys such as the 2-XL robot and Fabulous Fred handheld games but encountered substantial financial setbacks due to underperforming products and operational challenges including warehouse pest infestations and legal disputes over trade secrets with Kenner. Between fiscal years 1980 and 1982, Mego experienced cumulative losses exceeding $50 million.
In February 1982, Mego shut down its offices and terminated remaining employees. The firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 14, 1982, ultimately dissolving in 1983.
Following bankruptcy, Martin Abrams co-established Abrams Gentile Entertainment (AGE) in 1986 to oversee Mego’s licensing rights. AGE endeavored to reclaim the Mego trademark during the mid-1990s but fully succeeded only by early 2009.
Currently based in Great Neck, with manufacturing operations located in China and Mexico, Mego has relaunched its classic product lines through collaborations with major retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart. Since 2018, new releases have included franchises like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, expanding their reach through international distribution partnerships.
Martin Abrams remains actively involved as a leading executive and public representative at comic conventions nationwide while working alongside brand ambassadors like Dr. Mego (Paul Clarke) to promote nostalgic product launches and maintain widespread retail availability.
Products history
Fighting Yank
This toy bore significant resemblance to GI Joe, with Hasbro demonstrating that its body design was directly copied from authentic GI Joe molds. Following legal threats from Hasbro, Mego discontinued this product line.
Broadway Joe Namath
An action figure modeled after New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath, offered wearing a Jets uniform with separate fashion accessories available during the 1970s.
Action Jackson
One of Martin Abrams's first original creations designed to rival Hasbro's G.I. Joe. Supported by extensive TV and newspaper advertising, this line included figures, vehicles, and playsets. It debuted successfully in 1971 but waned by 1974 when it was discontinued. Its body design was later repurposed for licensed eight-inch dolls.
Dinah Mite
Conceived as a female counterpart to Action Jackson, this fashion doll did not achieve commercial success; however, its body mold was reused for other licensed eight-inch female dolls.
World's Greatest Super Heroes!
Beginning in 1972, Mego introduced the first extensive collection of DC Comics and Marvel Comics hero and villain dolls under the "World's Greatest Super Heroes!" (WGSH) banner. Initial characters included Batman, Robin, Aquaman, and Superman. For South Africa, local hero Jet Jungle was incorporated. Packaging evolved from solid boxes to window-style designs enhancing visibility. This line continued until 1983.
Fashion dolls
Mego developed multiple fashion doll lines aimed at competing with Mattel's Barbie brand. The 1973 "Maddie Mod" series featured an expansive wardrobe plus a boyfriend figure named "Richie," but failed commercially. It was followed by "Dinah-Mite," an eight-inch poseable doll with boyfriend Don that also underperformed. Other attempts included "Beautiful Lainie," a nineteen-inch dancing doll, and "Candi," featuring "Coppertone Candi," co-branded with Coppertone sunscreen products.
TV and movie dolls
Building on successes with the 1974 Planet of the Apes and Star Trek: The Original Series lines, Mego expanded licensed figures to include franchises such as The Flintstones, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Our Gang, Starsky & Hutch, The Waltons, and Wizard of Oz.
In 1977, Mego released a Wonder Woman doll series featuring Lynda Carter portraying Wonder Woman along with accessories; this lineup also included Diana Prince in Navy Yeoman attire, Nubia, Queen Hippolyta, and Major Steve Trevor.
The company produced twelve-and-a-half-inch dolls tied to the 1978 Superman movie such as Superman himself, Jor-El, Lex Luthor, and General Zod.
During the early 1980s, Mego manufactured dolls and vehicles linked to popular TV shows including CHiPs, Dallas, Dukes of Hazzard, and The Greatest American Hero. While Dukes of Hazzard dolls enjoyed commercial success, offerings related to CHiPs and Dallas underperformed expectations.
Comic Action Heroes!
Introduced in 1975 as a cost-effective series featuring molded costumes on figures—which reduced production costs—this approach was later emulated by competitors such as Star Wars and Super Powers lines. Characters included DC Comics heroes like Batman, Robin, The Joker, and The Penguin alongside Marvel heroes Spider-Man, Captain America, and Hulk. In 1979 this line was renamed Pocket Super Heroes.
Celebrity dolls
Mego launched a twelve-and-a-half-inch celebrity doll line in 1976 that significantly boosted business growth. Initial releases featured Sonny and Cher, with famed designer Bob Mackie crafting an elaborate wardrobe for Cher dolls. Later celebrity figures included Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, Diana Ross, Suzanne Somers, Captain and Tennille, as well as Kiss during 1977–78. This line capitalized on popular culture icons to increase market share.
Micronauts
Between 1976 and 1980, Mego produced Takara's Microman figures under license as Micronauts. The successful three-and-three-quarter-inch toy line inspired Marvel Comics to launch a related comic book series from 1979 through 1986.
2-XL robot
In 1978 Martin Abrams acquired inventor Michael J. Freeman's educational toy robot called 2-XL which achieved commercial success internationally with voice tracks in seven languages. Combining play with learning via multiple game programs made it popular until interest declined around 1981 leading to discontinuation. Tiger Electronics later relaunched an upgraded version in the early ’90s using Freeman’s voice programming worldwide. The robot was part of Mego’s electronic games portfolio including Mini-Vid handheld games and Fabulous Fred devices.
Military dolls
Starting in 1976 Mego produced World War II-themed military figures primarily marketed in Europe and Australia under various brands predominantly "Lion Rock," their manufacturing division name. Released stateside around early ’80s as "Johnny Action" or "Combat Man," these six-inch figures aimed at competing with G.I. Joe and Spain’s Madelman but failed to capture significant market share.
Eagle Force
Among Mego’s final major product launches was Eagle Force, a two-and-three-quarter-inch die-cast action figure line co-created by Paul Kirchner marketed from 1981–82 during Ronald Reagan’s initial presidential term. This counter-terrorism themed collection sought to rival Hasbro's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series appealing to patriotic sentiments.
Reissued Marx playsets
Mego acquired molds from Louis Marx and Company, reissuing World War II soldier sets including Battleground (1980) and Navarone (1981) playsets along with Prehistoric Dinosaur, Fort Apache, and Galaxy Command sets originally produced by Marx.
Toys and games manufactured by Mego
Dolls
- Action Jackson (1971–74)
- CB McHaul line (1977) – figures/vehicles themed on CB radio craze
- Comic Action Heroes (1976–78) – three-and-three-quarter-inch DC Comics characters
- Eagle Force line (1982) – included playsets & vehicles
- Elastic Superheroes (1979–80) – stretchable figures rivaling Kenner's Stretch Armstrong featuring characters like Donald Duck Elastic version, Batman Elastic Hulk & Plastic Man
- Fighting Yank (1973–74) – discontinued after Hasbro legal challenge
- Johnny Action/Combat Man (~1981–82)
- Legends (1975) – historical/fantasy characters plus medieval playset
- Micronauts (1976–80)
- One Million B.C. (1976–77) – cave people & dinosaur figures
- Pocket Super Heroes (1980–82) – three-and-three-quarter-inch DC/Marvel characters plus vehicles/playsets
- Tarzan (1975) – three-inch bendable plastic poseable figure
- World's Greatest Super Heroes! (1972–83)
- DC Comics: Aquaman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Robin & two-seat Batmobile
- Marvel Comics: Captain America, Spider-Man Hulk Iron Man Thor
- American West Series (1974): Sitting Bull Davy Crockett Dodge City playset
- Mad Monster Series (74-75): Frankenstein Dracula Wolfman classic monsters
- Secret Identity Line (74): Montgomery Ward exclusive featuring alter egos Bruce Wayne Clark Kent Peter Parker
TV/movie dolls
- The Black Hole (Fall ’79) – twelve- & four-inch lines
- Buck Rogers (’79–’81) – twelve-inch line plus three-and-three-quarter inch figures & scaled spaceships
- CHiPs (’81–’82) – three-and-three-quarter inch figures
- UK-only Doctor Who line with Denys Fisher ('77-'78): nine-inch dolls including Fourth Doctor Leela K-9 Cyberman Dalek TARDIS
- Dukes of Hazzard ('81-'82)
- Flash Gordon ('78)
- Flintstones ('77)
- Greatest American Hero ('82)
- Happy Days ('77-'78): Fonzie Richie playsets motorcycle
- King Kong ('77)
- Laverne & Shirley ('78): main/supporting cast figures
- Lynda Carter Wonder Woman doll line ('77-'79): Wonder Woman Nubia Queen Hippolyta Major Steve Trevor
- Moonraker ('79)
- Our Gang ('76-'77)
- Planet of the Apes ('74-'77)
- Star Trek: TOS ('74-'76): eight-inch main crew nine aliens multiple playsets U.S.S Enterprise Transporter Room sets
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture ('79): three-and-three-quarter & twelve-inch lines plus Super Phaser II Target Game
- Starsky & Hutch ('76-'78)
- Superman ('78 movie): Superman Jor-El Lex Luthor General Zod
- Waltons ('74-'76)
- Wizard of Oz ('75)
Celebrity dolls
- Captain and Tennille ('77)
- Diana Ross ('77)
- Farrah Fawcett ('77-'78)
- Jaclyn Smith (~'77)
- Kiss band members ('78)
- Kristy McNichol ('78)
- Muhammad Ali ('76-'77)
- Sonny & Cher ('76-'78)
- Suzanne Somers (~'77)
Fashion dolls
- Candi (‘79)
- Dinah-Mite (‘73-‘75)
- Lainie (‘73), nineteen-inch doll
- Maddie Mod (‘73)
Electronic games/toys
- 2-XL robot (‘78-‘82)
- Batman Command Console (‘77)
- Fabulous Fred (‘80), handheld game device with ten games
- Time Out (‘80), brief rebranding of early Nintendo Game & Watch titles before Nintendo resumed original branding
- Mini-Vid (‘79), handheld electronic games including Break Free Spacewar
- Pulsonic baseball (‘80)
- Star Trek tricorder replica (‘76)
Games
- Ball Buster (‘75)
- Magnadoodle (‘78)
- Mazeroni (‘75)
- Obsession (‘78-‘79)
- See ‘N Drive (‘78)
- Sixth Sense (‘78-‘79)
Other products
- Beanie Buddies (‘78)
- Bubble Yum Baby (‘77), bubble-blowing doll co-branded with Bubble Yum
- Chills ‘N Thrills stunt car game (‘75)
- Clown Around (‘81)
- Commander Zack Power Lightning Cycle (‘75)
- Dare Bros toy glider (‘75)
- Doodlebugs wooden cars (‘78-‘79)
- Dune Machine dune buggy toy (‘80)
- Evel Knievel bike accessories (‘75)
- Luv’n’Stuff soft animal characters (‘75)
- Magnanimals wooden animals vehicles playsets including Disney characters (‘78)
- Poz ‘N Play (‘78)
- Puppet Love (‘78)
- Speed Burners diecast cars competing against Matchbox Hot Wheels (mid-70s)
- Woodies wooden preschool toys (‘73)
"Mego Melt"
A known deterioration phenomenon affecting several Mego dolls involves chemical reactions between plastic torsos and rubber limbs causing melting around joint areas such as shoulders or hips; this often results in costumes adhering permanently to bodies. Exposure to heat during storage accelerates this degradation which also affects hair fibers and eyelashes adversely impacting longevity and collector valuation.
In popular culture
Between 1996–2011 Mego’s eight-inch superhero dolls gained renewed popularity via ‘’Twisted ToyFare Theater’’—initially called ‘’Twisted Mego Theatre’’—a photo comic strip published monthly in ‘’ToyFare’’ magazine by Wizard Entertainment featuring humorous scenarios using these figures accompanied by dialogue balloons; it earned acclaim within comic book circles with selected strips compiled into separate volumes.
Mego-style dolls also appear frequently on adult-oriented sketches featured on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim program ‘’Robot Chicken’’, launched in 2005 directly inspired by ‘’Twisted ToyFare Theater’’ sharing writers across both productions.
See also
Sources consulted
- Bonavita John: ‘’Mego Action Figure Toys’’, Third Edition (2001)
- Holcomb Benjamin: ‘’Mego Eight-Inch Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys!’’(2008), TwoMorrows Publishing
- Scott Sharon M.: ‘’Toys And American Culture: An Encyclopedia’’, ABC-CLIO(2010)
Further reading
- Jones Jonathon(2015). ’’Mego World’s Greatest Super-Heroes: An Action Figure Field Guide’’. Amazon.com ASIN B019BAYWMG
- Zenker Gary(2013). Ultimate DC Comics Action Figures And Collectibles Checklist White Lightning Publishing
External links
Mego Museum — authoritative source on company history/toys
Mego Museum Forum — community discussion boards
Official site for annual collector convention
Facebook page for MegoMeet convention
Comprehensive listing of action figures/accessories
Foreign Mego — focus on international editions
Megocollector — guide covering Star Trek/other lines
- Toy companies of the United States
- Defunct toy manufacturers
- Action figures
- DC Comics action figure lines
- Marvel Comics action figure lines
- Defunct companies based in New York City
- American companies established in 1954
- Toy companies established in 1954
- 1954 establishments in New York (state)
- King Kong (franchise)
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment