David was kind enough to send in my first Mall Appearance shot this year (I seriously was starting to get worried) and they're awesome. This time it's from the summer of '89, which of course as we all know belonged to the dark knight.
Another great shot from David, here he and his brother meet Batman and Wonder Woman at the Toys & More store at the Walden Galleria in suburban Buffalo.
I honestly remember the 89 Batman mall tour but Wonder Woman tagging along is something I didn't know happened.
Sun Products doesn't exactly ring a lot of bells for for many but I think everybody remembers the Hoppity Hop. Originally devised in Italy in the late 1960s (where it was known as the "Space Hopper"), Sun dubbed it the Hoppity Hop when it was introduced in 1971 to North Americans and the name really stuck.
Hops were a staple toy store item for the entirety of the decade and saw many incarnations including licensed editions featuring Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and of course, your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.
I may be a novice but I recognize the work of Ed Roth being rereleased here. Jon Kricfalusi should really be given these characters for an animated series...
One of the things that drove me to write a book about Rack Toys is the unintentional hilarity that seems to stem from it. Case in point, this set which connects a license to something it really shouldn't.
Popeye seems to have a lot of this going on. I am sure that he gets a haircut from time to time, I am also sure it's been seen in the strip, however it still doesn't make this toy anymore sensical.
Kudos to the people at Larami for depicting a Popeye contemplating a shave on the card art, that ties up all loose ends, thank you.
This is only the beginning with me and Popeye, it could be an entire chapter (and likely will be)
David was kind enough to send in my first Mall Appearance shot this year (I seriously was starting to get worried) and they're awesome. This time it's from the summer of '89, which of course as we all know belonged to the dark knight.
This wonderful shot of David and his brother meeting Jack Napier was taken at the (now sadly defunct) Appletree mall in Cheektowaga, NY.
I may have been too old for mall appearances by this point but the summer of '89 was a fun time and these photos really take me back. More from David next week, stay tuned.
Card 39 is one of my favourite rack toys of all time, the Martian Chronicles toy line by Larami. Larami wasn't exactly known for action figures, actually I'm not sure if they ever made one before or after this line.
This is also the first time I've not used an original catalog image for a PS card, I just couldn't find something I was happy with.
These were based on the TV mini series that was a big deal in the late 1970s. I'll admit that it scared me as a kid (I was kind of a wuss) but now as an adult I've grown very fond of it.
I know the production has it's detractors (including the author himself) but I love it's cast, "retro future" design and Tomita inspired soundtrack. It also gave me an interest in the original book, one of my favourites now.
One of the things the mini series did very well were the Martian designs, they were inspired and one of the reasons I love these Larami action figures.
Though they are quite possibly, the cheapest made things I currently own. The bodies and heads wouldn't last an hour's play at the gentlest child's hands.
The Mattel Sea Devils made so few catalog appearances in their all too brief run in the early 1970s that it's important to point them out. I never had a Sea Devil growing up as I wasn't two by the time the line was cancelled, I would have been ALL OVER this line though.
My fascination with scuba diving was slightly obsessional during the early 1970s....
These rubber bendy figures by Imperial are some of the few bits of merchandise that Close Encounters recieved and they certainly served a purpose to me as a kid.
Mostly because I was incredibly curious as to how the aliens looked in the film.
I'm not sure they were big sellers however, I seem to recall these hung on shelves at my local "Dominion Playworld" until it closed it's doors in 1983.
I've progressed far enough now that I'm ready to launch a seperate web page for my upcoming book tentatively titled "Rack Toys : Cheap, Crazed Playthings".
On the new page you will find:
A detailed explaination of what the book is about
A basic outline of it's content
Teases as to it's look and design
The one thing I'd like to stress here is while this site is firmly entranched in the 1970s, Rack Toys will cover a number of decades and genres. Oh, there will be some Hasselhoff in this puppy....
Oh and lastly (wait for it)... the page details ways you can get involved!
In an effort to make sure this book is absolutely, jam packed as possible with dime store goodness, I am calling on you, my loyal audience for the following items:
1) Photos of your rack toys, from the average to the bizarre. Don't for a second think "He won't want a photo of this tea set from "Small Wonder"!" because you're wrong, that would make my day.
2) Any scans of advertisement or catalogs from Rack Toy manufacturers from the last 40 years.
3) If you know any former employees of the many companies I have listed on the page (like AHI or Imperial) and get me in touch, I would be in your debt.
It's a little known fact that raggedy Anne and Andy were avid outdoor enthuiasts, that is until a pack of wolves literally took the stuffing out of Andy...
This one is merely some lazy repackaging of "Pearl" (in case you thought that $0.79 got you real ones) rings that likely sold moderately well, seeing as the show was huge.
If you told me that Charles M Shulz drove a gold plated rocket car to work everyday, I'd be inclined to believe you. Snoopy seemed to be to the 1970s that Garfield was to the 1980s.
This week's NTS is our first guest submission, which is fantastic because I could use a breather from baring my nerdy soul. Thomas shares an awesome tale of Halloween humiliation, something near and dear to my heart.
Thomas is a Buffalo area kid, seeing as I grew up in Southern Ontario and force fed nothing but WKBW and Buffalo 29 TV as a kid, I feel like a kindred spirit.
If you have a Nerdy confession you'd like to share drop me a line.
The tale of ghost tigers is after the jump, enjoy.
For years, these PVC figures I dubbed "The Mini Monsters" by Tomland, had been the source of intrigue to collectors. They'd ask questions like
What does the packaging look like?
How many in the series?
These would all be answered in one fell swoop when a salesman sample appeared on ebay, I was not the lucky winner but fortunately for us, I knew him and he's the sharing type. More after the jump.
MALIBU, Calif., Feb. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kids Only!®, a division of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq:JAKK), has signed a license agreement with Alpha International, Inc., to manufacture, market and distribute The Original Big Wheel Ride-On toys.
Kids Only!(R), a division of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAKK), will bring back the iconic Original Big Wheel Ride-On toys at major retailers nationwide this summer.
Kids Only's new line of Big Wheel® Ride-Ons is expected to include the 9" My First Big Wheel, the 11" Big Wheel Sidewalk Screamer and the 16" Big Wheel Spin Out Racer. Each boys and girls Big Wheel Ride-On will capture the iconic look and feel of The Original Big Wheel.
"With millions of Original Big Wheel toys sold over the past 40 years, the 'King of the Sidewalk' has been a favorite with families for generations. We are excited to build on this classic brand and introduce this iconic toy to a new generation of young children," said Ron Cohen, President of Kids Only. "We are also excited to announce that our Big Wheel toys will be manufactured in the U.S.A., which will create hundreds of new jobs and give each Big Wheel a 'Made in America' stamp of approval."
Kids Only's new line of Original Big Wheel Ride-Ons are expected to launch at all major retailers this fall.
Cowboy and army man are nice but being Steve Austin is the bomb. This set likely comes from Berwick, a UK company that specialised in role play items for kids and made fun stuff like a Tom Baker Doctor Who and Captain Britain costumes for kids.
Not enough props can go out to what I think is the UK's better kept secrets, originally a Japanese line called "Henshin Cyborg", the clever monkeys at Denys Fisher took it, made it smaller and added a keen back story.
I didn't grow up in the UK, had no inkling it existed when I was 7 but when I look at this stuff I swear I feel nostalgia, it's that cool.
Warning: this one may or may not contain nudity.It’s still the summer of 1977, I am six years old and having a pretty great time despite the “No TV” clause mandated by my parents.
Plaid Stallions Trading Card #38 is dedicated to the Venus Space Probe toy by Kenner.
As indicated by this piece last week, I have something of a history with this particular episode of the series and combine that with the fact that this toy makes me weak in knees when I see it and you have a no brainer.
As much as I like it, I doubt I will ever own one. It always goes for more than I am willing to pay and it's huge, space is a premium in my secret bunker...
Spy kits like this (check out the international currency, that's attention to detail!) seem to be a forgotten art. As a kid, I had one that included a t pack of cigarettes that fired bullets, I don't even know where to begin on that one.
This one is pretty amazing with it's gun with silencer and real working camera, you were Matt Helm Jr.
I picked this set up during the summer and was surprised to discover it's not the legendary HG Toys Archery set but a knock off of some sort. which surprises me. I barely knew who GA was as a kid, soit amazes me that toy manufacturers did.
I'm elated to finally announce the launch of www.collectingcandy.com , a new website that describes itself as the following:
"CollectingCandy.com’s mission is the celebration of candy packaging, candy marketing, and the people behind it all.
Visitors should expect the site to be composed of short daily blog entries, while regularly offering in-depth looks into specific brands and categories through longer features. Expect to see images of packaging and learn details of candy history you won’t find anywhere else.
When possible, CollectingCandy.com also hopes to shine an entertaining and positive light on the unknown stories and colorful personalities behind some of candy’s well-known brands and forgotten favorites."
I'm excited about this site mostly because it made me realize a) how much candy factored into my childhood and b)how much i had forgotten. Be sure to check out the opening essay on Big League Chew.
The site's creator Jason Liebig would be better known to a lot of PS readers as one of the brains behind wishbookweb.com. I'm looking forward to losing hours of productivity as get reaquainted with some old friends...
So welcome to teh interwebs collecting candy, we're better off for knowing you!
This one takes place in the summer of 1977, which I only remember as being a happy one. My universe at the time was a fairly quiet street in the suburbs of Toronto. It was a pretty unassuming day until my best friend Neil broke some pretty big news to me, tonight on Six Million Dollar Man, Steve Austin is fighting the Death Probe!
This page should include the tagline "..but for the love of God, stay indoors. Seriously, if you show up to pick up your kid at School in this, you are their prom date"
