Light Up Drawing Desks

Here is some great old school stuff, I actually had a Disney one (still have it somewhere) and it bears the marks from when I ran out of paper and drew on the desk itself. I didn't say I was a smart kid...

DVD Winners: Thanks for the entheusiastic response to my 70s Toy Explosion Trivia Contest, the two winners drawn who correctly stated the answer was Captain lazer (although I accepted Major Matt Mason as well) are Chris Franklin and Jon Knutson. (sorry I left eveybody hanging this morning, I passed out before I finished blogging last night)

Thanks for playing, expect a new contest next week.

Grrrrowwwl!

It's official, I have a disco lady fetish or "TonyManerophelia", thanks to the interweb, I'll be able to find many like me in no time.

70s Toy Explosion Volume 2

Sorry, this is a shill post.

Thanks to a good find and the amazing help of my pal Dave, I'm releasing another volume of 1970s toy commercials all transferred from the original 16 mm reels. The majority of these are from 1979 and from Mego, Mattel and Kenner.

Stretch Monster

Barbie Superstar Traveler (Judy "Dyna Girl" Strangis)

Mego Buck Rogers Action Figures

Elastic Hulk and Spiderman

Mego Micronauts Giant Acroyear

Mego Micronauts Hornettroid

Mattel’s Hawaiian Punch Board Game

Sit N Spin

Sweetie Face

Elastic Superman and Batman

Hot Wheels 1979

Magnetic Batman and Robin

Kenner Mini Wave Oven

Mattel Godzilla Game

Mego Speed Burners Stunt Set

Mattel Battlestar Galactica Viper Launch Station

Super Star Barbie Fashion Face

Astro Blast Power Center

Mego Micronaut Aliens

Mattel Shogun Warriors Godzilla

Mattel Power Shifters

Play Doh Dr. Drill and Fill

Hot Wheels Scorcher Chamber

Shogun Warriors Daimos

Hot Wheels Incredible Hulk Scene Machines Offer

Mego Micronauts Trons

Mattel Thingmaker 2

Battlestar Galactica Cylon Centurion and Colonial Warrior dolls

Mego Fashion Candi Make Up Center

Mattel Baby Grows Up

Star Wars Land of the Jawas Playset

Mattel Sew Perfect

Kenner Alvin the Aardvark

Star Wars Darth Vader Tie Fighter

Kenner Darci Disco

Spider-Man Web of Terror Playset from Hot Wheels

Micronauts Rocket Tubes

Mattel Mork from Ork Dolls’and figures

Mego Speed Burners

Mego Panic Button Board Game

To offset the costs of buying all of these films, I'm selling copies of this DVD at my online store. I'll be showing off some of these commercials all this month on the blog (I'm lazy that way, it's easier than scanning). Sorry for the sales post, I promise to keep those down in the future.

70s Toy Explosion Volume 1

70s Toy Explosion Volume 2

And now, I'm going to give away two sets of the DVD. It's pretty simple, answer this trivia question and email it to me, I'll draw the names on Tuesday.

The Mattel 12" Cylon and Colonial Warrior were retooled versions of a popular 1960s Space toy by Mattel, what was it's name?

The End of the line for the Bionic Man and Woman

1978 saw the end of Kenner's wildly popular Six Million Dollar man line. Despite dwindling sales, Kenner revamped Steve with "Bio Sonic" power and gave him a new villain to fight in the form of the Venus Space Probe.

So while Steve Austin might have been on his way out, he certainly went with a bang or at least a very loud "dun-nuh-nuh-nuh".

Check out the 1978 Kenner Six Million Dollar Man Catalog Here

Scooby Doo Record Player

How cool is this? Although it does kind of look like Fred is forcing the others to dance for his amusement. Fred was real bastard according to Velma's autobiography...

Summer Pimps

These two playas be mackin da yacht club yo. You best step aside when you see Josh and Orville coming.

If it meant summer would get here sooner, I would promise to dress like this every Saturday for a month...

Spider-Man pops a Wheelie?

You don't see a great deal of AHI stuff in department store catalogs but the Zoom cycles were a little higher price point and combined superheroes with Evel Knievel, so it's a no brainer.

This page is from the 1976 Azrak Hamway Catalog and shows that Spider-Man, Batman and Doctor Zaius were in the coolest motor cycle gang ever.

For more AHI Spidey Goodies, check out his gallery

or check out Spiderman Collector but be sure to put aside a couple of hours.

Here's What's Happening in Men's Dress Shirts

I see, did I miss a vote or did we lose a war?

Colouring Book Theatre: Dune

It's been entirely too long since I've done Colouring Book Theatre but I finally found one at a flea market last week that seemed fitting.

Dune is possibly the worst colouring book I've ever reviewed, not because it's badly done but because it has no freaking business being a colouring book!

This is Hollywood ignorance at it's finest, a respected science fiction novel, Dune was sold as the next Star Wars when it's just too complicated and dark to be popular for children.

The best comparision I can make is it's like seeing a Watchmen colouring book at Target.

This page is one of the reasons I had trouble with the movie itself, waaaaaay too much dialouge setting up the movie. I mean, when has a colouring book ever had this much to say?

"Can I borrow your white crayon Sally? I need to make Puss"

Here's the darkness I told you about, who in hell thought it was a good idea to have the "boil picking scene" in a colouring book? The Baron is not a character that should have been marketed to children, he's just gross and not in a "Garbage Pail Kids" kind of way more of a "Gee, I hope he doesn't sit next to me on the bus" thing.

In the common sense department, we're somehow spared an image of Sting in that stupid metal G String. Although, this piece advertises several activity books in this series so I'm gonna go ahead and assume you get to connect the dots on his crotch somewhere....

Another winning picture for children to colour.

Sting's over acting shines in this book, anyway, he gets stabbed and the good guys win, I think. Everybody still looks unhappy and drab, the kid who coloured this would be out of all earth tones and red by the end.

Normally I give my kids the used books but in this case, this one will hit the recycle bin.

Previously reviewed Colouring Books

Meet Batman at Woolworth

Hmmm, seems to be tied into Power Records, sweet!
Mall Appearance Gallery

1974 Children's Palace Toy Circular

Children's Palace is a well known Toy chain to anyone who grew up on the East Coast, these castle themed stores were eventually bought up by Child World in 1977 and ran until 1992 when they finally closed their doors, leaving many a 70s kid in mourning.

This 1974 Toy circular shows a retailer in it's prime, many fully colour pages showing all the hot toys of the day. Familiar brands like Barbie, G.I. Joe and Big Jim along with TV greats Batman, Spiderman, Sesame Street, the Planet of the Apes and Rodney Allen Rippey?

Visit the 1974 Children's Palace Circular Gallery

Other Toy Flyers and Circulars from the 70s

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Take your cute paws off me, you adorable widdle ape!

You know, if 20th Century Fox had have gone with these puppets instead of actors in costume, Planet of the Apes would have been a very different movie...

The Show Down

How does showing two kids having a heated argument help sell pants?

Aqua-Roos

While I've seen Underoos in catalogs for years, it's usually just showing the usual Batman and Spider-Man but here's a rare occasion when they feature one of my favourites Aquaman and not only that but they're snubbing the caped crusader!

It's crazy hard to find Aquaman merchandise in catalogs, as Rob from the Aquaman Shrine will attest to.....

Mike Brady: Private Eye

A rare shot from the ill fated Brady Bunch Spin Off pilot which saw Mike leave his family (and the world of architecture) to become a hard boiled PI with a taste for the ladies.

OK I'm lying but tell me that concept isn't like, 1000 times better than the variety show?

A different kind of Mall Appearance

Click to see larger version

I wonder if Fred the cockatoo is still kicking.Captain America was appearing at that mall the same week, that's an odd combination.

PlaidStallions Mall Appearance Gallery.

1977 Big Jim Catalog from Spain

While Big Jim rode off into the sunset on the back of a Howler motorcycle in 1976 in North America, his story does not end. In much of Europe, Big Jim enjoyed much more success, actually running until the mid 1980s.

1977, Big Jim was carried in Spain by a company called Congost, who carried all the traditional Big Jim items but also branched the line out into an Old West Line, later years would see Jim as a Spy, a Pirate and even a Space Adventurer.

Check out the 1977 Congost Big Jim Catalog

No Big Josh figures were harmed in the production of this catalog

More Big Jim Goodness:

And if you're a fan of Big Jim, be sure to check out this great site:

The forum is a great group of friendly collectors from across the world including yours truly, so check out BigJim.es