As a child I knew all of the various superheroes, but the only one that captured my fascination and has kept with me for nearly forty years was Adam West's Batman. As did many children, I had Batman toys but none that were really Adam and the gang. Due to licensing reasons these just didn't exist until around five years ago. The closest thing around was a line of 8 inch clothed action figures by a company called Mego. In the 1970's, Mego's "Worlds Greatest Superheroes" figures were treasured by a generation of children growing up on then-fresh reruns of the 1966-68 Batman TV series. While the figures of Batman, Robin, Batgirl, The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler, and Catwoman weren't spot on recreations of the TV characters by any means, this is what they had. Mego also had success with figures of characters from The Dukes of Hazzard, Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, and Muhammad Ali just to name a few. Sadly, by the early '80s, changes in the industry and some bad decisions saw the company close. Though I didn't own the Mego figures myself, I did learn of the company, which closed right around the time that I was born, since those toys were the closest thing from the era of the show.
Fast forward to 2018 and Mego Corporation has returned. Beginning with an exclusive contract with Target (opening up to more stores in 2019), the popular 8-inch figures have returned with a mix of new properties and recreations of past successes. Most recently a line of "Legends" has slowly been released including Ali, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee, and Elvis. But the big news on this blog? Mego has finally produced a wrestling figure. Who bigger and better to start with than Andre the Giant?
Andre has had more than his fair share of figures over the years, including two Mego-styled figures by Figures Toy Company years ago, but here he is as the first official Mego wrestler. The style is his heel 1987-1989 "black strap" look, and seeing as that Mego is synonymous with the 1970's, I'd have preferred "afro" Andre as pictured on the back of the card. The strap is on the wrong side, as it was the first time that this look was transformed into an action figure by LJN for the Wrestling Superstars line back in 1989. It can be removed and switched around, but Mego has included a small piece of adhesive on the back so that the strap stays in place.
If you're looking for an exact likeness with your action figures, you should not be collecting Mego. It wasn't possible in the 1970's (although MANY Mego figures across the licenses had great likenesses regardless), and that has been reflected in the revival of the company. If Mego had returned only to produce figures resembling those produced by other companies, what would the point have been? Andre is 8 inches tall, just like the other figures by Mego. He isn't any taller, nor is anything but his head any bigger. While some may be off-put by this, it's very charming. Aside from the era of Andre being represented, this is the Andre figure you would've had back then.
In addition to the removable singlet, you get a folding chair and a thin plastic championship belt. Both again retain Mego charm, but have little value compared to the accessories included with the Ali figure and others. The chair is small and theorized by the fine folks at the Mego Museum forums to have been intentionally produced as such to look tiny in the hands of the Giant. It does not actually fold and unfold. The belt is made with what could best be described as the plastic that might be used for a wristband or a sale tag at a retail store. It is thin. The design is obviously based off of the WWF "winged eagle" belt with any copyrighted markings removed.
This figure isn't for everyone. Me? I love it. Though there may have been earlier examples, Mego really revolutionized the action figure. I continue to love the rich, and fun, history of the company and have embraced its return. It's a throwback that's not only sticking to its roots but adding to them. I understand why Andre was added to the line, and that doesn't necessarily mean we'll see more wrestlers, but it would be cool. I would love to see more '70s stars of the ring produced by Mego. Bruno, Dusty, and Mascaras? I'll even take a '70s Andre. At $12.99 a pop, how can you go wrong?
Long live The Giant, and the return of Mego.
When you're talking wrestling figures, you have to be talking Mattel. Unfortunately, the company which holds the WWE license decided to louse up a lot of the fun of collecting by making many of the most desirable characters limited. This practice looks to be continuing into 2020 much to the pleasure of no one. Two great figures were released in that asinine way, those being Pat Patterson and Sensational Queen Sherri. Patterson saw his first ever action figure in an over 60 year career while Sherri saw only her third and arguably coolest.
The company most famous for Barbie wasn't done there with creating cool figures or cancelling cool figure lines. At long last, "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel made his debut in the WWE Retro figure line. The line was virtually a continuation of the legendary Hasbro WWF figure collection of the 1990s. While Diesel was planned for that line, the figure never saw the light of day. In 2019 Diesel was finally produced in the beloved style...and the line was abruptly cancelled. Thanks again, Mattel.
