Webbed-Hand Aquaman: Search for Atlantis?

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Tonight, I posted a new Blog, exploring Mego's mysterious "Webbed-Hand" Aquaman. Featuring a never-before-seen photograph of the solitary example of this phenomenal WGSH artifact (thanks to our own Roberto!), I also present a new, potentially related fact for your consideration.

Read the blog, and let's discuss.

Benjamin

[MegoRonin]

That is a new one for me. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[nayrbgo]

WOW! Roberto must have access to some underwater archives.....
and unrelated to aquaman, in reading the notes in your blog post, i'm curious if mego ever made those trampoline games.

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Originally Posted by nayrbgo

WOW! Roberto must have access to some underwater archives.....
and unrelated to aquaman, in reading the notes in your blog post, i'm curious if mego ever made those trampoline games.

"Trampoline games?" You lost me there. Which ones are you referring to?

Benjamin

[spockfan74]

I've always wondered if the only knew example is a proto type that was never mass produced?

[nayrbgo]

on the right hand page, above the sub mariner/aquaman highlighted notes: "(Skill) Trampolene [sic] Games"

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Originally Posted by spockfan74

I've always wondered if the only knew example is a proto type that was never mass produced?

Good question. "Prototype" seems to be an oft-misued term, as many people use the word to imply "early edition," without consideration of the production process.

I worked as an Art Director for a Los Angeles-based toy company that manufactured almost exclusively in Hong Kong and Mainland China (much like Mego). We always used the term "prototype" to refer to the preliminary product design for which I was responsible. Such prototypes were hand-made samples or even 2-dimensional drawings/renderings of the concept. That said, many who work in toy manufacturing cite the "prototype" as the first example produced by the manufacturer (BTW, we always called that item an "early production sample").

The reason I mention this, is that it digs deeper into the production process and mystery of the "Webbed-Hand" figure. For those who have personally inspected the "Webbed-Hand" Aquaman figure, there is no disputing the fact that the hands are the result of a complete manufacturing process. That is to say, they are neither rudimentary ('hand-made') mock-ups, nor are they modified from existing hands. The factory must have produced (an unknown quantity) of these hands!

I realize this is somewhat beside the point, but I think it's important to note that the solitary specimen bears the markings of having been mass-produced.

So where are the other 300-1,000 specimens surely manufactured?!

The mystery remains.

Benjamin

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Originally Posted by nayrbgo

on the right hand page, above the sub mariner/aquaman highlighted notes: "(Skill) Trampolene [sic] Games"

Aha! Gotcha. Sorry, I was so focused on the "underwater" themes, I didn't make a note of Vinny's other product ideas.

Benjamin

[spockfan74]

Thanks for answering my question Benjamin, As i haven't been lucky enough to see him upclose But one thing still beats me is since Aquaman was such a poor seller why spend money on retooling his hands?

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Originally Posted by spockfan74

Thanks for answering my question Benjamin, As i haven't been lucky enough to see him upclose But one thing still beats me is since Aquaman was such a poor seller why spend money on retooling his hands?

Now you're REALLY getting to the heart of what bothers ALL Mego collectors!

When it comes to this particular Mego product, mysteries abound. Was this really originally intended to be a WGSH/Aquaman product, suggesting Mego saw potential profit in an otherwise unvendible character that — for 6+ years — resulted in low casepack quantities and weak overall sales?

Was the toy's development prompted by the successful movie "Jaws?" Probably not, since there are several years between the country's "shark" fever (1975/76) and the Mego product (1978).

Were the hands and/or shark figure developed for TV's "Man from Atlantis" or similarly aquatic concept (e.g. the mysterious "Search for Atlantis")? Several people have aggressively asserted this was not the case.

Sadly, I don't know whether the answers are actually out there waiting to be discovered. But it is fascinating nonetheless, and certainly worthy of additional discussion.

Benjamin