Swimming With A Vintage Mego Aquaman

Seems like Aquaman is a constant butt of jokes these days, but why? As a master scuba diver, I would love to be able to breath underwater without breathing gear or command aquatic life. I just don't understand why he is put down so much as this guy is the main topic of the awesome blog, The Aquaman Shrine. He was always a part of the original line up of the Super Friends and was in Wave I of Mego's World's Greatest Super Heroes line along with Superman, Batman, and Robin.

I believe I have had three Mego Aquaman's in my life time, the one pictured in this post being the third. My first Aquaman I remember getting at Toys R Us and have this memory of going to A & W afterward. Aw! That frosty mug taste. I am not sure what happened to that one, but my second one was also bought at Toys R Us and he had been stolen right out of my front yard as a kid.

I was playing in front of my home, when I a neighbor kid asked if he could have one of Mego action figures or maybe it was Mego Mobile Bat Lab.  I knew this kid from the neighborhood, but he wasn't a friend of mine. I remember him as sort of a red headed stepchild. No, offense to you red headed step children out there, but really, he was a menace. After several "No's" from me he tried and tried again. He even trying to trade some sort of diesel truck for my precious cloth costumed action figures.

A friend of mine had simultaneously been riding my bike and decided to take off. Not to steal my bike, but to race down the street. After a while I began to get nervous and thinking my Megos would be safe in front of my house, I went after my friend in search of my bike. My friend was quickly found, but in my absence and my horror for that matter, the neighborhood menace had taken off with my Aquaman, Captain America, Green Arrow and more. Probably one of the most dramatic events of my childhood.

My parents had gone over the kids house to get my toys back, but the thief's parents denied that any theft occurred. Days later he would be seen with my Captain America, which was quickly retrieved, but the remaining Super Heroes were lost. Never to be seen again.

After that, I remember being frustrated at the fact that it was hard to find an Aquaman again. It seemed that retailers only carried Superman, Batman, Robin, Spider-Man, and Hulk. I guess that was because they were the biggest sellers. The others would eventually be cancelled for low sales. Makes me wonder sometimes, were the low sales due to retailers not carrying the figures in the first place?

The third pictured here was picked up on eBay a decade or more ago. At a time that a resurgence had begun of my toy collecting.

 

Aquaman is a pretty basic action figure. He came with a one piece orange and green suit, faux belt with an upside down "V" to give an appearance of an "A" belt buckle. Mine is a decal, but later version came with a heat fused vinyl version. His costume also included fins behind the legs and he had typical Mego green oven mitt gloves. These gloves could also be found on Robin Mego figures.

All and all Aquaman is a colorful figure and to me the character deserves better. What does everyone else think of the King of Atlantis?

About the author: John Sholtz is an avid toy collector and the interim editor of the Batcave Toy Room due to the abrupt death of Bruce Wayne. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter at, Facebook, Google+ and Linkedin.