Monday, July 31, 2006

Oh Happy Day


I decided to go to what I think is the grossest flea market in the world yesterday, it's a very short drive from my home yet, I never go. Why? Because it smells in there.

Seriously, I was kind of hungry when I went in but quickly lost my appetite. It's an old barn where the vendors just stack the crap to the ceiling. About a year previous there was a dealer with a bunch of old catalogs, he was rude and wanted to sell everything as a set (including dime a dozen summer/falls bleah!) and I hadn't been back since.

As I was leaving yesterday, i noticed a box under a guys table and began to scrounge, it was old fliers mostly but at the bottom was a SHOPRITE CATALOG! (those unfamiliar with my obessesion with that store click now)

I also grabbed this one for "Cardinal" a chain i have not heard of nor does the catalog list locations or anything for that matter. Wonder how they could have gone under?


The bittersweet portion of this is that the Shoprite toy section kind of sucks in this one, damn my memory. Also there isn't a scrap of Mego to be seen. Still they'll be scanned in great detail shortly.



Also picked this up for me and the boy on Saturday, I vowed not to buy fisher price adventure people but this one over powered me. The chute works just as good as I remember.

Friday, July 28, 2006

One of the lamest action figure sets ever

whats that girl, you re bored out of your skull

I pretty much dig any action figures from the 1970's but even I can't see the play value of Lassie.

Oh boy, it comes with Timmy! He and Lassie can do farm chores on their playset?

There's not even a well for Timmy to fall down! This may replace the Mego Waltons and fall just slightly below the Sunshine family on my lame-o-meter.


I don't actually have any sort of scale to rate lameness....

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Space Shield and Space Sword

the infamous space sword space shield combo
Does anyone remember these? I had both of them, they were Star Wars knock offs that somehow transcended their source material.

I'm not sure if these were sold stateside but I imagine they were. The sword (lightsabre) itself was ok but that shield just set it out of the stratosphere. It acted as a sheath and had all kinds of cool doo dads on the inside.

If anyone has any info on these puppies, drop me a line!

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Beware the dreaded His "n" Her!


I've never been terribly obsessed with being thought of as Macho but even I can't fathom the guy that would wear His "n" Her Pjs, especially flowery Kabuki ones like these. I would also think twice about friends I knew who did this, it's so "Stepford".

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Revenge of the Amish Lingerie

MegoSteve sent me this painfully funny picture this morning based on my comments in my original "Amish Lingerie" post. Looks like the Sith ain't gona get no loving either.....

now thats sexless

Monday, July 24, 2006

I got to meet Lou Scheimer!


Lou Scheimer signed my Mego Isis CardAt San Diego Comic Con this weekend, a woman handed me a Filmation Flash Gordon Tattoo, I quickly told her that i was a fan. She replied "We have Lou Scheimer signing this afternoon" I completely lost it. Even as a kid I equated that name to countless Filmation Cartoons.

I was there at 2pm on the nose for the signing, second in line behind a young She-Ra fan. I brought a Mego Museum Isis Card from Mark's table to get him to sign. Mr Scheimer was a real gentleman, while I explained that I got my appreciation for Tarzan from him, his daughter explained to me "Oh Dad loves Tarzan" How cool is that? The item on the left might be my favourite thing I got this weekend.

More SDCC coverage at the Mego Museum Blog

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Amish Lingerie

I ll tell you what it is after you drink it

Wow, I think I see a little foot there, whew! Getting hot in here. Not that I expect women to wear pvc cat suits to bed but this is the north American equivalent of the Burca.

I think the mother's hat is the true indicator that she's done with fornication for good. It kind of reminds of those royal guard guys from Star Wars.
I'll never complain about my wife's ratty basketball shirt again........
On that note, Plaid Stallions is going offline for the rest of the week, so I can cover San Diego Comic Con for the Megomuseum. Next week, I'll promise more tacky clothes, toys and even less direction!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

A little Something for the Ladies!

Can I interest you in a white whine spritzer

Simpsons-Sears thought so much of Brick Mantooth here that they gave him a double page spread. Imagine the arouma of Hai Karate and Cognac that probably oozes out of this guy. Looks like a guy used to complicate matters in a Love Boat plot.

I'm just glad no one saw me scanning this image, it could have raised questions.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Woolco's Toy Land

Woolco Toy land circa 1979
When I was last researching at the library, I came across this cool old newspaper circular for Woolco Catalog stores. Which I don't even remember existing and according to this flier there was one a block from where i was BORN!
You don't see cool ads like this anymore. I had all of the Star Wars toys in this flier, I really kind of said "goodbye" to my Mego Superheroes by this point. I even remember my mom saying "whatever happened to Superman and Batman?"

Oddly enough, I have no nostalgia for Star Wars either these days. Somehow I think George Lucas will survive.......

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The Power of TV Advertising: Iggy and Sandy

its iggy and sandy arent they great? no?

The amazing Iggy and Sandy made it onto my Christmas 1976 wishlist, they are a cone and a box that shape snow/sand. The people in the commercial made them look like they were more fun than a day at Disneyland with Batman.
What the hell was I thinking? I was risking losing cool toys for these things?
Luckily I screwed up their names, I think I called it "Igoo" because the commercial was on during the Herculoids and my Mom just ignored it. Phew!
One the Mego side, I updated my "Other" site ForeignMego today with new France and South Africa Gallery pages, enjoy!

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Reasons it rocked to be 6 in '76 Part three: Six Million Dollar Man



Kenner's Six Milllion Dollar Man line rocked my world as a kid. I think it was incredibly popular, my mother said she nearly got killed getting the first Steve Austin doll for that Christmas.

Maskatron may have been the perfect toy,I mean it's a robot doll with John Saxon's head! (note that the masks in this catalog pic hadn't been painted yet) I even thought the Oscar Goldman doll was cool, plaid jacket and all.

What's weird is, toy junkie that I am, I have almost no desire to buy these toys now. I'm simply numb to them, it's strange. Maybe it's a good thing.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Reasons it rocked to be 6 in '76 Part two: Big Jim

Big Jim wolf PACK rocked my world

Big Jim was always there when I was a kid, he first burst on the scene as a Sports outdoor type guy in 1972, every kid I know was issued that Camper of his. He was good, not great.

In 1975, Mattel turned him into a bad ass Super Spy and leader of the P.A.C.K, (Professional Agents Crime Killers) the boxes had Jack Kirby art, Jim went up several points in my book.

What's truly unique about Big Jim to me is, he was the first toyline that i saw die. In the Spring of 1977, my family visited Sears and my sole purpose was to get a new member of the P.A.C.K to go with the Torpedo Fist I had gotten the previous fall.

When we went to Sears, there was no Big Jim section. I asked a Stock boy and he said "Big Jim? they don't make him anymore". It was a lot of information to process when you're six. Luckily for me, the stock boy was a nice guy and went into the back room, he pulled out a boxed Gold Commander that was going on clearance, it was complete. I literally got the last Big Jim in the store.

Twenty years later, at a toy show in Toronto, I saw a dealer put that same Canadian boxed Gold Commander on a table, it never actually hit the table as I simply took it straight from his hands. I think at the time, I overpaid by about $20 but honestly, I wasn't going home without him. It's still in my collection to this day!


Big Jim wolf PACK rocked my world

Friday, July 07, 2006

Reasons it rocked to be 6 in '76 Part one : GI Joe

The GI Joe Super Adventure Team Rocked!
A couple of disclaimers, I was five for the majority of 1976 but that doesn't make for an interesting title.

Secondly, I was a boy, girls toys for all I know sucked in 1976, I would not be aware.

It was very disapointing to read in collector books that the GI Joe Super Adventure Team is not well regarded among collectors.

For me characters such as Bulletman and Mike Power Atomic Man represent when things got really cool for GI Joe. I spent hours playing with those two.

But nothing and I mean nothing, screams 1976 for me like the Capture Copter (pictured above). I remember every single detail about that piece, when i got it, the box art, how mad i was when my mom stopped to pick strawberries on the way home from the store, locking it in the car!

I think it's time that 30somethings took back the Super Adventure team from the "painted hair" collectors and rewrote the "footnote" history, so attrocities like this will not continue.....

Do not mock Bulletman
Agggghhhh! You Dare to Mock Bulletman? then suffer my wrath!
And cover up for Gosh's sakes!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

They're called Space Boots, Dur!

Space Boots, who would have thunk it?

Anyone who grew up in the 70's (in a part of North America that experienced snow) would remember these fashionable numbers on the playground.

For years, I kept asking people "remember those Space Boot things kids wore?" but not knowing their actual name. Well, they're actually called Space Boots, what a surpected exprise.

Toy stuff: This month's Toyshop Magazine features a whole 70's Superhero tribute, Evel Knievel, Mego Superheroes and Energized Spider-Man are the topics at hand. Support the newly revised Toyshop and pick up a copy today!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

The Terrycloth Jumpsuit: Designed by Satan



Men don't need excuses to dress poorly. To this day, I have friends who wear their pajama bottoms out in public, I feel uncomfortable for them.

That's why this snazzy outfit bugs me so much, it's made of terry cloth so essentially it's towel pants!

Tell me this happy extra from Space:1999 didn't think twice about wandering off to his kid's little league game in his bathtub suit. Blech, you just know he's naked under there, let's not even get into the powder blue number.....

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

What exactly were Pulsar's powers?

Let me just take my shirt off

When i first saw the commercial for Mattel's Pulsar, I admit I wanted one but even then, I wondered what exactly was the advantage to having a see through chest.
Was it a good for fighting crime, did bank robbers drop their guns in order to vomit?
Pulsar's enemy was named Hypnos and is pictured above, he had the same issues as Pulsar but he's not as gross. There is a back story here that the world needs to know, how come we have erotic stories for Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers but not a decent Pulsar origin story?

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Shogun Warriors Commercial



Ah memories, who didn't want that Godzilla?