Black Hole

Black Hole

The movie Black Hole was not only a flop to Disney but also to the renowned toy maker Mego. In spite of the fact that Black Hole toys sell well today, in their early days, they were sold cheaply immediately after their introduction into the toy market. Today, this trend seems to have changed considerably.

There were a total of three distinct types of Black Hole toys. Mego created the three quarter inch figures which were a popular franchise of its toy line as well as the 13 inch dolls. The figures were modeled after all the human characters in the movie. They also included the robots that were the real attraction in the film. One of the small figures that were scarce was the humanoid.

Toy dolls were also shaped after the real human characters. The downside is that they suffered from a mix of problems such as changes in face color and corrosion of rivet joints. It is still possible to find the dolls in their original box for a few dollars.

The other group of Black Hole collectibles that were licensed were manufactured in Italy. They bore semblance to both the Mego Magnetic ball and Takara. Maximillian and others were part of the toy line.

The average height of the magnetic robots was four to six inches and they retailed for at least a hundred dollars. Packages for these toys were well-detailed. There were other collectibles that were licensed and released such as; lunch boxes and games.

Besides the three-quarter toy size figures, Mego also developed twelve inch figures as part of its toy line. They were exactly the same as the earlier line of twelve inch figures that were developed for The Star Trek movie. The component parts of these figures such as hips and waist were well articulated.

Although they were easy to detach, they were highly priced. Some individuals claim that the plastic material used to make parts of the body made them look unattractive.

Mego did not develop larger versions of its line of toy robots and, therfore; they were not accessible in the US toy market. However, in Europe, toy maker Gig in Italy used parts of the original Takara’s Magnemo and especially the joint system to make robots that were approximately eight inches in height for a selected group of robot dolls.

Black Hole toys were at the rear of the Mego line of products. A review of the toy catalog that was issued at the New York Toy Fair in 1980 shows that some of the Black Hole toys that were displayed were either never produced or they were sold in small numbers in Italy and Europe.

Disney licensed the Black Hole with the intent of allowing toy makers to create an array of toy line products. A few selected items were interesting, however, most of the products did not appeal to a wide group of people with the exception of fans or collectors of Black Hole toy products.