Just to clarify, it is the EMCE Toys brand of SphereWerx that has brought back these Mego figures, distributed through Diamond’s existing license with CBS.

Paul “Dr. Mego” Clarke is my partner on this endeavor, and the Abrams family are participants in the venture, but it was EMCE that birthed the project.

Although we are pleased that Diamond has facilitated the release of these toys, it is continually distressing to see the implication that they created this line from wholecloth fostered in the fan press.

My next door neighbor had the Planet of the Apes Megos, I had Star Trek. Every Saturday (after their respective animated series) we would play Star Trek on the Planet of the Apes. Good Times.

We beat the hell out of those figures. So much so that I thought enough to get a SECOND set for archive purposes, thinking to myself “hey, these are not going to get produced forever, and I will probably want a set in the future”. So, I have Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scottie, Uhura, and the Klingon all on the original cards (with a cut on the bubble for ingress/egress), my cardboard Enterprise playset, my original beat-to-hell Gorn with Doc Mego repro clothes, a custom Sulu I scored off eBay, and Doc Mego’s Romulan (both with the hard heads). I sold my Keeper at a Garage Sale, as I considered it non-canon and needed to be purged from my collection. Never had a Cheron, nor a Neptunian, as my next door neighbor had those, and we always palyed together, I never thought I needed my own.

My wife fully understands that in the event of a fire, she is to “SAVE THE MEGOS ! ! ! !”

I am eager to get the repro Andorian and a soft headed Romulan with vac-metal helmet.

I fully expect this line to include Sulu and hopefully Chekov and some aliens that look like they were from the show, not repros of Mego’s Aliens, which, with the exception of Andorian and Romulan were awful. Nah, who am I kidding ? I’ll buy every last one !

Oh, and don’t get any hopes up for any of the Ladies of Trek. Doc Mego has not reproduced the female Mego; he uses something called Breyer Girls, which besides being out-of-scale to the males, I am sure would violate some copyright to resell as Uhura, Chapel, Rand etc.

And DST is remaking the Planet of the Apes too. WOO HOO ! !

From Diamond Select Toys:

The next property to join Diamond Select Toys & Collectibles’ growing library of licenses is none other than the 1968 classic that introduced the world to damn, dirty apes, Planet of the Apes! With five feature films, two television series, comic books and more – the Planet of the Apes universe has been a part of popular culture for the past forty years. Now with DST at the helm, new Planet of the Apes merchandise will be hitting stores next year!

As with their successful Star Trek license DST has partnered with Emce Toys to release an array of ape-related products, beginning with reproductions of the hugely popular eight-inch cloth retro figures originally released by Mego in 1974! Beginning with the classic Cornelius and Ursus figures, fans of the original retro-style figures will be able to add these timeless collectibles to their collections complete with their original accessories and packaging style. Further assortments will include the popular Dr. Zaius and Dr. Zira as well as other figures from the classic line!

“The first Planet of the Apes toys were produced by Mego – a fact which has guaranteed these innovators a place in toy history,” said Michael Leavey, Sales and Marketing Supervisor for Diamond Select Toys. “Since their designs have withstood the test of time and become legends in the toy industry, it’s only natural to introduce these classic collectibles to the next generation of fans.”

Starting in 1974, Mego released their eight-inch cloth figures to phenomenal fan response. The runaway success of the Planet of the Apes franchise led the company to expand into playsets and other accessories. Available in 2008, the first Planet of the Apes figures in this classic style in more than twenty-five years will be Cornelius the chimpanzee and Ursus the gorilla. Just as with their original releases, both will feature traditional articulation, cloth uniforms and plastic accessories.

PLEASE, for the love of god, PLEASE let this happen. At $100-$800 or more a pop, I can’t afford the originals. During my childhood youth, there was no other toy which gave me more pure pleasure than Mego’s WGSH line.

Furthermore, Marvel/Toy Biz already released a sort of tribute 9-inch line in the late 90’s/early 2000’s called “Famous Covers” while DC/Hasbro got into the clothed 9-inch act 3 years ago with their “Silver Age” series.

“Famous Covers” eventually failed, but this year, Hasbro (now handling the Marvel license) released another Marvel 9-inch series called the Signature Series.

With tributes existing (or available through eBay), only a groundswell of Mego fan requests and a visible profit worth the costs would push DC & Marvel to give a green light on Mego reissues.