Vintage Mego: Origins of Mego Apes

Vintage Mego this week is all about the insider scoop on how Mego secured the Planet of the Apes licensed, the hottest selling toys for Christmas 1974. Including a glimpse at the original hand made prototypes that still exist in a private collection.

MegoMuseum Planet of the Apes Galleries:

[johnalucard]

And Mego is bringing this line I'm so

[kprimm]

Mego and Kenner (Apes and Star Wars) are my very favorite lines of all time.

[nostalgicforthes]

I know there is a huge mego fan following for the star trek line but for me it was about the planet of the apes. Had the tree house that was fantastic.

[speedmastermarkiii]

I bought a Mego Dr Zira from a Woolworths bargain bin for 50 cents here in Australia around 1977. It was a very brave thing back then for a 9 year-old boy to buy a female doll, even if it was a chimpanzee. That's how much I loved Planet of the Apes.

[legiontheatregroup]

I was the perfect age for these and recall an oddity from the time (probably 1974). There were coin operated vending macines selling roughly doll size color stickers of the POTA characters. Two unusual things about those stickers, which I had mounted on my bedroom door: they were each photographs of a MEGO doll, rather than a human actor in ape makeup, and when photographed Cornelius had been dessed with his shirt on backwards. 50 years later, I thought I'd better tell someone...

[tennisisluv]

Thanks for the prototype photos. This was my favorite toy before Star Wars

[Glenn]

My brothers and I, and other kids in our neighborhood, played with the POTA figures and playsets endlessly. It is true that licensed toy tie-ins to films or even TV series tended to sell poorly, with one exception -- Walt Disney's animated feature length films, dating all the way back to Snow White. By 1959's debut of Sleeping Beauty, a plethora of toy merchandise was on the shelves. But Mego nailed the renewed interest in the films and short lived (sadly) TV series with this fantastic playline.

[TheScaryCloset]

Thank you for this great video. As one of the biggest Mego Apes collectors I am so thrilled to see this line finally getting some love. I sent an email to Mego museum to share some of my rare Mego Apes a while back but no one returned my messages so I just thought that Apes were of no concern as the Super Heroes line is the main focus for most Mego collectors. Once again thank you for this awesome post. #MegoWantsYouToGoApe 🦍👍

[morlockmeat]

Ya gotta remember - the original POTA film was for adults. No way they were going to have any success merchandising the film. Although, I did have the entire collection of trading cards issued in '68, there was nothing else available until the 3rd Apes film was made in the early 70's. Then the merchandising exploded! The films started becoming more kid-oriented. Then the demand for a TV series was going full steam after the 5th and final Ape film. More merchandising. I, of course, went ape with it. Was in love with the Ape films since the first, even though I was not allowed to see it upon it's original release. Still are very fond of them.🙈🙉🙊

[marottamonster]

Thanks for the video it’s cool to see so many fans of the series still interested in the series. Had Zaius & the Gorilla soldier when they were released wanted the astronaut but was so bummed when they released him looking the way he did, as I was hoping for that super cool spacesuit that Heston, and the rest of the POTA movie astronauts wore.

[johnwild]

Quite possibly your best upload. But I think the same thing after every video you post. Thanks for all the great information you're sharing. Just awesome.

[billpagan]

Another great review friend😁👍
If my memory serves me right there also was a rare cap gun made that collectors really go after. I briefly collected vintage cap guns years ago and I remember seeing pics of it.

[stretchyhulk]

Great video! I was a little too young for the 8 inch figures but I had lots of fun with the bendies.

[michaelcasalta]

Another Great video, keep it up!!! I loved MEGO POTA’s toys, I had all the original figures, except Zira. I also had the action stallion, the Forbidden Zone play set, the Treehouse play set, and the Fortress playset!!!

[LannieLord]

The Addar model kits were the FIRST Apes merchandise released on the horizon of Ape Mania '74. The kits may have been out as early as 1973 . Maybe ?

[justanotherghost]

For me the big 3 of MEGO was Worlds greatest Super heroes, Star trek & POTA, the other lines never achieved that level of royalty n MEGO bloodline of 8 inch figures but set the bar very high.

[wayneperry]

The astronaut turned out to be great, he was my favorite as a child,

[AcroRay]

Excellent piece, Brian! Great encapsulation of all the facts, folks and artifacts!

[JoeyNYSDnomad]

I wish they had made a mego soldier ape that was pictured on the action stallion box.

[anthonycrnkovich]

I got my first Mego ape action figure (Dr. Zaius) in early August, '74 while recovering in the hospital.