Some questions on the old Playmates ST figures..

[Balok's Head]

I've been a serious model builder for a few years now so models and the odd collectible here and there have been my bread and butter in terms of collecting. But recently I've got the action figure bug (for reasons unknown). So, I have some questions..

Right now I'm concentrating on the TNG playmates figures. I've learned a few things but some still elude me. What does 'Pog/Space Cap' mean? I know it refers to the type of card that comes with select figures but what the hell is it exactly?

Why were some made with a simple non pog collectors card/and or/ badge base? In what kind of numbers etc?

I've just picked up a Riker as Malcornian (TNG: First Contact) and a Data as Romulan (Unification), both with space cap. Also, two Voyager figures, The Doctor and Kim (Both singed, interestingly enough!) So off to a cool start!

I also understand the Voyager figures can be harder to find and made in lower numbers compared to their TNG counterparts?

Any info would be awesome!

 

[Albertese]

I will answer one of your questions: what the hell is a pog?

A pog is round cardboard disc about an inch and a half or so in diameter. Originally they were part of the packaging of a drink called POG (a juice made out of passionfruit, orange, and guava). These discs where stacked up and the you would take a similar diameter disc of thicker and heavier material and slam it on top of the stack, causing the stack to scatter. Once it became clear in the early nineties that this activity was catching on, lots of toy concerns started making pogs that were intended for this game, still calling them pogs even though there was no more connection to the original POG drink.

Now, I can't tell you the rules about what it meant after the stack of pogs was slammed, as I was only eleven or twelve when this was popular and, to tell the truth, I thought it looked stupid even back then.

Pogs did once crop up in an episode of The Simpsons where Milhouse was trying to impress Bart with his pog collection, especially his ALF pog. "Remember ALF? He's back! In pog form!"

Over the years, Playmates tried numerous such gimmicks involving cards or limited foil cards or pogs or whatever. I never looked into the numbers of such things.

Hope that helps!

--Alex

 

[Balok's Head]

That Simpsons episode makes sense now, thanks!