Tweet
The Ape that got away...
Back in the day, the big thing for me was Star Trek. But that didn't mean I didn't love the rest of the predominant 70's kid culture stuff.
But when it came to my limited lobbying power for toys, I usually pressed it on Star Trek (later on, it was Star Wars).
It would be Star Trek that I would ask for the (so called) big ticket items (the Enterprise Playset, Communicators, etc).
But there was also Planet Of The Apes. I don't know if I was even aware of the TV show back then (but I did see a couple episodes of the cartoon). I thought of Planet Of The Apes as movie special events on TV. And whenever a movie was on, I would make sure to see it. But I didn't have a day to day or week to week "relationship" with it like I did with Star Trek, 6 Million Dollar Man, Space:1999, etc.
So, it makes sense that in the toy pecking order, I had more of those branded toys and don't remember having very much in the way of Apes toys (certainly not Megos).
Not that I didn't have a yearning for the Ape Megos, I looked at them in the catalog and thought "This is what I want after I get all the Star Trek figures". I said that because all I had really seen of the figures was in catalogs. I never really ran into the figures at Sears or the other places I would look for toys (never really got to visit a toy store in my youth until my mother learned to drive and was able to take me to the "frivolous" places my dad would usually not go).
But there was this one time. I was wondering around the shopping plaza when the rest of the family was shopping at the grocery store. I went to the drug store and there was one of the Ape figures on the rack. I can't really remember which one, except it wasn't Zira or the Humans. If I had to guess, I'd say it was Dr. Zaius.
It was carded and I saw that there was a little mini catalog inside the bubble. Even as a kid, that sweetened the deal. Man that figure looked great. A piece of the movies I only get to see once in a while would be great!
I probably stared at it a long time before deciding I was going to make a stand for it. So, of course, I had to leave it there in the store while I went to the store mom and dad were in.
Problem was, I really wasn't supposed to go "wandering off for too long" and I am willing to bet that a lot more time had passed than I had thought as a kid before I decided to go back and find the family.
Couldn't find them in the grocery store after a couple tours around it. And so I went back outside. They were looking for me outside (with the groceries,) and was upset that I wandered off. So any campaign to get the Planet Of The Apes figure would have to wait until the next visit.
Well, as you might expect, on the next visit and a check of the drug store, the Planet Of The Apes figure was now gone.
And so, I had none of the Mego Apes as a kid, especially that one figure that got away.
But when it came to my limited lobbying power for toys, I usually pressed it on Star Trek (later on, it was Star Wars).
It would be Star Trek that I would ask for the (so called) big ticket items (the Enterprise Playset, Communicators, etc).
But there was also Planet Of The Apes. I don't know if I was even aware of the TV show back then (but I did see a couple episodes of the cartoon). I thought of Planet Of The Apes as movie special events on TV. And whenever a movie was on, I would make sure to see it. But I didn't have a day to day or week to week "relationship" with it like I did with Star Trek, 6 Million Dollar Man, Space:1999, etc.
So, it makes sense that in the toy pecking order, I had more of those branded toys and don't remember having very much in the way of Apes toys (certainly not Megos).
Not that I didn't have a yearning for the Ape Megos, I looked at them in the catalog and thought "This is what I want after I get all the Star Trek figures". I said that because all I had really seen of the figures was in catalogs. I never really ran into the figures at Sears or the other places I would look for toys (never really got to visit a toy store in my youth until my mother learned to drive and was able to take me to the "frivolous" places my dad would usually not go).
But there was this one time. I was wondering around the shopping plaza when the rest of the family was shopping at the grocery store. I went to the drug store and there was one of the Ape figures on the rack. I can't really remember which one, except it wasn't Zira or the Humans. If I had to guess, I'd say it was Dr. Zaius.
It was carded and I saw that there was a little mini catalog inside the bubble. Even as a kid, that sweetened the deal. Man that figure looked great. A piece of the movies I only get to see once in a while would be great!
I probably stared at it a long time before deciding I was going to make a stand for it. So, of course, I had to leave it there in the store while I went to the store mom and dad were in.
Problem was, I really wasn't supposed to go "wandering off for too long" and I am willing to bet that a lot more time had passed than I had thought as a kid before I decided to go back and find the family.
Couldn't find them in the grocery store after a couple tours around it. And so I went back outside. They were looking for me outside (with the groceries,) and was upset that I wandered off. So any campaign to get the Planet Of The Apes figure would have to wait until the next visit.
Well, as you might expect, on the next visit and a check of the drug store, the Planet Of The Apes figure was now gone.
And so, I had none of the Mego Apes as a kid, especially that one figure that got away.
No wonder you're ape crazy now! You've got a LOT of catching up to do! 
Comment