A Landmark Playset by Mego!
This Toy Spotlight focuses on an iconic playset from Mego, and an item that sat atop the wish list of many kids back in the late 1970’s. Mego’s World’s Greatest Super Heroes line was a MASSIVE hit at the time, to say the least, and enjoyed worldwide success. Mego certainly gave us plenty of figures and accessories for the line, but their playsets were simply amazing! (Star Trek Enterprise, Bat Cave and Planet of the Apes Tree House to name a few). By 1977, Mego was the undisputed king of the toy world, so they could afford to take some risks, and boy did they ever! Mego released the largest item ever produced for the World’s Greatest Super Heroes line…….. and it was a good one. So without further ado, I humbly present Mego’s Wayne Foundation Playset from 1977.
Mego certainly went heavy on the Batman action figures and accessories, and why wouldn’t they! Batman was insanely popular, with reruns of the 1960’s show, a successful animated series and of course, several best selling DC Comics. Batman was also among Mego’s best selling action figures, along with all things Batman selling extremely well. They had already made the Bat Mobile, Bat Copter, Bat Cycle, Mobile Bat Lab, Joker Mobile and Bat Cave, not to mention numerous versions of Batman related action figures. It looked like Mego was starting to run out of ideas for Batman items, so they borrowed an idea from the DC Comic world. Neal Adams’ Batman storyline at the time was trying to separate itself from the 60’s show and take Batman back into the “Dark Knight” detective storylines. Robin was off to college and Batman was running solo. Because of the new storyline, Bruce Wayne took up residence at the Wayne Foundation in Downtown Gotham. Penthouses and offices were on top, with secret labs and Bat rooms below. The guideline for the Wayne Foundation Playset was literally the Barbie Dream House and Neal Adams Studios helped design the playset, as well as the artwork for the décor, wall panels and packaging.
Of all the amazing and well-done playsets released for Mego’s WGSH line, the Wayne Foundation Playset stands alone as not only the biggest accessory made, but also among the most fun. Standing at a whopping 40 Inches tall and nearly Two Feet wide, this thing really had it all. There were four levels of fun, a bunch of accessories and it even came with a working elevator.
The playset was billed as a three story building with a penthouse (but isn’t that actually four stories?), anyway, starting at the top, the “Penthouse” was a secret room with a cardboard backdrop that was kind of science looking room with not much else. It was labeled a the “Bat Lab”. The next floor was the Hangar or Garage. This cardboard backdrop featured the Bat Plane, Bat Boat and Bat Cycle. There was also various repair tools and accessories painted onto the backdrop. Next is the Trophy Room. This is the iconic room that features all of Batman’s souvenirs and war spoils. On the cardboard backdrop, you can see the dinosaur and giant penny, along with a Man-Bat Portrait, Two-Face’s Coin, Giant Glass Eye, Cat Woman’s Whip, a Meteorite, Bat Mite Statue, and the Mad Hatter’s Hat Collection. This was always my favorite part of the playset. There were so many little Easter Eggs for fans and the artwork was gorgeous. The bottom floor acted as the Bat Lab or bad guy catching room. Even though the top floor actually says “Bat Lab”, this floor looks more like it. This is where the computer console would sit. The freestanding computer console itself is actually pretty darn cool because it features screen pictures of the Joker, Riddler, Lex Luthor and possibly Brainiac? The main photo on the bottom screen is the same one used for the Comic Action Heroes Superman Fortress of Solitude playset computer console with Superman, Green Arrow and others. Also included in the backdrop were all kinds of machines and gadgets to help Batman solve crimes and catch bad guys. The elevator stopped on all floors and ran on a cord that pulled it up and down. I won’t lie, the elevator instructions kind of read like an IKEA instruction manual, so I just winged it and it seemed to work fine.
In total, the Wayne Foundation Playset included a Computer Console, Conference Table with Screen, Four Chairs, Trophy Case, Bat Elevator and of course…the Secret Bookcase. The bookcase had a sliding door that you could move to hide various parts of the playset, depending on where you wanted it on that particular day. The artwork on the box was beautifully done by Neal Adams, with a lot of nods to Batman history and lore. This really was the Barbie Town House for boys! Alas, the Wayne Foundation Playset marked the last of the great playsets for the 8″ figures, but at least Mego went all out on it.
The Wayne Foundation Playset was a bit of a gamble by Mego back in 1977, but is highly coveted by collectors nowadays. At an average price tag of around $17 – $20 (depending on where you bought your toys back then), and the large amount of space it took up on shelves, retailers weren’t exactly crazy about ordering bunches of these for their stores. As a result, there weren’t a ton of them sold back in the day, which obviously affects its value now. Obviously, this playset remains extremely poplar on the secondary market, and boxed Versions of the Wayne Foundation can be tough to find. Even loose sets can be hard to track down, mostly due to all the individual pieces. Finding one at a reasonable price will likely prove a tough task and could require some patience. Loose versions range in value from $400 – $600, depending on condition and whether they are complete. Boxed versions can fetch up to $1,500 or more, again depending on the box’s condition and whether it’s complete. Obviously, graded or sealed versions will sell for higher prices. This really is a centerpiece item for just about any Mego collection. Despite its large size, it worked really well, and provided hours of entertainment for children of that era. The Wayne Foundation was big, colorful, awesome looking, full of Easter Eggs, great details and just plain fun. Big Kudos to Mego for giving us a fantastic toy that entertained us and captured our imaginations.
We hope you enjoyed this TOY SPOTLIGHT! Be sure to check out our other Toy Spotlight articles from past months, Thanks.
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