What, Exactly, Was Mego's Relationship to Palitoy/Lily/Basa?

[Wee67]

I realize that Lily Leidy and Basa were most likely the result of the importation substitution laws, but I was wondering what their exact realtionship was with Mego.

-Did they have local production agreements with Mego? And if they did have agreements, is it correct to assume Mego got a cut of the sales because of their ownership of the license? And if not, did these companies simply get their own rights to the characters and knock-off Mego's designs?

As for Palitoy and Pin Pin, did they simply have distribution rights for the Hong Kong-made Mego products? I am assuming Mego had international rights to the chracaters so these companies did have contractual agreements with Mego. Does this then mean it was cheaper for Mego to contract to a local distributor than to try and establish their own means of distribution?

[palitoy]

-Did they have local production agreements with Mego? And if they did have agreements, is it correct to assume Mego got a cut of the sales because of their ownership of the license? And if not, did these companies simply get their own rights to the characters and knock-off Mego's designs?

According to Neal Kublan, it was merely a license granted to them because of production laws at the time. If mego couldn't import their HK made toys there, this was a solution that made them some money. According to him though, they made the deal and just paid no mind to it afterwards.

As for Palitoy and Pin Pin, did they simply have distribution rights for the Hong Kong-made Mego products? I am assuming Mego had international rights to the chracaters so these companies did have contractual agreements with Mego. Does this then mean it was cheaper for Mego to contract to a local distributor than to try and establish their own means of distribution?

Absolutely, if you've already got an established distributor in a country, why compete with them? Plus, if you give these guys a country wide exclusive they have to order a certain amount every year and they get stuck with overs, not you.

Lion Rock had sales agents for Europe, these guys tried to find European distribution for Mego lines and work as a factory for hire as well. That's why you get stuff like Jet Jungle and Mighty Mightor.

[Wee67]

According to Neal Kublan, it was merely a license granted to them because of production laws at the time. If mego couldn't import their HK made toys there, this was a solution that made them some money. According to him though, they made the deal and just paid no mind to it afterwards.

I'm assuming, then, that Mego made very little money off those agreements. Maybe even only a one-time payment.

I wonder if Basa even bothered to deal with Kenner for El Hombre Nuclear.

Lion Rock had sales agents for Europe, these guys tried to find European distribution for Mego lines and work as a factory for hire as well. That's why you get stuff like Jet Jungle and Mighty Mightor.

So does that mean, technically, Jett and Mightor are Lion Rock products? AND that means we still might find some sort of locally produced Lion Rock figure for some other country in Europe- perhaps a Tito action figure for the former Yugoslavia.

Seriously, though, is that how we got Ultraman Leo and Casshan?

[palitoy]

So does that mean, technically, Jett and Mightor are Lion Rock products? AND that means we still might find some sort of locally produced Lion Rock figure for some other country in Europe- perhaps a Tito action figure for the former Yugoslavia.

Yeah, in the international market, they were considered lion rock products because that's who you'd deal with. I have an International ad for Dinah Mite that says "New from Lion Rock". I was saying this in another thread, if you wanted to carry LJN's "Mr Action" you dealt with a company called B-A-R-T-E-R.

The WW2 figures were the result of the Lion Rock sales rep seeing the interest in military toys in Europe.

Seriously, though, is that how we got Ultraman Leo and Casshan?

They're both connected to Mego/Lion Rock, Leo uses a Type 1 body and Casshan seems to be a pre production mock up.

Better examples are things like Space:1999 or Tex Willer, that utilized Mego's resources but weren't intended to be sold by Mego Corporation.

[boss]

they're just good friends.

[clemso]

What would have been the deal for the Japanese Popy figures, Battle Fever, Ultraman and Kamen Rider? Although they borrow the 8 inch concept, they don't use any Mego parts, or do they?

[palitoy]

What would have been the deal for the Japanese Popy figures, Battle Fever, Ultraman and Kamen Rider? Although they borrow the 8 inch concept, they don't use any Mego parts, or do they?

IMO it's just a good copy, only the boots are the same. They obviously just tried the mego formula using their own manufacturing. The body is theirs and it's close but not the same. The clothes are nice to look at but must have been terrible for play, it's super tight and doesn't move.

[sauce]

Thanks for the questions and the answers here, everyone! I'm enjoying my education.

[wilbs518]

Thanks for all great info.

[sauce]

I just reread this. Made great sense in April, and is just so much clearer to me today in November. :-)

[samurainoir]

As I'm heading off to Hong Kong in a couple of weeks, it's fascinating for me to try and imagine the toy culture there in the seventies as the international gateway between the asian manufactureres and the rest of the world. Particularly along the trade lines of the commonwealth countries while HK was still part of the British Empire.

The funny thing is that I went rock climbing up Lion Rock back in 2000 and didn't put the namesake toy company together with it until recently. Although in all fairness, I think a great deal of my disconnect has to do with the fact that the Action Figure digest series of articles kept referring to "Line Rock".