QUEENS, NEW YORK: EMCE Toys, the brand that brought classic ‘70s toy company MEGO back from the dead this year, announced that it is releasing four 8” poseable action figures based on characters from the seminal 1968 cult zombie classic NIGHT OF THE LVING DEAD. The heads are sculpted by fan favorite James Brady in the classic MEGO rotocast plastic style, and the figures are packaged in MEGO-style blister packaging with illustrations by original MEGO artist Harold Shull.
“This is the first new line released since MEGO Corp. closed in the 1980s,” said Paul “Dr. Mego” Clarke, who co-created the EMCE Toys brand at SphereWerx Micromedia. “We brought back the classic STAR TREK and PLANET OF THE APES toys this year, and now we’ve created an entirely new line with the involvement of the original MEGO players.”
The first two figures to be released are Bill Hinzman as the “Graveyard Zombie” from the film’s opening scene, and Duane Jones as “Ben”, the rifle-toting hero.
Later this year, EMCE will release Judith O’Dea as “Barbra” and Kyra Schon as the “Karen Cooper Zombie”. All figures are approved by the actors or their respective estates and are timed to the 40th anniversary of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
In 1974, MEGO invented the licensed action figure with their distinctive eight-inch lines based on classic scifi and superhero characters, then expanding the lines to include electronic toys and playsets. An entire generation of fans had their very own “U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge” or a removable-cowl Batman at some point.
MEGO closed its doors in 1982, leading to a sky-rocketing in the value of these prized collectibles.
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