More Equal Than Others

It was enough to make a six year old kid's head explode.

Back in '74, Planet of the Apes films were enjoying a pretty good run on syndicated television. CBS gave us an awesome TV show that was admittedly less of a thrill than the films, but was still cool enough to win me over from Chico and the Man. And best of all, there was a glut of merchandise out there for an ape loving human-child to enjoy.

MEGO was obviously the company that did it best. To this day I can't help but look at a Dr. Zaius figure with a certain amount of awe.



I admit to having been a particularly quirky kid, seeing as how I favored the less exciting MEGO figures--Dr. Zaius, Mr. Spock, the Cowardly Lion, Human Torch--over many others. Looking back, the weirdest of them all really had to be Dr. Zaius, given that his usual interaction with the other toys was to scold them, and to order a Soldier Ape to throw them in a cage fashioned from random sticks and twine.



If my memory serves me well, I'm pretty sure that Kirk and Spock were often rescued from the sinister clutches of Dr. Zaius by a recon group consisting of McCoy and Cornelius. Though in the end, Zaius always had a change of heart, and became friends with the humans.

I know... I was a sweet, but extremely nerdy kid.