RIP Berto aka Blue Meanie

[Brown Bear]

I'm guilty of not visiting the Forums here much anymore, but wanted to pop back in to share my Berto story.

My very first Mego Meet I was walking into, Berto was the first table and he was still setting up. He had tubs of stuff. He asked me if this was my first Meet and we exchanged pleasantries. Then he asked what I was looking for. My answer was "some really specific pieces that i don't expect to find......like Oscar Goldman's loafers." Winthin seconds he handed me a large ziplock bag from one of his tubs saying "It's probably in there. Have a look."

There were three pairs and he gifted them to me, refusing to take any money for them since it was my first meet. I watched in awe as he seemed to literally have everything. We had a fun, energetic chat about Mego leaving me with an unforgettable "first impression" of what the Mego Meet community was all about. A memory that I often went to when other first timers asked me what was it like?

My interactions with Berto were limited compared to you guys but he was very kind to me and that means something. May he rest in peace.

[Jorge Galvan]

I enjoyed his BEATLE references and his spirit. Lovely guy. He will be missed.


RIP Roberto.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Berto was always a pleasure at Mego Meet. Very gregarious and welcoming. I remember he threw in a free Robin Slurpee cup when I noticed it after buying an armful of stuff from him. Very sorry for the coumminity here, Tom and all of his familly and friends. RIP.

[J.B.]

Never met him, but always enjoyed his posts/comments. Very sad.

[trekman101]

I’m so sad to hear this...l haven’t spoken to him in a long time but when l did it would be like we talked last week.
l will miss him

[Wee67]

I felt a little intimidated walking into the basement of the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum. I knew I didn’t know nearly as much about Megos as most of the people at this second Mego Meet. I had met several of these people two years ago at Mego Con in New York but I was still relatively new to this community. And I’ve never been one of the cool kids in any of the communities I hang in. I was drawn to a table filled with loose Megos that made everything feel a little like the comfort of nostalgia. The mustache-covered smile that beamed at me asked my Museum screen name. Oh, of course! Berto knew Wee67. We had had several email back and forths. He started talking to me like we had been friends for years. His enthusiasm and unbridled joy made me feel at home. I would find myself making my way back to that table several times, just to talk with Berto and his equally welcoming brother. Over the years our conversations expanded to Cowboys football, Italian soccer, vinyl records… all kinds of stuff. I’m so happy to have a picture of me, Berto and Tomasso laughing together in Skokie.

I can tell from all the messages and stories that many of you had a similar experience and love for Berto. We may have been separated by space and perhaps didn’t talk as much as we liked, but we were all friends. Really good friends. Everyone who was lucky enough to meet Berto felt the same impact of his joy and enthusiasm for so many things. I, like many of you, love Berto. I will miss my friend.

[B-Lister]

We lost a good one. One of our own.
man always had some great stuff for sale, and was always willing to make a deal.

Deepest condolences to his family, and to all of us. He was one of the best, and the community is deeply affected for having lost him, but better for having known him.

This one hurts.

[PNGwynne]

Thank you for posting. I've fond memories of his enthusiasm and generosity here and at the meets I've attended. This is sad news, my condolences to his family.

[palitoy]

This was a good day.

[apes3978]

R.I.P. to him.

[pmwasson]

Very sad. He was always so nice to me.

[rche]

Oh no! My condolences to Tom and all his family. Berto's table was definitely on the first stop list and a highlight for me at the Mego Meets I attended. RIP Berto. Thanks for the always exuberant discussions on Mego; both here and in person.

[VintageMike]

Devastating news. Tom, Berto and Paul Clare were the first to welcome me with open arms at my first meet in 2007. I bought many figure from Berto. Despite a trimming down of my collection the past couple of years, I will never part with the boxed portion as I got most of them from him and have too many great memories attached. He was never anything but kind to me and l big reason I only missed one meet since 2007.

Might have more to say later, but this cuts deep. He was (like many here) an online friend who became not only a real friend but a member of my extended family.

[palitoy]

https://chapeyfamily.com/tribute/details/6060/Roberto-Ligotti/condolences.html#content-start

[darklord1967]

Oh no.

Roberto Ligotti? Gone?

No. Just… No!

In so many ways, I owe my induction into the MEGO Museum community to ‘Berto:

Back in the late 1990’s ,(like many of us), I was completely bowled over by the custom MEGO action figure work of Charlee Flatt, published in the now-famous cover article of Tomart’s Action Figure Digest.

i decided to try my hand at fabricating an entire line of custom Gotham City 8-inch characters (my favorite mythology).

in those early days, the internet was pretty much still in its infancy. So, buying necessary MEGO body parts and clothing etc was still done either by mail order OR by visiting a brick-and-mortar collectibles store and pouring through parts bins.

i got a line on a vintage toy collectibles store in my area called “THE LAND OF OOZE AND OZ”. I decided to make a trip over to the shop to see if any useful stuff for my work could be found.

i packed the three custom figures I had made up to that point, got on a train, and headed out to Farmingdale, NY.

The store was big, colorful, and exciting, and I was anxious to see what I could find. I walked right up to the friendly proprietor behind the counter and introduced myself. I told him I was there to look for parts for some custom 8” MEGO action figures that I wanted to make.

i showed him the three nearly-finished custom figures i had with me, and his eyes lit up. “Wow! These are really cool! You’re really talented! You should show these on the MEGO Museum website! The guys there will love them!”

Then he came out from behind the counter and walked me over to an obscure spot at the back of the store. He showed me a large bin filled with HUNDREDS of MEGO parts and invited me to sift through it to look for anything I might find useful.

”Take your time. There’s a lot of good stuff there. Just give me a shout if you have any questions or need any help. My name’s Roberto.”

“Wow! Really? My name’s Roberto too!”

”Well alright! We should start a Roberto MEGO Fab Club!”

He walked off with an amused chuckle. And I went about digging for treasure in the toy parts bin.

After that visit, (remembering Roberto’s recommendation) I signed up to become a member of the MEGO MUSEUM. I made many many friends in the ensuing years.

FAST FORWARD TO 2015

I finally gave in to curiosity and attended my first MEGO MEET weekend convention. I met so many friends who I had previously only known as online personalities.

During my enjoyable weekend, a friendly young chap approached me with a friendly greeting. “Hey you’re Roberto “Darklord1967”, right? I remember you from from years ago. You came to the toy show where I worked years ago. Remember? Roberto MEGO Fan Club??”

I laughed, suddenly remembering who I was talking to while glancing at the name tag on his shirt: “ Blue Meanie!! Of course!! Roberto Ligotti!!! So good seeing you again buddy!!”

We hung out together for a good part of that weekend, having lots of MEGO fun. And the chance to see Roberto at subsequent MEETS was one of the major motivating factors for me on future trips. Over the years, Roberto was always there , so generously and kindly offering his encouragement and enthusiastic support anytime I unveiled a new custom creation. Despite my expressions of gratitude, I’m not altogether sure Roberto ever knew the degree to which I was deeply grateful for his support of my work.

Today, I am terribly saddened as I have lost not only a MEGO brother… but a dear, dear friend.