Back in the day, the term “action figure” had not yet been coined, so there was no stigma to having boys play with “dolls”. When Hasbro coined the term “action figure” for the G.I.Joe line, the tide started to turn. Mego started producing their lines of figures in 1971 and was caught between these two frames of mind. So ads from the time often state “dolls”, yet others seem to dance around it. It is always fun to see what they are called: “Collectible Miniatures”, “Super Figures”, ect.

 

Mego was a brilliant company. Instead of creating a line to just mimic G.I.Joe, they got licensed properties that kids are already familiar with and wanted to create new adventures for. Then, in order to save production costs, they release the figures reusing body parts from other lines and really the only new parts they needed to create for each figure was the head and the clothing. What was a cost saving trick turned into a kid’s wonderland. Figures were the same size and all cloths and accessories could be interchanged. I could have Captain Kirk beam down to the Planet of the Apes. Then, with help from Superman and Tarzan, defeat the damned, dirtiest ape of them all, King Kong!

 

For your enjoyment, here are a few advertisements for Mego’s Star Trek line. Though the figures came out around the time of the Animated Series, they mostly borrow from the live action series. The crew looks really good, with the classic phasers and uniforms.

 

Aliens also look good, but there are some liberties. I especially like the Gorn, labeled as “Half Man, Half Beast”. The Gorn was also made from the head of The Lizard (Spider-Man villian) and the clothes of a Klingon. Thus, looking nothing like the Gorn we know. Perhaps this was the first Gorn sub-species we will learn later from comics, video games, and Enterprise episodes.

 

Then, there is the Neptunian who was never in any episode of Trek (Live Action or Animated). I guess the thought was to borrow from myth (similar to Romulus, Remus, Vulcan, etc), so they just made up an aquatic species and named it after Neptune. The figure is actually awesome and I wish someone who grew up with the toys would try and create a comic story with them in it. Who would not want Pine Era Kirk fighting that in an Ongoing issue?

 

WATCH COMMERCIAL

Mego also did a line based on Star Trek The Motion Picture. That will have to be for another post, because it too had some great ads.

 

All in all, it would have been good to collect these. I got my hands on a few as a child, so I know how much fun they were. Now they have released most of them, so you can find them from time to time at your local Toys R Us (or any online toy shop).

Watch Mojo listed today their top 10 star Trek films, regardless of the franchise. While I do not agree with the exact order, I do think it is worth a watch for anyone who has their own list and want to compare.  Click link below and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday’s we try to focus on Trek stories and parodies that cannot be considered canon by any stretch of the imagination. Though we will try stick with comics, we will not be limited to them.

 

Today’s Story: Muppet Babies #13: Out of This World (Marvel/Star, May 1987)

 

The Muppet Babies the TV show aired from 1984 to 1990. A generation of children grew-up watching infant versions of the Muppets doing what Muppets do best, parodying mainstream entertainment.  The cartoon itself was a spin-off/parody of an imaginary sequence within the movie The Muppets Take Manhattan.

 

Around this time, Marvel Comic created a new imprint to focus on “Kiddie Comics” called Star Comics. Star Comics released comic book versions of Alf, Masters of the Universe, Spider-Ham, and in 1985 they released a comic book series based on the Muppet Babies cartoon. Within its 26 issue run, the Muppets parodied classic tales like “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Robin Hood”  as well as the modern movies of time like Star Wars and Star Trek. The Trek universe was parodied on several occasions, one such being issue 13’s story titled “Out of This World”.

 

 

Written by Bill Prady  and Art by Marie Severin. The story tells the tale of the USS Swinetrek (same ship used in classic “Pigs in Space” segments in The Muppet Show), now captained by Captain Kermit and crewed by Spock (Gonzo), Scotty (Rowlf), Sulu (Scooter) and Chekov (Skeeter). En route to return Princess Piggy to her home world, the ship runs out of fuel. Forced to make an emergency stop, they arrive at the planet Jokeville and with a name like Jokesville, you can expect that the comedy soon unfurls. Wokka Wokka!

 

Story is only one half of the book, so a short read and worth the current asking price, usually under a buck.

 

Episode 163 is complete and ready for download iTunes or on “Listen to Podcast” page.

 

We take a break from Marvel’s 90’s run to join the new movie timeline. This week we cover Khan #1 – 3, and we learn once and for all how this new Khan relates to original Space Seed Khan. A very enjoyable story.

 

For those following at home, the following is a list of upcoming episodes if you want to read along with us.

 

Episode 164 – IDW – Khan #4 – 5 & Ongoing #29
Episode 165 – IDW – Ongoing #30 – 32
Episode 166 – GOLD KEY #17
Episode 167 – Nineties #93: Unlimited #3 – 4

 

 

We are having some technical difficulties, Episode 163 (our first in the Khan mini series) was posted this weekend. However, it is not showing available in iTunes. I am looking into it and hope it will be corrected shortly.