We at the Megomuseum are very sad to report that founder of Parkdale Novelty (Aka Mego Canada) Morris Kotzer has passed away this week.
Having a long relationship with the Abrams family, Kotzer’s Parkdale Novelty was distributing Mego toys in Canada since it’s inception. When Action Jackson launched in 1972, Kotzer was one of the first to place an order, which was especially large.
The Super Heroes followed as did Star Trek and Planet of the Apes to great success in Canada.
Kotzer and David Abrams on a buying trip in 1961
It was Kotzer’s determination and willingness to put up the money that created the Mego 12″ Superhero line and he is considered by us to be the father of that line.
After Mego’s demise, it was the warehouse find of Star Trek action figures at Parkdale Novelty that fueled Mego Collecting in the 1980s and 90s. The tape of Mego Commercials that every collector knows came from Kotzer’s children converting the film reels he had saved. Many of the Mego Catalogs seen here at the Mego Museum are from the Parkdale archives.
Always a hard worker, Morris still showed up to work when others would have been retired for decades. He was joined at Parkdale by his children, which still thrives as a leading provider of plush toys.
Thank you Mr Kotzer, you will be missed.
