Johnny Switchblade Adventure Punk

[Sideshow Spock]

I'm sure this sketch has been mentioned before.. tonite NBC ran a compilation of SNL Christmas sketches, one of which was from the 70s and featured Dan Ackroyd and Candace Bergen. Ackroyd plays shady "Erwin Mainway" of "Mainway Toys", and is being interviewed by Bergen about some of his less than safe toy offerings.

Johnny Switchblade Adventure Punk is the first toy scrutinized, and is a Mego Fonzie figure customized with a button on the top of his head that, when depressed, releases two switchblades from the side of Fonzie's wrists.

I'd seen that sketch a bunch of times in 80s reruns, but I never made the Mego connection until now.

[Hulk]

Can't find the video of it, but here is the transcript...

SNL Transcripts: Candice Bergen: 12/11/76: Consumer Probe

[palitoy]

I saw that while channel flipping, I had forgotten about it. Mego fonzie also made an appearance on Happy Days in an episode I keep missing.

[The Toyroom]

^ The episode with the voodoo doll! I remember that one! Maybe it'd be cool to have video clips of these 2 segments on the Museum's Fonzie page? If do-able...

[Ronin]

Is that the one where the witch puts the evil eye (malocchio) on Al?

[palitoy]

Is that the one where the witch puts the evil eye (malocchio) on Al?

Bingo, Fonzie says something to the effect of "I got it made downtown" and uses it as a voodoo doll.

There are two other "Mego on TV" appearances I'd love to find, both from SCTV:

Bill and Mike: This is basically a commerical for a gay toyline, there is a scene for a disco playset that shows much of the WGSH dancing in the background. I think Kirk and Shazam are slow dancing.

Mike's Mecernaries: An ultra violent set of action figures, many of them mego.

Both these parodies have music rights issues and can't be seen in syndication or on DVD.

[Ronin]

I always thought that "Bag O' Broken Glass" toy Akroyd was pushing was a great idea as well. As a kid growing up in NYC in the 70's I would play with that stuff all the time (Broken Heineken bottles make for great Green Kryptonite for your Supes figures). Funny thing is, back in those days a toy company probably could have gotten a way with it.

[mego73]

I just got the season 2 DVD set with that show. Let me know if you would like screengrabs

[Tiberius Kirk]

I would love to see screen grabs of the Johnny Switchblade sketch!!!

TK

[Johnny]

Here's the Johnny Switchblade video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krn9_d9CER8