top of page
Marty Abrams Presents Mego
Visit our social media
MEGO Origins
MEGO Origins
MEGO was started in 1954 by David and Madeline Abrams - Marty's parents - as a small toy company selling plastic western hero gift sets to retailers looking for toys for more than just at Christmas time. When Barbie debuted in 1959, there were not enough outfits to satisfy the demand, so MEGO started making new costumes and dolls in that size called Maddie Mod - named after Marty's mother.
In 1964 GI Joe came onto the toy shelves and MEGO expanded their toy line with Fighting Yank with more uniforms and accessories to go with him. After several more years of successfully riding the coattails of the toy industry, MEGO decided to make their own action figure brand. Action Jackson was for the boys and Dyna-Mite was for the girls.
MEGO Origins
MEGO was started in 1954 by David and Madeline Abrams - Marty's parents - as a small toy company selling plastic western hero gift sets to retailers looking for more toys than just at Christmas time. When Barbie debuted in 1959, there were not enough outfits to satisfy the demand, so MEGO started making new costumes and dolls in that scale called Maddie Mod - named after Marty's mother.
​
In 1964 GI Joe came onto the toy shelves and MEGO expanded their toy line with Fighting Yank with more uniforms and accessories to go with him. After several more years of successfully riding the coat tails of the toy industry, MEGO decided to make their own action figure brand. Action Jackson was for the boys and Dinah-Mite was for the girls. Each had their own additional outfits for adventure and sports, but AJ also had military uniforms. While Barbie and GI Joe were 12 inch dolls, MEGO's new figures were 8 inches - allowing a lower price for consumers and making more vehicles and playsets possible.
In 1969, Marty's parents moved to Hong Kong to oversee manufacturing there, making Marty the youngest company president at age 27. Action Jackson had not been a great success, so Marty decided to combine his unique 8 inch figure with classic Marvel and DC Superheroes. The first four shown at Toy Fair 1973 were Superman, Batman, Robin, and Aquaman. Marty gave Toys R Us a great deal to get them on store shelves in time for the premiere of the Hanna-Barbera Superfriends cartoon on ABC TV. In 1974 MEGO added Tarzan, Shazam, Spider-Man and Captain America. By 1977, MEGO had created 37 superheroes and foes making over 500,000 of many figures a year for 10 years, making the superheroes one of MEGO's most popular lines.
The next big hit for MEGO was the Planet of the Apes. Marty took his son Ken to see a matinee marathon of the first three films and realized that the sci-fi series would work well in their 8 inch format. They were right. Apes sold $20 million in the first two years. MEGO was able to re-purpose some of Action Jackson's outfits and playsets like the treehouse for the Apes. Even today, these figures are very popular with fans.
1975 was a big year for MEGO. The success of the superheroes and Planet of the Apes allowed them to take chances on some licenses that were not new and cool. Star Trek had stopped making new episodes in 1968 and it was still a few years before the characters hit the movie screen. Marty visited a New York Star Trek convention and saw a devoted fan base eager for product from their favorite TV show. MEGO also produced action figures for Star Trek:The Motion Picture in 12 inch and 3 3/4 inch.
Another very successful license for MEGO in 1975 was the Wizard of Oz - based on the 1939 film. Marty invited the surviving cast members for a Toy Fair reception at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel. After watching clips from the studio, Marty introduced the actors onto the stage and they hammed it up for the audience. MEGO wrote over $15 million in orders that
night for the new line.
In 1976 MEGO introduced Micronauts - figures, vehicles, and playsets that all worked on a 5mm plug making them interchangeable and provided kids with hours of imaginative fun. Before there was Darth Vader, there was Baron Karza.
Baron Karza
After MEGO closed its doors in 1982, Marty continued to create and innovate in the toy business in his own design shop AGE (Abrams Gentile Entertainment). He designed the Magna Doodle, created the Power Glove controller that was sold by Nintendo and is still a favorite of video gamers and computer techs. Marty introduced Sky Dancers to a generation of girls that still fondly remember them. For the boys he created Dragon Flyz which are sought after by collectors today.
MEGO Returns
The return of the World's Greatest Toy Company
July 2018 saw new Mego action figures in Target stores all across the U.S. Marty had made a deal with Target to make 60 different characters from popular movies, TV shows and comic books to be sold exclusively at Target until the end of the year.
​
In 2019 and beyond, Mego will be available at every major retailer, department store, specialty retailer, online websites, pop culture stores and even directly from Marty himself. This is a very exciting time to be a fan of Mego - the world's greatest toy company! Below are waves 1-7.
Wave 1 (above)
​
Wave 2 (below)
Wave 3 (below)
Wave 4 (below)
Wave 5 (below)
Wave 6 (below)
Wave 7 (below)
WHO IS MEGO?
Who is Mego?
In the 1970s, Marty Abrams grew his small family company into the 6th largest toy company by creating the licensed action figure with 8 inch versions of Marvel and DC Superheroes, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, and the Wizard of Oz. MEGO also pioneered 12 inch celebrity dolls like Cher, Farrah, Diana Ross, KISS, and the Captain and Tennille.
​
In 1982 MEGO closed its doors and Marty Abrams turned his attention to creating new classics like Magna Doodle, Sky Dancers, the Powerglove for NES, and many other beloved toys of the '90s.
​
Now Marty has returned to the original product of Mego and is creating new classic 8 and 14 inch action figures, as well as some new ones. They are available now at major retailers like Target and Wal-Mart, local comic and pop culture stores and on-line. Mego distributes internationally so everyone can enjoy the best toys ever made today!
FIND US
Contact Mego
​
Mego Corp.
15 Cutter Mill Road
#205
Great Neck, NY 11021
Join our social media
​
Facebook: Mego Ambassadors
Twitter: @megocorp
YouTube: Mego TV
CONTACT
bottom of page