Posted By Dan Greenfield on Mar 18, 2025 | 2 comments

SNEAK PEEK at TOY-VENTURES #13: 13 FACTS about MEGO’s aborted 1983 plans…

By BRIAN HEILER

The next issue of Plaid Stallions’ Toy-Ventures Magazine (shipping later in March) will begin a four-part series called “Mego 1983” and it will showcase former president Marty Abram’s recently discovered playbook for the year. Had Mego not gone bankrupt in 1982, the toy market would have been rocked by some very competitive moves by the World’s Greatest Toy Company.

Here are 13 FACTS from the series. The issue also includes features on Aquaman, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek and more.

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1. Mego Had a Superhero Line in the Works Called “Trans-Mutants.” These 6-inch figures would have allowed you to twist and turn the figure from an ordinary person to a Mutant Superhero. While this seems commonplace now, it was possibly a game changer for 1983.

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2. 1983 Would See Mego Abandon the 8-Inch Figure Format. The scale that Mego pioneered in 1972 would not return in 1983 as Mego looked to go in a drastically new direction.

3. World’s Greatest Superheroes Would Be Rebooted in 1983. The year would have seen the ambitious launch of a different toy line for Mego, consisting of five figures and a plethora of new vehicles in an entirely new scale.

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4. Of Those Five Superheroes, One Was a New Marvel Character. Mego’s fifth character in the revised WGSH line will be a great shock to fans, when they pick up Toy-Ventures #13. It’s an iconic character that many of us requested growing up.

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5. The Hulk Did Not Appear in Mego’s 1983 Plans. Due to the cancellation of the television series and possibly the glut of Hulk merchandise clogging the shelves, the character is absent in the Mego catalogue for the first time since 1975.

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6. Mego Was Planning Three Additional New Action-Figure Lines for 1983. In conjunction with the superheroes, planned lines included pirates and one based on Hollywood stunt performers.

7. Mego Had Licensed “The Magic Castle” for a Toy Line. According to former director of research and development Bill Baron, the inspiration for the toy line came from Marty Abrams’ appreciation for the legendary magic club, and Mego was set to market a series of illusions and tricks for kids, such as the “St. George’s Revenge” in which you make a dragon disappear.

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8. The Micronauts Were Returning for 1983. Mego planned to launch a figure line called “Microids” in the new scale. The paperwork for this line mentions it is a return for the Micronauts, but the new villain’s name — which you’ll learn in the magazine — will have you in stitches if you’re a Mego fan.

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9. Eagle Force Was Going to Outer Space. Mego’s 1983 plans included a pretty spectacular second year for Eagle Force, the die-cast military line they launched in 1982. This year would see the Eagle Force head into outer space with a slew of new vehicles to protect the world from R.I.O.T.

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10. Licensing Was Out. The entire 1983 playbook suggested a homegrown approach to toy making, which was the market trend with Mattel’s Masters of the Universe and Hasbro’s GI Joe sweeping the market. Mego’s sole licenses for 1983 included the DC and Marvel comics lines, The Magic Castle, and Jordache fashion dolls, which were planned to continue for the ladies.

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11. Domino Dinosaurs. Mego’s successful Domino Rally series of toys, promoted by Cathy Lee Crosby, was expected to return, with the integration of prehistoric monsters into the line.

12. Return of the Blimp. One of Mego’s more ambitious toy concepts was 1982’s The Blimp, a remote-controlled toy that required helium. While it failed to catch on that year, Mego planned to add it to the Eagle Force line in 1983.

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13. Mr. Chameleon. The most interesting concept of 1983 was “Mr. Chameleon,” which tells the tale of Max Cannon, a super-spy aided by his assistant and computer/karate expert Linda. No one has ever seen Cannon’s face, as he’s a master of disguise known as “Mr. Chameleon.”

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Brian Heiler’s Toy-Ventures #13 is available for pre-order for $10.99, plus shipping. Click here for a broader SNEAK PEEK.

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MORE

— The TOP 13 Classic MEGO Superhero Designs — RANKED. Click here.

— The TOP 13 MARVEL MEGOs We’d Like to See – RANKED. Click here.