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Another TWO original Jet Jungles Discovered!!!!

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  • Jetjungle75
    Career Member
    • Jan 11, 2013
    • 713

    Another TWO original Jet Jungles Discovered!!!!

    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:
    Attached Files
  • Jetjungle75
    Career Member
    • Jan 11, 2013
    • 713

    #2
    Here are the two pictures that I referred to above:
    2.jpg
    1.jpg
    With regards to whether the figure came with the box of Jungle Oats, I recently got this in an email:

    "I vaguely feel mine was boxed and came with the Jungle oats but perhaps it was at a discounted price rather than free but will need to ask my mum when next we chat."

    Still does not explain the "white" boots.

    Good for her though, looking after the figure all these years.
    Last edited by Jetjungle75; Feb 22, '19, 5:16 AM. Reason: Added some text.

    Comment

    • TheMegoGuy
      Museum Super Collector
      • Jan 26, 2014
      • 211

      #3
      congratulations! great toy hunting!!!

      Comment

      • PNGwynne
        Master of Fowl Play
        • Jun 5, 2008
        • 19444

        #4
        Wonderful stories, congratulations. I love hearing about the provenance of Megos.
        WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

        Comment

        • Wee67
          Museum Correspondent
          • Apr 2, 2002
          • 10586

          #5
          A great enough find on its own, but having the story of Gran to go along with it makes it that much better.
          WANTED - Solid-Boxed WGSH's, C.8 or better.

          Comment

          • Blue Meanie
            Banned
            • Jun 23, 2001
            • 8706

            #6
            What strikes me about the second set of pictures/2nd Jet is how clean the copyright on the back is. I've never had a Type 1 Mego with as clear a strike/mold as that one in that pic. Makes me think that Mego may have had intentions on doing this figure early on...or after AJ was out they wanted to branch out. Clearer strike/stamp means that that figure was made closer to the original 1st body molds. Sort of like the inner grooves of a record...the closer the numbering is to 1/mother stamper the more pronounced the stamping on the inner groove. Very cool story and congrats on both of them. GREAT find.

            Comment

            • J.B.
              Guild Navigator
              • Jun 23, 2010
              • 2881

              #7
              This is great. Congrats!
              You are transparent; I see many things... I see plans within plans.

              Comment

              • ScottA
                Original Member
                • Jun 25, 2001
                • 12264

                #8
                This is awesome. I've wanted one since they were first discovered.
                sigpic WANTED: Boxed, Carded and Kresge Carded WGSH

                Comment

                • comicmike
                  Persistent Member
                  • Sep 22, 2009
                  • 1824

                  #9
                  Congratz. That's wonderful news!!

                  Comment

                  • thoriron
                    Career Member
                    • Apr 22, 2004
                    • 595

                    #10
                    great!!!Bravo!!!

                    Comment

                    • josephcardone
                      Persistent Member
                      • Jun 10, 2010
                      • 1046

                      #11
                      So happy for you ! I know you have been looking forever

                      The story makes this so much better.

                      Comment

                      • Confessional
                        Maker & Whatnot
                        • Aug 8, 2012
                        • 3410

                        #12
                        Great tale, and the loving wisdom the hunt is profound… that which keeps collecting fun. Congrats!

                        Comment

                        • TrekStar
                          Trek or Treat
                          • Jan 20, 2011
                          • 8354

                          #13
                          Great find and a great story to go with it. I wonder how the sales would have been back in the day, if Jet Jungle was available here in the USA? I know most people wouldn't have been familiar with the radio program or the Jungle Oats
                          cereal, but I'm sure it would have been researched and who knows? guessing it would have sold better than Mr. Mxyzptlk.

                          I'm sure it would have sold okay, if kids knew he was jungle related, it would have been a nice friend for Tarzan
                          to team up with, plus I believe he was niether DC or Marvel related, so he could team up with anyone.

                          Comment

                          • Jetjungle75
                            Career Member
                            • Jan 11, 2013
                            • 713

                            #14
                            Thanks guys for all your kind words.
                            Love this community, and the buzz of finding something that I have been after for years.
                            You are all right about the story behind it, and it is his dear old gran that makes it.

                            As the seller said in one of his e-mails:

                            "If my Gran wasn't so strict with keeping JJ and Tarzan in the showcase, i promise you they would both be buried in the red Kalahari sand..or drowned in the Hartswater irrigation canal!!!!"

                            So looks like his dear old Gran saved this one!!!
                            God bless her soul.

                            Comment

                            • scoth70
                              Persistent Member
                              • Oct 17, 2008
                              • 1733

                              #15
                              great score your a lucky chappy

                              Comment

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