Signs you're in a controlling relationship

1) You haven't seen your best friend in over two years nor do you return their calls.

2) All your cool stuff is no longer on display in your apartment

3) YOU ARE WEARING THIS OUTFIT!

RUN!

The Inflatable Hulk

The Incredible walking Hulk toy seemed pretty logical in 1978, I'm not sure what it's real purpose is. It just walks around, it seems the novelty would wear off in moments but I could be wrong. All I know is, that I'm sure it would scare the hell out of me on one of my 3 am kitchen visits.......

Somewhat more logical is the Incredible Hulk Bop Bag, except that it's giving children the message that no harm will come to you, if you throw punches at muscular men who are already agitated.

Taking it too far

More Amish Lingerie, this time with Chamber pot accessory. Nothing says, "We're done having sex" more than this ensemble.....

1978 True Value Toy Catalog

For the next little while, I'm going to devote Friday's to features on the site, adding new toy catalogs, store pics, what I can fin relating to old toys.

Today it's the 1978 True Value Hardware Toy Catalog, which really captures the sci fi explosion thanks to Star Wars.

A lot of great toys are representing, from Micronauts to Tobor, from Barbie to those Hungry, Hungry, Hippos, enjoy!

Puberty in a click!

I may have been a lad but I remember growing Skipper pretty well, the idea that she blossoms with a click of a bottom was pretty damn cool. I'm surprised Mattel didn't add this mechanism into He-Man or Big Jim somehow.

Sure, today's toys have soundchips and fancy doo-dads but ours could grow up in an instant! Now if you'll excuse me I have to hike my pants up to my armpits and drive around with my left clicker on....

Added Bonus: Mod Haired Ken, for some reason the good people at Shoprite think Ken is some sort of master spy and not the original template for the metrosexual. What would that guy need disguises for?

Planet of the Man-Mates!

The infamous ManMates clothing line returns! Is the guy in front their leader? Cause he has like, the best jacket ever....

Plaidstallions.com

The saw is family

A innocent family sweetly dressing together or a cut scene from the unfinished sequel to "Motel Hell"? I'm not saying anything but the Mom has crazy eyes, that's all.

Fisher Price Little People Castle

Quite possibly one of the coolest playsets ever, it even has secret passageways. Sadly I was eight when I saw my first one, so I had to be all cool about it. I want one now though, for my kids of course......

Bionic Things for a Bionic Lady

I never paid much attention to Bionic Woman Merchandise as a kid but the one thing I've noticed is they were always trying to do that dangerous mix of adventure toy and fashion doll.

Take her Beauty Salon/Repair Station or her Dome House, a domesticated version of Steve's mission control center. Although I have to admit, Steve looks comfy in there....

Bonus Feature! Started the first of what will likely be many gallerys for the great comic book toy ads of the 70's. Please take a look.

The Dolemite Jr. Collection

"What are you looking at? You rat soup-eatin' motha-F***a!"

Bert and Ernie Keep Me Warm!

Could this possibly be the grooviest piece of Sesame St merchandise ever? If I owned these, they'd be the only things I'd wear and I mean only.

Revamped the Plaidstallions website yesterday, drop by and let me know your thoughts.

Foxy!

While I'm elated to see the ad states this wonderful ensemble is available in "Chubby", I've always been more of a "Fatty fatty two by four"...

Toys we'll never see again

So many things about this toy would never fly in today's world. Starting with the accurate hand gun but let's not forget the fact that the toy makes you shoot a Gorilla, which is wrongly depicted as savage? Somehow I think these people would frown on such a toy getting out there today.

If I remember correctly, there was also a cowboy like this.....

1976 True Value Toy Catalog added to the Site

Added a fantastic True Value Hardward toy catalog from 1976 to the site today, from Barbie to Jaws, Steve Austion to the Green Arrow, it's in there. check it out here

Sweater Hell

There is nothing I hate recieveing more than sweaters because that's what do in them but who can argue with the smilling gentlemen from JC Penney? What are these guys in a band?

I'd wear the one on the right if I could find it in my size.

I'm positive these two came to my high school to teach us about the evils of drugs and premarital sex.

It's Crime Fighting Time!

Never one for watches as a kid, I have to say I love this JC Penney Superhero watch spread, they make them look exciting. One thing that always bugged me was the lack of second tier heroes on merchandising, where was my beloved Aquaman? According to the Aquaman Shrine, at least one country loved poor old Arthur.

Sweathog Swag

Sitcom merchandising is always a curious thing when it goes beyond the obvious catch phrase T shirt or poster. The best example of this would be "Welcome Back Kotter" which was licensed a great deal due to it's popularity with younger kids (like me!)

But did anyone want Action Figures? I can just imagine the kid on Christmas morning who unwrapped his Mr Kotter doll, "Gee Mom, you shouldn't have". I seem to recall seeing a whole wall of unsold Mr Kotter and Horshak dolls as a teenager.....

I've featured this before but it's worth repeating, the Sweathogs Dress shirt, complete with giant floating Gabe Kaplan heads, somebody is getting lucky tonight.....

And finally, who in their right mind wanted to read the comic book adventures of the Sweathogs?

I'll tell you who, Me! For some odd reason I bought like all of these comics, years after the series was cancelled too. I never saw this fine treasury edition (image borrowed from the amazing Treasury Comics Website )but if I do, I plan on getting it. Pity me.....

Poor Man's Travolta

Is "All dressed up for your Saturday Night up beat" really a sentence? Two years earlier this guy was probably wearing this.

The League of Ugly Shirted Gentlemen Rides Again!

The skin tight polyester wonders return!

Plaidstallions.com

Somebody buy me this......

Found this surfing ebay tonight, if someone buys it for me, I promise to wear it to work with a webcam so you can catch all my co workers reactions.

Same deal applies to this, providing it can fit on my head.....

I wanna be a wookie

These Star Wars Playsuits are head and shoulders above the Ben Cooper Darth Vader suit I wore in '78, but where are the humans?

Did anyone else have remote controlled R2-D2? Did it break like 3 days after you got it? Mine did, the only thing it would do after that was make those high pitched squeals, the batteries magically went missing after a long car ride.....

Plaidstallions is also on Myspace, hook up with us and be our friend.....

Sleep Well, You Will, Young Jedi.

Ahhhhhh, Star Wars bedding. I'm not sure I ever had the the sheets to any of these but my mom was always cool and buy me the pillow case.

This pic from the 1979 Sears Canada is the bomb, not only does the kid have Empire sheets months before the movie comes out but he's got the cool cardboard Deathstar and the Micronauts Star Defender! Lucky!

I actually still have the pillow case from this set, one night I put it on my son's bed. He looked horrified and asked me to switch the pillow case. My rebuttal of "But that's Boba Fett!" had no effect on a four year old who has never seen Star Wars.......

Plaidstallions.com

Use the Clutch Luke......

Relive the famous Death Star dogfight over and over again as Luke and Vader go around in circles! You have to commend Kenner for this one, this was well before decent affordable home video games...

Not to say that Star Wars merchandise wasn't cutting edge technology, check out this amazing digital watch!

One of each Please.......

I wanted to start the week with this favourite of mine but couldn’t find it in the unorganized mess that is my catalog cupboard.

This page from the 1978 Simpsons-Sears catalog shows the humble beginnings of the Star Wars line (dig the airbrush detail on Vader) and the slow decline of the Mego Planet of the Apes toys.

It’s almost like a passing of the torch between sci fi block busters, people seem to forget that Apes was really the first to capitalize on it’s popularity with children, Star Wars was just so much bigger.

Canadian Star Wars Goodies

Canada got some neat exclusive Star Wars stuff and this page from '79 represents my favourite period for the Kenner (Here in Canada Irwin) toys

The cardboard deathstar was also sold in the UK but not in the US, the Utility belts did not make George Lucas happy and were quickly deleted. I had one, they were really crappy. The stuffed Jawas are tough to find as is a Canadian only 3 foot tall Chewie, it's what keeps me going to yard sales and Value Village.......

Here is a good reference book on Canadian Star Wars exclusives.