KISS

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KISS 1978 – 1979

Mego released their KISS action figures in 1978, until they eventually came to end after the 1979 Christmas season. The line featured all four band members, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss and Gene Simmons. They all came with rooted hair, along with amazing face paint jobs. No vehicles or playsets were released for these figures, which is a shame because a stage playset or tour bus vehicle would have been lots of fun.

 

For more information about Mego’s Kiss action figure line, see bottom of the page for a complete summary.

KISS (1978-1979): Basic Figures

Mego released all four members of the band for their KISS action figure line.

Ace Frehley

Market Value:
Boxed $200 – $300
Loose $70 – $120

Ace Frehley
Accessories: Cloth Bodysuit, Silver Vest, Arm Cuffs, Leg Cuffs, Boots, Guitar
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Ace Frehley was a quarter of the most popular rock band of the era, KISS. Ace comes with his signature painted make-up job, complete with the star on his right eye. Like the others, Ace comes with rooted hair for that realistic look. Accessory wise, Ace comes with his cloth bodysuit that includes the silver vest sewn onto it. Also included are his arm cuffs, leg cuffs, boots, and his red and orange guitar.

Gene Simmons

Market Value:
Boxed $200 – $300
Loose $70 – $120

Gene Simmons
Accessories: Cloth Bodysuit, Chest Chains, Arm Cuffs, Leg Cuffs, Boots, Guitar
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Gene Simmons was a quarter of the most popular rock band of the era, KISS. Gene comes with his signature painted make-up job, complete with his tongue sticking out. Like the others, Gene comes with rooted hair for that realistic look. Accessory wise, Gene comes with his sparkly cloth bodysuit that includes sewn-on batwings. Also included are his arm cuffs, leg cuffs, boots and his black guitar.

Paul Stanley

Market Value:
Boxed $200 – $300
Loose $70 – $120

Paul Stanley
Accessories: Cloth Bodysuit, Star Emblems, Arm Cuffs, Leg Cuffs, Boots, Guitar
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Paul Stanley was a quarter of the most popular rock band of the era, KISS. Paul comes with his signature painted make-up job, complete with the iconic star adorning his right eye. Like the others, Paul comes with rooted hair for that realistic look. Accessory wise, Paul comes with his cloth bodysuit with the star emblems on each leg and silver trim. Also included are his arm cuffs, leg cuffs, boots, and his blue and black guitar.

Peter Criss

Market Value:
Boxed $200 – $300
Loose $70 – $120

Peter Criss
Accessories: Cloth Bodysuit with Silver Trim, Arm Cuffs, Leg Cuffs, Boots, Drum Kit
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Peter Criss was a quarter of the most popular rock band of the era, KISS. Peter comes with his signature painted make-up job, complete with the painted on whiskers. Like the others, Peter comes with rooted hair for that realistic look. Accessory wise, Peter comes with his cloth bodysuit that includes lots of silver trim, including two that go across his chest. Also included are his arm cuffs, leg cuffs, boots, and his drum kit.

KISS (1978-1979): Accessories

There were no accessories released for the KISS action figure line, but I could think of a bunch that would have been super cool to have.

KISS (1978-1979): Playsets

Mego did not release any playsets for the KISS action figure line, but the lack of a stage playset seems like a bit of a miss here.

KISS (1978-1979): Vehicles

There were no vehicles released for the KISS action figure series.

Mego toys had gained quite the reputation of being a innovator in the action figure industry by the mid to late 70’s, with great success of their television and movie franchise lines such as Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Happy Days and others. Around this time, Mego also began producing lines based on specific celebrities with their Sonny and Cher, Farrah Fawcett, and TV Starz series that included Diana Ross, Suzanne Somers and others. So Mego certainly knew how to promote popular personalities of the era. It just so happened that the rock band KISS was taking the world by storm at the time, and Mego saw an opportunity to expand once again. They had never made figures based on music artists, but saw a potential market for these figures, and were absolutely right. The KISS figures were released in 1978, and sold extremely well until they eventually came to end after the 1979 Christmas season.

The KISS action figure line featured all four band members, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss and Gene Simmons. All four came with rooted hair to give them that realistic look, along with amazing paint jobs for the faces. It is clearly evident that Mego did their homework when it came to designing these figures. No vehicles or playsets were released for these figures, which is a shame because a stage playset or tour bus vehicle would have been lots of fun.

The packaging for the KISS line of action figures certainly fit the theme of the line with the iconic KISS logo on the top left in big bold letters. The color scheme was bright and colorful, with a black and red theme. Mego used the open window so you can check out the figure inside, which is good because the same exact box is used for all four figures, with no actual identifying marks of the figure inside. The figure itself sat just off to the right, with only the head showing. The KISS packaging was colorful and eye-catching and remains iconic to collectors.