About four years ago I posted a "Wanted" advert on a South African forum:
"Looking for an original Mego Jet Jungle figure, which was sold as part of the Mego Worlds Greatest Super Heroes in the early 1970's. The figure was usually found for sale in OK Bazaars or Pick 'N Pay. He was used to promote Jungle Oats.
He is 8 inches tall, has white hair, big black eye brows and wore a black outfit, with black boots. Many thanks."
4 years later, I finally get a reply!!!!!:
I have found a Original Jet Jungle 1972.
No box No Sticker
Original clothing and boots
Here are the pictures that were sent:
IMG_20181228_114917_HHT.thumb.jpg.4286b54bb4ba75e77cffd3337eedaf7c.jpg
IMG_20181228_114933_HHT.thumb.jpg.a0d51b45524610cb08686876a0292510.jpg
IMG_20181228_115212_HHT.thumb.jpg.1c1a3603d69350e4aad9b3d6d56fe1c3.jpg
When I enquired as to his history, he says the following:
"Hi there thank you for the opportunity to talk to you, ha ha, yes, very interesting story of my Jet jungle, I was born in a small town in the old northern Cape province of South Africa, my grandma used to live in our house on and off, I can still remember the countless days sitting by her feet, as she did her knitting, or peeling peaches and apricots for jam making, her "husband", as my grandfather passed away long before I was even a twinkle in mom's eye, was a little omega short wave radio, so she almost permanently had it tuned into "Springbok radio" hell, I can remember the theme song for the Jet jungle radio commercial, then at some point you could order the action figures, via the post office, I can remember how we used to go to the post office to see if "Jet" and also later, "Tarzan" arrived, gran had a little glassdoor showcase where she displayed her treasures, as I grew bigger I often wanted to play with the action dolls, especially Jet Jungle, but wasn't ever allowed to do so, only to be told that I could have them whenever she pass away. Jet quietly lived inside his box for all these years, don't know at what stage gran removed him from there. What is remarkable though, gran had nine children, forty-four grandchildren, and great grand children, she sadly passed away last year, and low and behold, I got the dolls.The figure was literally in the showcase for almost 50 years. Don't know when his box was removed though, as I remember him in the box as a young boy. Overall condition is very good. Limbs are all tight."
I will post some more pictures when he arrives from South Africa, and I have placed him in a reproduction Jet Jungle box, and Mego Museum JJ card. Love the fact that he is coming directly from South Africa, and know his history.
Funnily, I also recently looked at a site that featured an article on JJ, and someone had posted a reply that they had an original JJ figure!!! Can you believe it?
I then got in contact with this person in the UK, who then put me in touch with the owner, who happens to be his aunt, who still lives in South Africa, and who actually owns the figure.
This was her first reply:
"You have been liaising with my nephew re an original Mego Jet Jungle Figure that I have and am sending pics as requested.
It is not in a box and was played with a little, when I was a youngster but is in really good condition.
It has been in storage for several decades and when I took it out recently, I noticed that where the metal press stud is on the back of neckline of it's top, it must have had a reaction with the plastic and left a pale patch. This is the only blemish on the figure. The attached pic shows it quite clearly."
She sent me some pictures of the figure and he is wearing white boots!! They appear to be the same boots that are on the Mystery Astronaut.
The two pictures that she sent I have posted in the post below this one, as am limited to amount of pictures can post.
This is what she later said in another exchange:
"My mum came home from the weekly grocery shop around the same period you lived in South Africa, from the only supermarket we had in those days because we lived in a rural area in Cape Town and my Jet Jungle came with the box of Jungle Oats she'd just bought.
"I noticed in other people's pictures that their JJ had black boots but mine came with white one's. I wonder why?" Before you ask, this person by the way has no intentions of selling him, I having already asked the question.
As I have previously said on this forum, JJ was very common and quit easy to get, back in 1973/74 . As a child in South Africa, I can recall stores having loads of Jet Jungle figures, and it was very hard to get Batman, Spiderman or Captain America. The only WGSH figures you could get in South Africa were, Batman, Robin, Superman, Aquaman, Captain America, Shazam, Spiderman and of course South Africa's very own Jet Jungle.
Perhaps an explanation for the white boots, is that in order to get rid of surplus stock, some were given away with boxes of Jungle Oats. After all Jet Jungle was used to promote Jungle Oats. This theory to some extent has also been confirmed by the owner who, as stated above has said, "my Jet Jungle came with the box of Jungle Oats she'd just bought."
So that is two more that have been discovered, both in their native South Africa, one of which is now coming to the UK! When he finally arrives, I will then finally be able to say that I now have ALL the official original Mego WGSH's. Never thought that I would be able to say that.
As I said when I first joined the Mego Museum, I had an original JJ, bought by my late Mum from OK Bazaars. He was brought back to the UK in 1977. Around 1982, for some reason that I cannot recall I parted with all my WGSH, including Jet. I am convinced to this day that the one I parted with all those years ago, is the same one that surfaced in 2005, and is reportedly the "only" boxed original Jet Jungle, as it still bears the original OK Bazaar price sticker on the box. Finally after all these years I will be able to replace him, with another original.
Here are two further pictures of the one I will be getting that were also sent. Not too worried about the boots. These can easily be replaced:
"Looking for an original Mego Jet Jungle figure, which was sold as part of the Mego Worlds Greatest Super Heroes in the early 1970's. The figure was usually found for sale in OK Bazaars or Pick 'N Pay. He was used to promote Jungle Oats.
He is 8 inches tall, has white hair, big black eye brows and wore a black outfit, with black boots. Many thanks."
4 years later, I finally get a reply!!!!!:
I have found a Original Jet Jungle 1972.
No box No Sticker
Original clothing and boots
Here are the pictures that were sent:
IMG_20181228_114917_HHT.thumb.jpg.4286b54bb4ba75e77cffd3337eedaf7c.jpg
IMG_20181228_114933_HHT.thumb.jpg.a0d51b45524610cb08686876a0292510.jpg
IMG_20181228_115212_HHT.thumb.jpg.1c1a3603d69350e4aad9b3d6d56fe1c3.jpg
When I enquired as to his history, he says the following:
"Hi there thank you for the opportunity to talk to you, ha ha, yes, very interesting story of my Jet jungle, I was born in a small town in the old northern Cape province of South Africa, my grandma used to live in our house on and off, I can still remember the countless days sitting by her feet, as she did her knitting, or peeling peaches and apricots for jam making, her "husband", as my grandfather passed away long before I was even a twinkle in mom's eye, was a little omega short wave radio, so she almost permanently had it tuned into "Springbok radio" hell, I can remember the theme song for the Jet jungle radio commercial, then at some point you could order the action figures, via the post office, I can remember how we used to go to the post office to see if "Jet" and also later, "Tarzan" arrived, gran had a little glassdoor showcase where she displayed her treasures, as I grew bigger I often wanted to play with the action dolls, especially Jet Jungle, but wasn't ever allowed to do so, only to be told that I could have them whenever she pass away. Jet quietly lived inside his box for all these years, don't know at what stage gran removed him from there. What is remarkable though, gran had nine children, forty-four grandchildren, and great grand children, she sadly passed away last year, and low and behold, I got the dolls.The figure was literally in the showcase for almost 50 years. Don't know when his box was removed though, as I remember him in the box as a young boy. Overall condition is very good. Limbs are all tight."
I will post some more pictures when he arrives from South Africa, and I have placed him in a reproduction Jet Jungle box, and Mego Museum JJ card. Love the fact that he is coming directly from South Africa, and know his history.
Funnily, I also recently looked at a site that featured an article on JJ, and someone had posted a reply that they had an original JJ figure!!! Can you believe it?
I then got in contact with this person in the UK, who then put me in touch with the owner, who happens to be his aunt, who still lives in South Africa, and who actually owns the figure.
This was her first reply:
"You have been liaising with my nephew re an original Mego Jet Jungle Figure that I have and am sending pics as requested.
It is not in a box and was played with a little, when I was a youngster but is in really good condition.
It has been in storage for several decades and when I took it out recently, I noticed that where the metal press stud is on the back of neckline of it's top, it must have had a reaction with the plastic and left a pale patch. This is the only blemish on the figure. The attached pic shows it quite clearly."
She sent me some pictures of the figure and he is wearing white boots!! They appear to be the same boots that are on the Mystery Astronaut.
The two pictures that she sent I have posted in the post below this one, as am limited to amount of pictures can post.
This is what she later said in another exchange:
"My mum came home from the weekly grocery shop around the same period you lived in South Africa, from the only supermarket we had in those days because we lived in a rural area in Cape Town and my Jet Jungle came with the box of Jungle Oats she'd just bought.
"I noticed in other people's pictures that their JJ had black boots but mine came with white one's. I wonder why?" Before you ask, this person by the way has no intentions of selling him, I having already asked the question.
As I have previously said on this forum, JJ was very common and quit easy to get, back in 1973/74 . As a child in South Africa, I can recall stores having loads of Jet Jungle figures, and it was very hard to get Batman, Spiderman or Captain America. The only WGSH figures you could get in South Africa were, Batman, Robin, Superman, Aquaman, Captain America, Shazam, Spiderman and of course South Africa's very own Jet Jungle.
Perhaps an explanation for the white boots, is that in order to get rid of surplus stock, some were given away with boxes of Jungle Oats. After all Jet Jungle was used to promote Jungle Oats. This theory to some extent has also been confirmed by the owner who, as stated above has said, "my Jet Jungle came with the box of Jungle Oats she'd just bought."
So that is two more that have been discovered, both in their native South Africa, one of which is now coming to the UK! When he finally arrives, I will then finally be able to say that I now have ALL the official original Mego WGSH's. Never thought that I would be able to say that.
As I said when I first joined the Mego Museum, I had an original JJ, bought by my late Mum from OK Bazaars. He was brought back to the UK in 1977. Around 1982, for some reason that I cannot recall I parted with all my WGSH, including Jet. I am convinced to this day that the one I parted with all those years ago, is the same one that surfaced in 2005, and is reportedly the "only" boxed original Jet Jungle, as it still bears the original OK Bazaar price sticker on the box. Finally after all these years I will be able to replace him, with another original.
Here are two further pictures of the one I will be getting that were also sent. Not too worried about the boots. These can easily be replaced:
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