Stardate: 1482

The same way that scientists use DNA for genetic decoding, I use Megos to decode my brain. I believe my first Mego was Robin the boy wonder, purchased by my mother circa 1974. My next Mego was given to me by grandfather Issac or Irving or Ernie depending on who you ask. 24 hours later Tarzan wound up becoming Candy's, my grandfather's black lab, chew toy. I was incensed! My next Mego memory takes place in kindergarten. Every week I brought in a bag of Megos for show and tell in a yellow sack with white draw strings that my father probably picked up at a garage sale. The other kids probably got tired of my song and dance. One year had passed and I was still playing with Megos. It was my first grade birthday party. It was going ok, kind of lack luster and then I opened my presents. I finally got to Patrick Christiano's gift. It was Batman! I know what you are all thinking" how could he receive Robin before Batman"? I just did, deal with it. I forgot to mention that somewhere between kindergarten and first grade my grandmother Fannie bought me the BatMobile. Fannie is my Mothers Mom. Ernie happens to be my paternal grandfather since we are all here to learn about me. My friend Billy Kelly used to spend a couple of weeks every summer down the shore. That's how the Goyams spent their summers. You will learn a great deal about Bik as time goes on. Anyway he brought back the Thing one summer he had one for a Quarter on the boardwalk. I was envious but he was a great friend and he let me borrow him. Back to Patrick Christino for a minute. The reason why I remember him so vividly is because his family was just about the nicest people I have ever met and because that was the last time we were ever in a class together. I liked the second grade so much I decided to spend another year in it. Anyway along the way I acquired many Megos including Spider man, Captain Kirk(my name sake), The enterprise play set, the Batcave, etc. Now lets jump to the fourth grade. Enter Joe Catina the resident tough kid. He had a ton of Megos. The most impressive figure in his collection was the Falcon. The only black Mego superhero. The Falcon had wings and custom made boots. I think I wound up buying a bunch of Joe's figures off of him around the time he started dating girls. Did I mention that Joe had hair on his chest in the fourth grade? The next Mego milestone came from a suprising source: Annette Friedman. She and my mother came back from a garage sale with GI Joe Headquaters and a bunch of Star Trek figures and playsets. I kept the Star Trek stuff and Billy Friedman kept the Joe stuff, and not the Hasbro crap I mean the 12" 1960's line. What a great haul. My Grandma Fannie and my Aunt Shirly used to take my sister and me into the city for Broadway plays and comic book conventions. The comic book conventions came a little later, about 3 or 4 year later. The obscure Megos were selling for 20 to 80 dollars a figure at this point. This was in 1980, 1982. I forgot to mention that my sister always had a soft spot in her heart for Aquaman. You could purchase this figure one of two ways, by himself or with a shark. Thank you Jaws. One of my last prepubescent memories of Megos besides the ones that are 15 feet away from me.(Kirk and Superman) come from my friend IB who had a boat load of these figures. Needless to say I had grand designs on all of them but to no avail. The last Mego I received was purchased by my father and it was of course Robin. Megos were not the most durable of toys but they were the best. Another thing I should mention is that my father did not buy me presents often but the ones he did buy me I remember vividly including a three sectional staff. Kind of like Ralphi and that air rifle. Miguel Perez bought a how to book for the staff. A Christmas present he gave me after his house burned down but that's a story for a later blog. Today these Megos serve two functions. One, they keep me lucid, and two, they are worth a fortune. A Falcon or the Thor Mego in mint condition would easily sell on e-bay for $200 at the minimum. The Batcave is probably priceless at this point. So if you have these buried in your basement and your having trouble paying your rent come see me, I mean sell them on E-bay and by your self a nice present. Like a Mercedes.