BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES PLAYSET ...sort of...

[ditcin]

Hi,
I belong to the POTA yahoo group and people there suggested I post here.
My connection with MEGO started when they first released the first set of PLANET OF THE APES figures. I contacted the company to find out what other figures they were going to make. They asked if I was going to purchase THE TREEHOUSE or the THE VILLAGE and I told them I had already made an Ape City. For some reason she took it all very seriously and before I knew it I was connected to Neil Kublin. He in turn sent someone to my home to take pictures of my stuff.
From that point I was treated royally and invited to the NY Toy Fair in Feb were my mom and I were shown all the new releases on display. I was told to bring a pair of pants and shirt which they used to custom fit and make a Cornelius costume & mask for me - it was the same one used for in-store publicity tours.
I also received a box load of toys, mostly Ape stuff buy some STAR TREK as well. Not being a STAR TREK fan I took the option to transform THE BRIDGE PLAYSET into a BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES PLAYSET. The STAR TREK figures became mutants and used some pieces from models (the organ is from the PIRAITES OF THE CARABIEN series, the stalagmite/stalactite is from THE CAVE, PREHISTORIC SCENES model). I made the costumes, and all the covering artwork for the inside and out. The Alpha & Omega bomb was made out of ice cream cone packing material; the steps cut from a sheet of Styrofoam. The bomb control panel is from an Addar Dr. Zaius model. It was the best I could do at the time being a kid.
The whole thing is held together with scotch tape and I was amazed when I unpacked it from being stored in the closet for 30 years how good it all held together.
- Scott B

[Wee67]

For a kid, this is unbelievabley creative! Its a pretty cool set that I'm sure childhood me (heck, adult me!)would have loved to have. I know a lot of people costumized figures as kids, but they may the first time I have such effort from a kid. Its really pretty darn good. Using today's tehcnology for printing and Scott's Dida playsets, you could create a very cool, updated version of this.

I would love to hear more about your conversation with Neil Kublan. Its hard for me to picture a VP getting on the phone without ever having seen any pics or sketches of a child's work. Any thing you or your mom could share would be fascinating. Do you still have the ape costume? Do you have any of the pics you sent in to Mego, letters from or any other possible artifacts? Do you remember what Kublin said?

[ditcin]

Beneath the Planet of the Apes playset

Thank you for the kind words. Actually Neil was extremely approachable. I spoke to him several time before meeting with him at the Toy Show. I don't remmeber sending them anything but I do remember being asked a lot of questions. I started talking with companies at a very early age. I had friends in Warner Bros. 20th Century Fox and even Universal. I was a number one pest with CBS and local TV stations always asking questing and wanting info on edits made to films and scheduling. I guess, as with anything else I learned to conduct myself in a very grown-up manner and that seems to open doors. It was a very different world then. My mom just passed away a few months ago but I remember how whe prepared a table of food for Vinne when he came to the house. He did stay long at all - took his pictures and left.
Below is a picture from back then of me in the ape suit given to me by Mego standing in my bedroom. Yes, I still have the suit. of course I can't wear it since it was made for a smaller size, but it's packed away. I was just talking to a friend and considering what it might be worth should I decide to part with it.

-Scott

[jessica]

Scott, thank you for posting your wonderful photos and story here. You can see how much effort went into converting the Star Trek playset into an apes playset. For a child to do this...very incredible! I am blown away at the artwork on the back of your playset. It is very remarkable. I hope you find some more photos that you can share with us.

Oh...as for the mutants...Bravo!!!

Jessica.

[HardyGirl]

Awesome story and an awesome playset! How very creative! How old were you when you did that? And I love your costume! Very cool! And what is that you're standing in front of? A POTA playhouse?

[jessica]

Scott, I forgot to ask you what the organ pipes are made of.

[censy]

I'm so impressed that you built that playset as a kid. I'm even more impressed that you had the nerve to call the Mego Corp. I don't think that would have ever occurred to me. If it had, I would have been too scared to do it.

Thanks for sharing your story. There are a good number of fellow ape lovers here.

Chris

[ditcin]

To everyone - thank you. I'm glad you not only liked my childhood pass time but the costume as well. To answer someone who asked what I was standing in front of... It was the walls of a POTA cardboard playhouse. It was a goo 5ft tall in a hut like shape when put together. I only build a short time because it took up too much room. It's still saftely packed away in its origianl box safe and sound.
I was about 12 when all this Mego stuff took place - to answer another person's question. It was a lot of fun, and if I can find some pics of the arena and armary I built I will post those as well. I still have the wooden wagon cage (it think) I made from the "humans" and the origianl Ursus helmet I made for the gorilla figure. I will try to post them all.
Again guys (gals) thanks for the warm welcome.
BTW - if you're POTA fans you might want to look at my reviews of those DVD release on my site http://www.thedigitalcinema.net I also was a consultant for the old VHS/Beta, and Laserdisc editions. I currently trying to get on board of the forthcoming Bluray release but I fear FOX has really messed on that yet again.
Scott B.

[ditcin]

Scott, I forgot to ask you what the organ pipes are made of.

Jessica,
The organ and pipes are actually from a model kit for the Pirates of the Caribbean. It originally had a skeleton at the seat playing the organ. I did a "muck it up" paint job to fit into the church surroundings.
- Scott B

[Wee67]

Wow, Scott. That you must have been the envy of all the kids with that costume. Heck, I'm pretty much envying you right now.

Neil Kublan was an incredibly approachable man. I had lunch with him here in NY a year or two after MegoCon and he had some great stories.

Where did you live when you were a kid? Do you have any memory of the Mego display at Toy Fair? What year did you go? Sorry if I'm bombarding you with questions, but I am fascinated.

[megoscott]

Hi Scott, welcome. This is one of the more incredible Mego stories I've heard. If I read that right the guys at Mego MADE that costume for you? If you still have it I'd think that would be one of the coolest Mego artifacts around. That playset is crazy--you were a sophisticated and talented kid. And it was Vinnie Baiera that came to photograph your stuff, did I read that right?

[vulcan2074]

Thats a Very Cool Story. I really like the pictures. That Custom POTA Playset is Just Wonderful. What an Imagination to Make your own Playset as a kid.
V~2074

[ditcin]

Wow, Scott. That you must have been the envy of all the kids with that costume. Heck, I'm pretty much envying you right now.

Neil Kublan was an incredibly approachable man. I had lunch with him here in NY a year or two after MegoCon and he had some great stories.

Where did you live when you were a kid? Do you have any memory of the Mego display at Toy Fair? What year did you go? Sorry if I'm bombarding you with questions, but I am fascinated.

I lived, and still living in Staten Island, NY. The day my mother and I went to the toy fair there was an incredible snow storm. It was in Feb. I remember the slogan for Mego at the fair was "Follow the yellow brick road to success and profits" -or something like that. I remember a b&w ad in a trade show newspaper or something that showed all the Mego figures traveling down a miniature set-up of with the yellow brick road.
Strangely, I remember the Wizard of Oz display at the show more than the Ape one. I guess that was do the sheer size of the Oz display and how incredible it was. It was a large hilly display with grass and the yellow brick road. Set up here and there were the various toys and playsets. Best of all was a suspended (plastic? Glass?) globe/ball with a Glinda figure inside high above the display. It was very impressive.
My mom and I went into a small room where there were seats and a projector. There they ran POTA commercials. I remember one made the guys in the suits laugh - it showed a gorilla soldier peeking up from the rocks and the voice over stated, "I smell and astronaut!" If I remember correctly, there was a longer version of what was shown on TV as well.
I was also sent a lot of hand-outs which were given in stores when meeting General Urko or Cornelius. In fact, somewhere I have on audio cassette a TV Toy R Us ad with the announcer saying, "and while you're there say hello to Cornelius, and General Urko will be there."
in my files there's an original Alexanders ad with Mego stuff and a pic of the Cornelius guy. I did a lot of newspaper clipping then.

Scott B.

[ditcin]

Hi Scott, welcome. This is one of the more incredible Mego stories I've heard. If I read that right the guys at Mego MADE that costume for you? If you still have it I'd think that would be one of the coolest Mego artifacts around. That playset is crazy--you were a sophisticated and talented kid. And it was Vinnie Baiera that came to photograph your stuff, did I read that right?

Yes! It was Vinnie Baiera that came to my house.
Scott B.

[SUP-Ronin]

What a cool story. Very interesting. I would bet someone here would love to photograph that suit and add your story to the museum gallery/archives. I would imagine that is a one of a kind item, and you had better be hard pressed to give that up. Thanks for sharing. Please show pics of the big ole playsets you mentioned having.