Mego Corporation
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
|---|---|
| Successor | Abrams Gentile Entertainment LLC |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Founders | D. David Abrams and Madeline Abrams |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Headquarters | 41 Madison Avenue, New York City, United States |
|
Key people
|
Martin B. Abrams, Neil Kublan, Vincent Baiera |
| Products | dime store toys, action figures, celebrity & fashion dolls, games, electronic toys |
The Mego Corporation was a toy company founded in 1954. Originally known as a purveyor of dime store toys, in 1971 the company shifted direction and became famous for producing licensed action figures (including the long-running "World's Greatest Super Heroes" line), celebrity dolls, and the Micronauts toy line. For a time in the 1970s, their line of 8-inch-scale action figures with interchangeable bodies became the industry standard.
In 1982 Mego filed for bankruptcy, and by 1983, the Mego Corporation ceased to exist; today, Mego action figures and playsets are highly prized collectibles, with some fetching thousands of dollars in the open collectibles market.
Mego was founded in 1954 by D. David Abrams and Madeline Abrams. The company thrived in the 1950s and early 1960s as an importer of dime store toys until the rising cost of newspaper advertising forced Mego to change its business model. In 1971, the Abrams' son Martin, a recent business school graduate, was named company president.
Under Martin Abrams' direction, the company shifted its production to action figures with interchangeable bodies. Generic bodies could be mass-produced and different figures created by interposing different heads and costumes on them.
In 1972 Mego secured the licenses to create toys for both National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) and Marvel Comics. The popularity of this line of 8" figures — dubbed "The World's Greatest Super Heroes" — created the standard action figure scale for the 1970s.
Mego began to purchase the license rights of motion pictures, television programs, and comic books, eventually producing action figure lines for Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, and the Wizard of Oz. Mego also obtained licenses from Edgar Rice Burroughs for his creations, such as Tarzan.
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