Tweet
So I ran to walmart for a frozen pizza and some K-cups (great way to make coffee by the cup btw). In my standard fashion I make the rounds... electronics for cheap movies... McMart for Barbie Fairies Happy Meal Toys for the baby girl... and then toys for well, ya know.
As I walk down the action figure aisle it happened. Deja Vu. Sure the aisles at almost all retail stores look like revamped 1980's products for a while now but tonight was a bit different for me. The nostalgia made me sad.
As my eyes cut across the new "vintage" carded Star Wars figures I spotted what I believe is the latest wave and there he was... R5D4. In a sudden 'woosh' it was 1978... I'm five... my mom is pushing the cart at Kroger and there I see them for the first time, Star Wars actioin figures. In that moment I rmembered when Kenner won my heart and (with the exception of the Dukes) toy desires and requests for the next 20 years.
Yep that moment, the moment when my eyes and imagination shifted from Superman to Han Solo. I always saw Luke as a punk. Sure I still had the Super Friends on Saturday morning but Mego had dropped the ball on the characters needed to round out the adventures (thanks for fixing that Paul). But still it was that moment in 1978 when my mom got me that R5D4 (R2 was sold out) that playtime changed for me. It's funny now that I remember Mom was pretty cool with these new figures over Mego', especially since they were a couple bucks cheaper.
The sadness that I started this post out with is about the realization NOW of how much things have changed but yet remain the same. 33 years later my love for MEGO has returned but for one brief moment I found myself captivated by Mr. Lucas' fantasy world. For that one moment I was ready to drop 9 bucks on a droid that's claim to fame was being a piece of junk. I stopped myself btw mainly because one thing raced across my mind... that droid has no heart, in more ways than one.
Discussing this with the wife when I got home it hit me that although I still do enjoy Star Wars deep down, the stuff on the shelves today have no heart. They were created simply to squeeze every last penny out of the franchise. The new Mego's however are different. They DO have heart. Or should I say heartS, plural.
If not for Doc Mego and EMCE, the guys with castaway,ZICA, Classic TV Toys, we wouldn't have this Re-Mego world that is breaking our collective bank accounts. While I understand the aforementioned are each on their own different level each, one of those entities were started out by folks who LOVED Mego's in general, not just someone else's fantasy world. I may be over reaching here but I get the vibe from all of them that they made their particular mark on the toy world because of their personal passion, not a "bottom line". I salute you all for that.
Realizing how long this reflection has went I'll shut up now and go back to looking at my Greatest American Hero that is positioned between RA Superman and EMCE Kirk and just above Commander X who is flanked by a bunch of CTVT carded monsters. Thank you to all of you who have made my wall a very fun and inspirational place to be.
As I walk down the action figure aisle it happened. Deja Vu. Sure the aisles at almost all retail stores look like revamped 1980's products for a while now but tonight was a bit different for me. The nostalgia made me sad.
As my eyes cut across the new "vintage" carded Star Wars figures I spotted what I believe is the latest wave and there he was... R5D4. In a sudden 'woosh' it was 1978... I'm five... my mom is pushing the cart at Kroger and there I see them for the first time, Star Wars actioin figures. In that moment I rmembered when Kenner won my heart and (with the exception of the Dukes) toy desires and requests for the next 20 years.
Yep that moment, the moment when my eyes and imagination shifted from Superman to Han Solo. I always saw Luke as a punk. Sure I still had the Super Friends on Saturday morning but Mego had dropped the ball on the characters needed to round out the adventures (thanks for fixing that Paul). But still it was that moment in 1978 when my mom got me that R5D4 (R2 was sold out) that playtime changed for me. It's funny now that I remember Mom was pretty cool with these new figures over Mego', especially since they were a couple bucks cheaper.
The sadness that I started this post out with is about the realization NOW of how much things have changed but yet remain the same. 33 years later my love for MEGO has returned but for one brief moment I found myself captivated by Mr. Lucas' fantasy world. For that one moment I was ready to drop 9 bucks on a droid that's claim to fame was being a piece of junk. I stopped myself btw mainly because one thing raced across my mind... that droid has no heart, in more ways than one.
Discussing this with the wife when I got home it hit me that although I still do enjoy Star Wars deep down, the stuff on the shelves today have no heart. They were created simply to squeeze every last penny out of the franchise. The new Mego's however are different. They DO have heart. Or should I say heartS, plural.
If not for Doc Mego and EMCE, the guys with castaway,ZICA, Classic TV Toys, we wouldn't have this Re-Mego world that is breaking our collective bank accounts. While I understand the aforementioned are each on their own different level each, one of those entities were started out by folks who LOVED Mego's in general, not just someone else's fantasy world. I may be over reaching here but I get the vibe from all of them that they made their particular mark on the toy world because of their personal passion, not a "bottom line". I salute you all for that.
Realizing how long this reflection has went I'll shut up now and go back to looking at my Greatest American Hero that is positioned between RA Superman and EMCE Kirk and just above Commander X who is flanked by a bunch of CTVT carded monsters. Thank you to all of you who have made my wall a very fun and inspirational place to be.
Besides I would much rather give my money to Paul or Craig than George. 
Comment