Toy Sale at Wards

This wonderful piece from December 1977 arrived this week and while I plan to show case the whole thing in loving detail next Christmas, it's just to good not to share at least a little bit right now. Above is the Mattel Space:1999 Eagle which I think is on my 2014 wish list.

I think Cher's tenure at Mego burned brightly but not for a long time, she's already a good deal in 1977.

This ad for Madison Industries Shadow Toys is the first I've ever seen.

Mego's Starsky and Hutch were a hot license at the time but Wards wasn't offering a special on Captain Dobey? Who was going to yell at them?

We got lots of cops in 1977, here are LJN's Rookies and S.W.A.T on sale. One year later it'd all be about droids.

Barbie was the absolute queen of the fashion dolls in '77, many tried to take her crown but she bested the Chers and Dustys of the world.

Ideal's Jaws Game is one of the most iconic game concepts of the 1970s.

Welcome back Kotter pinball, I still kinda want one of these....



The Shadow Merchandise Gallery

Bundle Up Everyone!

In the wake of this Snowpocalypse (tm) , we here at the Plaidstallions institute are sending each and everyone of you a complimentary Princely or Victor coat, so you may stay warm and funky.

Check your mailboxes!

Astro-Spock

While I'm too young to remember Remco's dabble with Star Trek merchandise, I will admit that these lazy,repurposed toys kind of fascinate me.

The toys themselves were from a Remco line called "Hamilton Invaders" which was a (very clever)  line of Army Men VS Giant insects. When they nabbed the Trek license, they just slapped Kirk and Spock on the box and never gave it a second thought.

Weirdly, I kind of know in my heart that one day I'll own these. Somebody stop me!

More Trek:

Squirt gun fever

While generic, I find the art work on these water pistols completely captivating. A lot of effort went into their look and Pop Art is completely missing from our current Rack Toy experience.

Rack Toys: Cheap, Crazed Playthings is a limited edition 144 page book from the creator of Plaid Stallions. Order from us and get three free promotional post cards.

Creamsicle escort services

Ladies, your prayers have been answered and yes, we take Diner's Club and Mastercharge.

The Superhero Shop

This ad piece for Licensing Corporation of America, really brings me joy. This photo meant to highlight how good an idea licensing the DC comics heroes is full of 70s eye candy from Mego, Remco and AHI.

It's also the least believable toy store set ever, that's clearly the LCA showroom with some dude from accounting playing the unfriendly clerk. Still, what a fun piece of eye candy...

Face the Future

Welcome to 2014, sorry there's no jetpacks, I know we promised but I'm happy to announce that we've got jumpsuits in two colours. If you like buttons, boy are you gonna be happy!

Happy New Year from the Mantooth Compound

I hope your 2014 is as cool as this picture.

The Christmas Letter

Above is me, Christmas 1971 after having dined on my sister's (absolutely delicious) play-doh. It's the first Christmas I made awkward but certainly not the last....

I just wanted to say take the time to wish all of you a warm and happy Christmas and prosperous new year.

2013 is a year that I'm mostly happy to see the back of with the exception of rhis site, each year it grows into a more and more positive experience and is a steady provider of joy for me.

That's mostly because of you, the wonderful folks who read, comment and help out around here. I'm very thankful for the many friends I've made. To paraphrase from the great Daniel Roebuck, I used to collect toys but now I collect friends.

Thank you to everyone for your comments, kind words and most of all for making me laugh..

Thank you to everyone who bought Rack Toys, the support for my first publication was incredible and intoxicating, I am in your debt.

Thank you for checking out PodStallions and being so gracious with your input and comments, they are all the reward we could hope for.

Most of all thank you for getting the spirit of Plaid Stallions, it's wonderful to put positive energy into something and see it pay back ten times over. The internet can be a negative place and it's so heartening to see it go the otherway so naturally.

My best to you all.

BRaiN

PS: I'm taking off for a few days for obvious reasons, we'll return in the new year with a new Podcast, the retro awards and a new book announcement. See you in the future!

Greatest Catalog Page Ever (to me)

It seems fitting to end a month of Wish Book pages with what I consider the greatest one ever. From Monkey Wards 1976, the Mego Superheroes battling the Lincoln Monsters.

It's not my favourite because of childhood (we didn't have Wards in Canada) but when I was a teen tracking down my childhood monster friends, I could never find them. In the pre-internet days of collecting, I'd plow through toy shop or comic buyers guide and get people trying to sell me AHI and Mego monsters but I knew they weren't right. 

Then I started buying old catalogs from a collector (that's a story in itself) and bam! first page I opened, there they were. That was 1989, it only took me 23 years to finish the set....

More on the Lincoln Monsters:

Monsters For Christmas

This is another personal favourite and should come as no surprise, I like monsters. This page with personal favourites the Remco Monsters and my personal "White Whale" Gre-Gory brings a tear to me eye...

Want more Remco toys in your diet? Click the Linkage below:

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Super Joe meets Godzilla

Seeing as it's Christmas eve, I'm going to hurry up and do a few of my favourites before I shut down for the year. This piece featuring Hasbro Super Joe (an underrated line IMHO) features Shogun Warriors Godzilla, for no good reason but it totally works. This is what I miss about catalogs....

More on Hasbro Super Joe

Super Joe Gallery

Christmas Cowboys

Although they were far past prime, Western action figures were still very much a viable commodity in the 1970s. I'd even be willing to argue that Gabriel's seminal Lone Ranger line may be one of the top ten action figure lines of the 1970s.

Check em all out here:

Daredevil Action Christmas

It would be silly to discuss Christmas in the 1970s without talking about one of it's most popular toys. The Evel Knievel stunt set seemed like a license to print money until a certain incident (you know..bonk! bonk!) ceased it's production.

Before that though, what an evergreen this thing was.....

More Daredevil stunt goodness.

Pod Stallions 12: Wish Book Kids

It's December and we wouldn't even have this site if it weren't for the 70s Wish Book catalogs that magically landed on our door steps every fall.

Episode 11 is dedicated to our crazy 70s Christmas memories, the letters to Santa, the arms length wantlist and how Star Wars just turned the whole thing into "Space-Mas".

The discourse is mainly about traditions, toys and of course, collecting. It always boils down to that.

Download the Show Here

Listen here

Show Links:

• A letter to Santa (AKA Brian's grandmother) in 1979 was perhaps a bit too meticulous.
• While Mattel Shogun Warriors were high on both of the guy's wish lists, only Jason got one.
• Jason had the wonderful Star Bird by Milton Bradley.
• Both of the guys had Bulletman the human bullet.
• A 1977 article about the Kenner Star Wars early bird kit.
• Mattel's Flying Aces was another toy memory from Jason.
• Pulsar was a toy denied to Brian as he was deemed "too gross".
• The Kenner Six Million Dollar Man line is a particularly happy Christmas memory for Brian.
• The Batman viewmasters  were in Brian's stocking in 1975.
• Jason fondly remembers the Spider-Man/Captain America ricochet racers.

Plenty more content on the PodStallions Facebook page!

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Space: Christmas 1976

Seeing all the Doctor Who merchandise in main stream stores this Christmas makes me nostalgic for the time when all Sci Fi shows were marketed towards kids. 

Space:1999 mania was in full swing in 1976 and it produced buckets of memotable merchandise. That big Eagle is still something I plan on reacquiring in 2014..

On the other side of town, Star Trek was in a golden age. I really feel sorry for the Star Trek metal detector kit.

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A little more Kung Fu Grip Love

It's true, I loves me some GI Joe. While I have no room to put it all, I sure like to window shop.