Mego had been distributing "dime store" toys since the 1950's, but never could find its niche until the 70's when it started producing name brand eight to twelve inch dolls. Since then, Mego has dominated the toy isles with figures based on Marvel and DC Comic characters, as well as several various TV shows such as C.H.I.P.S. and Duke's of Hazard.
Linda Carter took the TV world by storm, and awoke an entire generations sexual urges when she portrayed Diana Prince, AKA Wonder Woman on ABC from 1975 to 1979. Clad in tight blue shorts (if not underwear), and a bright red top that allowed men to see for miles at the right camera angle, she was destined to become a sex symbol overnight.
Between 1978 and 1979 Mego produced a small line of dolls based off the hit show. Mego had already been producing various DC comic related dolls, and one based on Wonder Woman had previously been released in the 1974 Supergals assortment. This line however was different both in sculpting, and by design that it was purely geared towards the TV show.
Along with the artwork of Wonder Woman, Ms. Carter was also featured on the package. The overall concept design of the packaging didn't stray far from typical Mego packaging. A large rectangle box with a clear window, and a large tab off to the left was pretty standard for the company in those days. Coupled with its light blue background, and bright red and yellow eye catching logo, it was like a tractor beam to young girls (and some boys) back in the 70's.
Five dolls in total were produced, one of which was a second version of Wonder Woman. The variations between the two dolls are numerous between the packaging and accessories. The most noticeable being that the second version titles the doll as simply "Wonder Woman," while the original claims to be "Linda Carter as Wonder Woman." The first version also came with a set of clothing that allowed you to change her from Wonder Woman to Diana Princes with a dress suit as seen in the show, while the second included a plain pink dress to change into. Ms. Carter's image was also removed from the package design of the second format.
The three other dolls were Nubia, Queen Hippolyte, and Steve Trevor.
Mego originally planned to produce what was known to be a "Wonder Woman Playset." Though a prototype was mocked up, and several photographs exist, the physical playset never came to be. This is most likely due to the TV show ending, and interest in the dolls dwindling at a fairly rapid pace.
The playset appeared to be nothing more than three cardboard cut outs linked together by tabs, and a handful of plastic furniture pieces - Pretty standard, cheap playset production for the 70's and 80's. They were highly fragile, and fairly easy to lose. Perhaps with that said, it's a good thing the playset was never produced. Someone out there could own this prototype if it wasn't destroyed when Mego closed their doors, and if it were to ever surface, it would be a very interesting bidding war to watch.
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