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Flash Gordon was created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond back in 1934. The comic strip was created to compete with the already popular Buck Rogers strips. Flash Gordon would go on to become a smash success, which resulted in a number of licensed products being sold, including books, comics, toy spaceships and toy ray guns. The Flash Gordon comic strip would run all the way to 2003, when it finally came to an end, but the comic strips weren’t the only medium that Flash Gordon was making appearances in, and those toy spaceships and ray guns certainly weren’t the only toys that were produced.
Aside from the comic strips themselves, Flash Gordon appeared in several serial films from 1936 to 1940, and even movies at the box office. The serial films starred Buster Crabbe as Flash and Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless. They were immensely popular at the time and established Flash Gordon as a household name. Flash would remain popular over the years, and there were certainly lots of toys along the way, but he made his action figure debut in 1978 when Mego released a small Flash Gordon toy line. Included in the series were four figures, Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, Dr. Zarkov and Ming the Merciless. A small playset was also released with the figures. Mego’s toy line did not sell particularly well at the time, but have grown in appreciation over the years.
Even though Flash would remain popular in several different media outlets, but he made his small screen animated debut in 1979 with the Filmation series “The New Adventures of Flash Gordon” on NBC. The series ran for two seasons and spawned 32 episodes. Mattel released their Flash Gordon toy line based on the animated series from 1979 to 1980. The toy line included 8 figures from the show and a couple of vehicles to go along with them. The series was short lived at the time, but the toys have remained popular with collectors nowadays.
Flash Gordon returned in 1986 as part of the Defenders of the Earth animated series and toy line. The show focused on Flash, The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician battling Ming the Merciless to defend the Earth. The toy line was produced by Galoob and fairly well-received by fans at the time. It contained a total of six different figures, along with accessories and five unique vehicles. Another Flash Gordon animated series launched in 1996. The series lasted only one season, consisting of 26 episodes. Playmates secured the toy licensing rights to the show and released their action figure line in 1996, with eight different figures, along with a few different accessories.
The Flash Gordon Live Action Movie was released on the big screen by Universal Pictures in 1980. The movie focused on pro football player, Flash Gordon and how he came to be on the planet Mongo, along with his friends, Dale Arden and Hans Zarkov . The main bad guy in the movie was of course, Ming the Merciless. Despite not being a big hit back in 1980, the movie gained a huge cult following over the years. As a result, Bif Bang Pow! finally brought this cult classic film to toy collectors across the globe in several different formats. Their first action figure line was a 7 inch series in 2007, followed by a second wave in 2008. A new retro 8 inch series debuted in 2010, before shifting to a 3.75 inch retro series in 2015, which was reminiscent of Kenner’s vintage toy lines of old.
Throughout its long history, we have seen many different iterations of Flash Gordon, and just as many of different products from several different companies, some better than others. Just like every other toy line, the values of certain items can greatly fluctuate over time. This is based on several factors, including the item’s time period, scarcity, overall condition, and of course, consumer demand. The good news for Flash Gordon collectors is there is always a demand for items from this franchise, as Mego, Mattel, Galoob, Playmates and Bif Bang Pow! created some truly iconic pieces over the years. Most individual figures and accessories from the more modern Galoob, Playmates and Bif Bang Pow lines can be easily found on the secondary market, but older series from Mego and Mattel can be a bit tougher to find. Values for Flash Gordon items have been fairly consistent of late, with values remaining steady. With talk of a Flash Gordon revival looming, the future of Flash Gordon collectibles looks pretty bright. The vintage sci-fi collectible market remains popular due to an ever-present nostalgia of kids who read the books or comics, and grew up watching the animated shows and live action film of 1980, not to mention a loyal fan base. This certainly bodes well for Flash Gordon fans and collectors. LONG LIVE FLASH!
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