Not too long ago, I posted about the Marvel/Disney/Mattel team up that could possibly see two long-time fan favorite mutants become part of the official Barbie line-up. X-Men characters Storm and Jean Grey were in the rumored line-up of upcoming releases (along side Princess Leia) but since the post, all is silent surrounding the project.
That was until the 8th of July when Marvel posted a photo to their Instagram from this years Essence Festival where Disney had a Marvel booth set up spruiking everything Black Panther and everything Wakanda.
Wakanda baseball jersey! Wakanda bag! What’s that to the left there?! A Storm doll?!
A few fans were wondering if perhaps the doll was a custom though when looked at closely, you can see she’s standing with a card noting the ‘Marvel 80 Years’ logo on it, the same one used in all the merchandise celebrating the 80th anniversary of Marvel comics.
Disney and Marvel are keeping tight lipped about the doll and from what it seems, no other photos from the booth have his the web. Could this perhaps be a first look at the Storm Barbie coming our way?
Mego Corp have been keeping very tight lipped about a major announcement they were to make, causing fans of the vintage toy company to ponder just what was in store. From international distribution news to possible new licenses that involved everything from Gilligan’s Island to Melrose Place, Bionic Woman to Star Wars, we were all wondering what it could be.
And while we were repeatedly informed it was NOT a deal with Marvel (as fans were hoping for) what we did not see coming was a deal with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment. In an announcement made today via Mego Corps social media channels, the new licensing deal allows Mego Corp to delve into the secret vault of the late Stan Lee – an untapped reservoir of never-before-seen characters created by Lee and introduce these creations to fans in the form of either 8″ or 14″ collectible action figures.
From today’s press release, “With Stan’s vision, I always told him that I’d follow him anywhere,” says Marty Abrams, co-founder and CEO of Mego Corporation. “It’s with great responsibility that I can carry on his one-of-a-kind creations and reveal the characters that he had envisioned. I have tremendous pride in showcasing the work of a long-time friend. Our nostalgic action figures of Lee’s conceptions will now introduce new memories with more characters originated by Stan.”
The news however has had a very mixed reaction from Mego Corp fans from those excited to see new characters from the mind of Stan Lee to those confused as to why Mego would risk on such a license, just as they make their comeback, on characters that no one has heard of or have the backing of a cult following / fan base.
Mind you, this is not the first time Mego Corp have delved into left-of-the-middle licenses that left fans scratching their heads. Last month, among the announcements of new Star Trek, DC and Pop Culture Legends figures, they announced a new line of Impractical Jokers 8″ figures based on the hidden camera reality comedy series that airs on TruTV.
That said, new Mego, in whatever format is still welcome!
Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment is a multimedia company founded in 2001 by Stan with his friend and business partner Gill Champion, its president. The company has been and will continue to be the guardian of Stan Lee’s legacy, and is excited to roll out new projects and adventures Stan had been working on.
New figures from the Mego/POW! Entertainment announcement are due later in 2019. And as for the news of Australian distribution talked about recently, there is still no official word.
The toy company that ruled the toy isle in the late 70’s with their lines of 8″ Star Trek and DC superheroes action figures along with their iconic 12″ dolls of Farrah Fawcett and Cher is making their way back into Australian stores this year after almost four decades.
Mego was one of the hottest toy companies way back when to the point that in 1976, their first release Cher doll became the highest selling doll that year beating out Mattel’s powerhouse Barbie, but all the glory came crashing down when the company passed on an offer to nab the licence to (a then unknown) Star Wars and followed that up with a shift towards electronic and robotic toys that saw the company sadly file for chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 1982.
In the years between, prices for vintage Mego items have soared with collectors forking out huge bucks to fill in the gaps of their Mego collection. Vintage boxed dolls of Charlie’s Angels star Jaclyn Smith can rise as high as $400aud while those 8″ DC Heroes, in mint boxed condition, can see prices rise into the high thousands.
Mego’s vintage 12″Jaclyn Smith doll released in 1977
But, jump forward to 2018 and Mego Corporation is alive and well with Marty Abrams back at the helm announcing an exclusive deal with Target US that would see Mego figures back on the shelves for the first time since the late 70’s with licences for classic pop culture favorites including an I Dream of Jeanie double pack, Charlie’s Angels, Charmed, Cheers, a Full House Stephanie and DJ Tanner double pack and various original series Star Trek characters along with releases of classic monsters such as Frankenstein and Dracula. Add to this a brand new 14″ line with DC hero action figures for Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman and Mego Corp are well and truly back in the market leaving fans of classic pop culture wanting more!
Mego’s classic line of 12″ celebrity dolls including Cher, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith that were hugely popular in the late 70’s and are a highly sought after collectors item almost 40 years later (and one i’d love to see make a return this year!)
With the Target/Mego deal ending this year, it allows for Mego Corporation to begin looking for worldwide distributors with Mego confirming that they are in fact hammering out a deal with an Australian distributor meaning we will finally see Mego in Australia in 2019.
Mego confirmed they will be coming to Australia via a comment on the Instagram account of Australian vintage/modern toy collector Modern_Retro_Collectables
Their recently announced fourth wave of figures includes an 8″ ‘legends’ series that sees Muhammad Ali, Farrah Fawcett and Marilyn Monroe (among others) immortalized in plastic along with a retooling of their 14″ DC superheroes which will see Wonder Woman and Batman in alternate costumes.
There’s no official word of yet as to whom will be stocking Mego, when we will see them or the price point but watch this space as Mego hinted at a huge announcement coming Wednesday (Thursday our time) that may reveal more. Watch this space!
ThePopHub.com 
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