SUMMARY:
Mer-Man, the “ocean warlord,” was produced in Taiwan, Malaysia, Mexico (Aurimat), Argentina (Top Toys), Venezuela (Rotoplast), Brazil (Estrela), Spain, France, and India (Leo). It has a spring-loaded waist that swings back with a power punch and comes with a harness and a sword.
The Aurimat Mer-Man can be identified by its bluish-green skin tones, unpainted belt, semi-translucent soft head, and powder orange face paint app. Both the harness and the sword are semi-rigid, lime yellow. The figure had a separate release for each of the three years of the Los Amos del Universo production (1984-1986), and all three have minor differences.
The first release (1984) is marked © Mattel. Inc. 1981. It has a pronounced ridge in the right hand for better weapon handling, dark green skin tones, and an unmarked sword. The harness is marked © Mattel. Inc. 1981 MEXICO on all three releases.
The second release (1985) is similar to the first release except for a less pronounced (but still visible) ridge in the right hand. The accessories are about the same, and the body is slightly lighter in color.
In the third and last year of production (1986), Aurimat modified the molds to say © Mattel. Inc. 1984 MEXICO on the lower back. The figure is now a lighter bluish-green with no longer a ridge in the right hand. This pattern of removing the callus seemed to happen to all figures (not just Mer-Man) in the 1986 line-up. A rare version of this third edition Mer-Man with brick red shorts exists.
The sword comes in 2 different variants. A standard length, darker sword, and a longer, brighter, yellow sword. The long sword is the longest of all sword variants. Both swords are semi-rigid and unmarked.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
1. Bluish-green skin tones
2. Unpainted belt
3. Semi-translucent head with powder orange face paint app
FIRST WAVE (1984):
(pronounced hand ridge)
1. MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981
2. HARNESS MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981. MEXICO
3. SWORD MARKED: Unmarked
SECOND WAVE (1985):
(slight hand ridge)
1. MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981
2. HARNESS MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981. MEXICO
3. SWORD MARKED: Unmarked
THIRD WAVE (1986):
(no hand ridge)
1. MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1984 MEXICO
2. HARNESS MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981. MEXICO
3. SWORD MARKED: Unmarked
THIRD WAVE (1986): Brick red shorts variant
(no hand ridge)
1. MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1984 MEXICO
2. HARNESS MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1981. MEXICO
3. SWORD MARKED: Unmarked
