Although the Mego Corporation is best known for their licensed properties, it was the unlicensed Mad Monster line that brought characters such as Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein and Mummy both to the store shelves and also to every childs home that wanted one.
The Mego Mad Monsters were released circa 1974 in numerous packaging styles which included the solid box, window box and Kresge blister cards. The figures were later released in 1980 on blister cards that sported the Lion Rock name rather than Mego. These cards are generic in nature but are still quite charming nonetheless. The card itself features the artwork of all four characters.
All of these packages are difficult to obtain in high grade condition ( or in any condition for that matter except for the solid boxes which are quite common on the secondary market ) but it is the Kresge style card along with the window box that are the most sought after by todays collector. It seems that the decision to change from solid box to window box packagings stemmed from retailer complaints that alledged that their customers could not see the figure inside the solid box. This caused the customers to open up the box and in many cases it caused them to be damaged. Mego switched to the window box for easy viewing which quickly solved the problem.
Marty Abrams ( Mego Corp President ) recently mentioned at the Megocon2004 three day event that the success of his company was largely due in part to their ability to cut through the red tape unlike many of their competitors who were bogged down by their own bureaucracy. It was this decisiveness that ultimately got their product to the store shelves well before their competition. Marty Abrams also mentioned that the industry was very cut throat back then and that companies routinely stole each others employee's along with their designs. Who ever got their product to the store shelves quickly reaped the most benefits and in many cases it was the Mego Corporation who was victorious.
Figure variations
The figures themselves were different in many ways and Frankenstein and Dracula quickly come to mind. For example, both Frankenstein and Dracula have been found with different facial and hair colorings which suggest that different molds were used during the manufacturing process as was first noted by long time Mego collector John Bonavita. Both the Red Haired Dracula and the Blue Haired Frankenstein are extremely rare as only a very small handful are known to exist. The Mego Corporation also released a boxed Mad Monster Castle. To the delight of children everywhere the castle came with a working drawbridge and an operating table and judging from the smile on the small boys face on the box itself I'd say he would agree. The Mego Corporation was all about having fun which they certainly delivered with this playset. Children were now able to play with their figures in playsets which made for a haunting good time.
The Mego Mad Monsters were very popular at the time of their release and still remain highly sought after up untill this very day. Many collectors feel that a Mego collection is not complete without these Monsters included and with that the hunt continues! |
