MONDO (Italian for “world”) is a new collectible/confectionary product from Mars, aimed at teaching children about history.  Mondos hit the shelves in Australian and New Zealand supermarkets and confectionary retailers in late September or early October of 2000, and rapidly became the hottest collectible of it’s kind around.  Word even spread via groups such as the Collectors Heaven Group to the UK and Europe, where collectors used the internet to get their collections going.  Like Yowies, Mondos were initially aimed at children, but quickly found a strong following amongst adults who now make up a large proportion of serious Mondo collectors.

The concept behind Mondos is to make history fun by inviting kids to "play with history".  For this purpose, “Mondotime”, an interactive website, was established, in which you can play “choose-your-own-adventure” type games, and download and play a First Person 3D Adventure game where you go hunting for Pharaoh’s treasure.  To make Mondos even more appealing, prizes were offered for those who completed half their collection (50% Mondo) and the whole collection (100% Mondo) the quickest (more information about the website in a minute…)

Mondos are packaged in a distinctive blue and yellow box, each box containing a lollipop and a figure and card sealed in a plastic bag.  There are 24 of these little boxes in a display box, and a number of feature stands are used in the shops.  A problem soon emerged with this packaging – it proved too easy for unscrupulous people to open or bend the box to see what’s inside and then not buy it, leaving shelves full of opened or otherwise mangled (and therefore unsaleable) Mondos.  Consequently, word is that future Mondo boxes may be sealed in a plastic wrapper to prevent this sort of “cheating”.  While some of us collectors may have benefited from someone leaving opened Mondos in the shops, I’m sure none of us would begrudge this added measure if it means Mondos stay on the shelves instead of having Mars abandon the concept because of this kind of action.

For its first series, Mondo is made up of 30 Figurines, 60 Collector Cards and two flavoured Lollipops (orange and strawberry). The figurines and cards are divided up into 10 Epochs (Periods of History), with 3 plastic hand-painted figures and 6 cards per epoch.  Thus, Mondos are actually TWO collectibles for the price of one!  Some collectors concentrate only on the figures and don’t worry much about the cards, but you will need to collect all 30 characters and 60 cards to officially become 100% Mondo.

MONDO EPOCHS

The 10 epochs range in history from 1500 BC to AD 1945, and each focusses on a major historical event.  The title and a brief outline of each epoch is as follows:-
   
EGYPT 1500BC  It is a time of crisis for Pharaoh and his people – the annual Nile floods have not arrived and Egypt is running low on food.  There is discontent and worry amongst the people, who rely on the Pharaoh as their God-King to provide for them.

ROME 1 AD  Rome is at peace for the first time in years… so why is there trouble brewing for the Emperor?  Enemies from amongst both the Senate and the People of Rome are posing a threat to the Pax Romana.

The figures stand about 6.5 cm tall and represent characters which appear in the epoch games on the Mondotime website.  They are dressed fairly accurately in the clothes of the epoch, which makes for some exquisite little characters!  Some of the figures represent genuine historical people, such as Octavian and Napoleon, whilst others are fictional characters based on real people.

On the feet or base of each figure is a 3 letter/1 number code to identify the figure.  They are identified first by epoch, using the following abbreviations:-

EGP – Egypt                ROM – Rome               ENG – England

JAP – Japan                 AUS – Australia            FRA – France

USA – USA                 AFR – Africa               CHI – China

UNI – 2^nd World War

There is then a number (most often 1, 2 or 3, but in the case of the UNI figures it is 4, 5 or 6), and together these make up the figure’s identity code.  Each character also has a name - as an example, ENG1 is Matilda.  There are different methods of referring to the figures amongst collectors – some use the names, others use the identity code.  A full list of codes and names is given in the checklists, so we won’t go into it any further here.  Also on the feet or base of a figure is a date which corresponds roughly to the time period of the epoch.

Six of the thirty figures are officially considered “hard to get” and are called “Rares” by collectors – they are Pharaoh (Egypt), Ocatvian (Rome), Matilda (England), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Japan), Sarah Brown (Australia) and Napoleon (France).  In a display  box of 24, you will usually get one Rare amongst all the common figures, but occasionally there will be two – one lucky collector found three Rares in a single box!  Unfortunately, sometimes there will be none.  The remaining 24 figures are fairly common, though some collectors have come up with a rarity scale for the figures in each epoch – common, uncommon and rare – based on their collecting experience.

MONDO VARIATIONS

As with Yowies and other collectibles, the Mondo figures have a number of variations.  Some of the figures have a pale version with a light beige face and a dark version with a tan face, and some have slightly different colours or patterns on their clothing, which eagle-eyed collectors have noticed and consider significant enough to call a proper variation.  There are, of course, differences of opinion amongst collectors as to what degree of difference constitutes a "variation".  It is also as yet unclear as to which version is to be considered the "standard", and which the "variation"...  there are as many views on this as there are collectors.  A list of the commonly acknowledged variations is given in the Mondo Series 1 Variation Checklist, and photos of a number of variations are included on the Mondo Pictures page. 

It appears, however, that only one of the variations was deliberately intended by Mars - this being the black and white Velvet Lincoln, which was designed to reflect the proportion of black to white Americans serving in the Second World War (20% black, 80% white).  According to a spokesperson from Mondo, all other variations have been caused by slight differences in two separate manufacturing batches, and were not intended to be variations.  This does not make a difference to collectors, though, who will often try to get as many figure variations as they can!

Several collectors have noted that it seems you are more likely to get the pale faced figures in early UBDs - 7/01 and early 8/01 - whilst dark faced figures tend to appear more in the later 8/01 and onwards UBDs.

Aside from the acknowledged variations, there appears to be the occasional “oddity”, a figure with a difference not found in sufficient numbers to be called a variation.  As the Mondo figures are hand-painted, it is inevitable that such little "mistakes" should appear!  There have been several documented oddities:- a Big Cloud with broken red stripes on his chest; a James Buckingham without the short lines on his cuffs; and a Lucien with an unpainted crest.  As with Yowies, these oddities are probably no more valuable than the usual Mondos, but it is always nice to have something a little different!

MONDO CARDS

The 60 collector cards are, like the figures, collectible in their own right.  On the obverse of a card is an artwork which depicts an event or scene relevant to the epoch, such as wall paintings from Egyptian tombs for Egypt 1500 BC or excerpts from the Bayuex Tapestry for England 1066.  This alone may well appeal to collectors interested in things such as art history.

On the reverse of the card is a short (about 80 word) article, with it’s title in bold print at the beginning, which gives interesting information in simple but entertaining language about a topic related to the epoch.  For example, did you know that the Romans used to eat flamingo tongues?  Or that if you failed to distribute propaganda leaflets for the Boxers in China you’d be beheaded?  Mind you, this is not useless information – you’ll need it in order to complete the epoch games on the website!

Also printed on the reverse of the cards is the source of the artwork shown on the obverse, and the card code.  The card code is a 3 letter/3 number combination which is used to access the Mondotime website, and is found in the bottom right hand corner of the card.  Entering the card codes into the website allows you to play the epoch games and will get you “clue cards” to help you when you play the 3D game.

Some collectors use the titles of the cards to catalogue their collection, whilst others use the card codes.  To cater to collectors with either preference, the Mondo checklists on this site list the cards by both title and card code.  Officially, the cards are evenly spread across all the epochs.  As with the figures, though, experience has prompted some collectors to establish a scale of rarity – common, uncommon and rare - for the cards within each epoch.

TO UNSEAL OR NOT TO UNSEAL??

Opinions differ as to whether the Mondo figures should be kept sealed in the plastic bag with their card, or separated.  This issue has prompted much discussion amongst collectors, though of course no consensus has been reached.  According to a recent Yowie Group poll, 15 respondents separated their Mondos, 4 kept theirs sealed, and 5 kept them either way.  It may be that many collectors separate their personal collections but keep their spares sealed in case they trade with a collector who prefers to keep theirs sealed.  It is probably too soon to tell if sealed figures and cards will prove more valuable than unsealed figures and cards, keeping in mind that within an epoch no particular card goes with any particular figure in the way that Yowies and their papers do.

“MONDOTIME”  - THE MONDO WEBSITE

A particularly interesting feature of the Mondo collectibles is the use they make of the internet.  Whilst other collectibles may have a website which is usually information-centred, Mondotime is an online classroom/playground where the figures and cards can be used in a variety of multimedia activities.  As well as the two games mentioned previously and discussed in detail below, there is Mondo-talk, a chat room style of forum where you can discuss Mondos and other Mondo- or history-related topics.  Unfortunately, Mondo-talk has been unavailable for a while thanks to problems with the program, but it should be fixed shortly, hopefully in time for the release of the next series.

The point of the Mondotime website is to give kids the chance to explore history in a “novel, fun and dynamic online environment” (quoted from the site).  It does this at the moment through the epoch games, though there are plans to expand the site.
  

THE EPOCH GAMES

When you enter a card code into the website, the epoch game begins.  First, you get an audio-visual introduction to the epoch, then the option to choose which character you want to be.  Once you have made your selection, you are launched into another audio-visual narrative concerning your character and the events of the epoch.  Towards the end, you will be faced with a situation and you will have to make a choice about what to do.  You make your choice, the story continues a little way, and it is then left in limbo… you’ll need to enter two more card codes for the same epoch and go through the same process with the other two characters before you find out what the consequences of your choices are!  Once you have completed the storylines for the three characters in the epoch, you get another audio-visual narrative which gives you the outcome of the story based on your choices.

The introductory stories are based on historical events, but the character stories are largely fictional.  However, the Epoch Summary Page, which you reach when you have completed the three stories, does give the real historical events and outcomes of the epoch.  If you’d like to see how differently things would have turned out had you made different choices, you can log on to the website with a different Mondo Name and go from there.  The point of the epoch games is twofold – it gives information about the epoch in an interesting manner, and it shows kids how their choices have consequences, not only for themselves but for others as well.

When you enter the fourth, fifth and sixth card codes from the remaining cards for each epoch, you are given “clue cards” which contain tips that will help you play the 3D game.  When you enter the final code, you will also be asked a question which you must answer correctly before you can complete the epoch.  The answer to the question can be found in the information on the reverse of the cards – that’s one reason why it’s not useless information!!!
  

MONDO 3D - CURSE OF PHARAOH’S GOLD

Once you have completed the three character stories from three of the epochs, you can access the Mondo 3D game.  This is a First Person 3D Adventure game a-la Quake or Half Life, but with less blood and gore!  You download the game from the Mondotime website and play either on your own or with/against friends over the internet.

The aim of the game is to search a Pyramid, avoiding the various traps and finding the hidden rooms, until you find the Pharaoh’s Tomb, get the treasure and hide it from the other team.  You can choose to be on the Red team or the Blue team, and then decide which character to be – if you’re on the Red team, you can be Sawi, Oda Nobunaga or Marcus; if you’re on the Blue team, you can be Tsu Hsi, Ben Baxter or Eric.  Each of these characters has different strengths and weaknesses, so it’s worth playing multiplayer as a team to utilize all of them.

Whilst there is not a lot of historical material in the 3D game, it does emphasise the concept of teamwork.  And it’s a lot of fun!

MONDO PRIZES

Although Mondos on their own have proven very popular even amongst people without access to the ’net, Mondo have offered prizes in order to encourage people to use the website.

50% MONDO PRIZE

Once you have any 5 epochs completed online (15 figures and 30 cards), you are 50% Mondo and are eligible for one of several prizes.  You are given a choice of a Camping set, a Play Works Digital Camera, a Cowboy Set, a Cleopatra Wig and Make Up Kit, a Roman Warrior Outfit, a Painting Kit, a Boomerang, or a Kids Bow and Arrow Set.  This competition proved so popular that many of the prizes were quickly claimed and later entrants were unable to get their first choice.  50% Mondo winners also received 5 free Mondos to help with their quest for 100% Mondo.

100% MONDO PRIZE

The prize offered for each of the first three people to complete all 10 epochs online (30 figures and 60 cards) and therefore reach 100% Mondo was a $19,000 travel voucher, to be used for a trip for 4 to England, Rome, Egypt or Colorado.  These prizes were claimed much more quickly than Mondo had expected – the winners were posted on the Mondotime website in November or December, only a matter of weeks after Mondos were released!  Other prizes, similar to those for 50% Mondo, are still on offer for becoming 100% Mondo, so it is worth entering if you have not yet done so!!

MONDOS IN THE FUTURE

The Makers of Mondos were quite unprepared for the popularity of their product.  Initially, they were going to wait and see how the first series was received before deciding on a second, but it soon became clear that there would be demand for more. 

There have been no plans to release Mondos on an international scale, to the great disappointment of the UK and European based collectors!  Hopefully, this may change in future, as the concept of making history fun for kids is certainly not limited to Australia and New Zealand.

At the moment, Mondo are expecting to release the second series some time before June 2001.  Initially, Series 2 was slated for release by March, but according to a spokesperson the website needs a lot more work done to it before it is ready for Series 2, so collectors may have to wait a while longer.  Judging by the excellent response to Series 1, we can expect that there will be several more series released over the next few years.  As a nice change, each series will apparently be retired as the next is released, so collectors won’t keep finding Series 1 Mondos while they’re trying to complete Series 3 like they do with Yowies.

In order to maintain collector interest, prizes will apparently again be offered for Series 2, and new areas will be added to the website.  Plans are afoot for several new pages designed for use both at home and in the classroom to develop kids’ skills in areas such as mathematics, science, english, physical education and arts, as well as, of course, history.  So, far from being interesting but pretty much useless like many collectibles, Mondo aims to become a useful tool in the education process by making history fun, interesting and relevant.  And that, I’m sure you’ll agree, can’t be a bad thing!