The Incredible Hulk Play Tent

Wow, would you look at those happy expressions? The Incredible Hulk was the Garfield of the 1970s, if they made it, they put the Hulk on it....

PlaidStallions Toy-Ventures Magazine is coming this Summer!

Electronic Games 1980

As a collector of board games, I wanted to ask folks if Electronic Detective is any good, also is Maniac as fun as it looks? Please let me know in the comments.

New Six Million Dollar Man Shirt in our Redbubble store!

Don't forget to join our new facebook group.

Get the expanded digital edition of Rack Toys here.

Simpsons Toy Town

This spread from 1980 has a lot of familiar faces and fond memories despite me only owning one thing from it as a kid.

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Get the expanded digital edition of Rack Toys here.

And now, a whole page of diecast Shogun Warriors

This page is from the 1980 Popy toys catalog and even though i wasn't born in Japan, it feels like childhood.

New Six Million Dollar Man Shirt in our Redbubble store!

Don't forget to join our new facebook group.

Get the expanded digital edition of Rack Toys here.

1980 Toys R Us Flyer featuring Mego, Mork and the Kenner Alien

It's sadly looking like the end for Toys R Us in the United States, so let's go and focus on when it was a growing company that made for an amazing experience.

This Flyer from 1980 is so jam-packed with late 1970s pop culture that every page seems to have some Incredible Hulk or Wonder Woman merchandise tucked in there somewhere, it's a real trip!

1980 Toys R Us Flyer is really to send you back in time here.

Classic Toy Store Ads on PlaidStallions

Hagensick's Playroom 1975

1981 Toys R Us Flyer

Childworld 1975

Childworld 1981

1975 Toys R Us

Kenner Alien, He's a Cutie?

I've desperately trying to scan in a newly acquired Toys R Us Flyer from 1980 for Friday (fingers crossed). I've been so busy with it that I only just noticed the Kenner Alien in there!

Such an iconic and coveted toy just regulated to the corner, it brings you back to the reality that the big chap wasn't really a big hit when he made his toy shelf debut.

Anyway, consider this a Toys R Us tease.

More Kenner Alien:

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Pod Stallions 60: The Martian Chronicles

We're back with an all new show!

This month's episode is devoted to Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles", not the book so mentioned (although it is mentioned) but the epic three evening NBC mini series from 1980 starring Rock Hudson!

Topics include childhood fears, TV Spider-Man, cheap-o Rack Toys, Arthur C Clarke, Starlog, poster collecting, ventriloquist dummies, Barry Morse  and much, much more.

So journey with us to the red planet!


Agree with us, have your own childhood recollection of the series?  give us spirited debate on our facebook wall.

  Download the Show Here

Listen here

Plenty more content on the PodStallions Facebook page!






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Star Wars....exclusively at Sears

While I personally don't remember the Rebel Command Center (which surprises me) I do recall the weird loyalty you had to have to Sears in order to "collect" Star Wars figures as a kid.

Sears wasn't close to our house, so I'd have to tag along with my mum to get groceries or other mundane tasks in order to get my hands on the all important Ugnaught (which was exclusive and came on a weird card in Canada).

They also closed for inventory at 6pm every Thursday, that shouldn't be a fact a ten year old knows but dammit, it was a hard lesson!

Star Wars sale at Osco

Another newspaper line illustrated gem, this one from Osco.

I never had the Star Destroyer Playset but recently discovered some collectors I know have this weird hate on for it. Was it a disappointing toy?

The first 48

This is where i tapped out as a kid, 48 action figures was too much to "Collect 'em all" and I remember taking a hard line with Cloud Car pilot (I already had a Bespin guard).

I may have been the exception but I really got into Black Hole and Star Trek TMP figures at this point.

The micro collection is still one of those things I secretly covet, it's awesome.

Star Wars....Only at Sears

Another Christmas page that made me crazy, those "exclusive" figures came on these weird shrunk wrapped cards and it drove me crazy tracking them down as a kid.

Now, I wish I'd kept them as they're worth a bundle.

The Mego Black Hole Cereal Promotion

I joined ebay in 1997, since then like clock work, i have searched "Black Hole" and "Shreddies" in hope of finding this item. Recently on one boring Tuesday morning, there it was with a Buy It Now price that was so agreeable, it still makes me smile.

Sure it's an empty cereal box but to me, it's just something slightly more.



I've written about this promotion before , it's one of those incredibly happy moments in childhood that you just smile about whenever you think about it.

Shreddies was never my favourite cereal, yet for a month in 1979, I endured three boxes of it (with a lot of help from sugar)  to get these....



Actually, it was one box top per figure, an additional $2.50 per figure (plus sales tax) and my mom had to write a cheque! Hell, this wasn't even that great a deal!

But i did it and waited the eternity for that bubble envelope (with a cool drawing of Maximillian on it) to arrive. I'd love to reunite with that envelope as well, I hope one still exists. Those figures were just....kind of earned and I still have my Vincent nearly 40 years later.

One of the saving graces of this promo that really kept me going were the kick ass Space Pal Pencil caddies that came in every box. I'm positive I ate Shreddies well into 1980 to finish my set.

These guys lined my fourth grade desk and actually i still have one at work right now.

I'm thrilled to share this happy memory, it's one of the reasons I collect.

Thanks for reading, have a terrific weekend.

New Video: Tomland Famous Monster of Legend

Very happy to showcase my latest video collaboration with Jason Lenzi, this month we tackle one of my passions, Monster action figures in the most appropriate month to do so.

The Tomland Famous Monsters of Legend are one of the rarest sets of monster toys in the world and in this volume we try to give you the basics on a unique line of action figures.

See the video here and don't forget to subscribe to see our upcoming vintage toy short films.

Thanks for watching, Happy Halloween.

Halloween Department 1980

THIS is my happy place today.

All those wonderful costumes on display are from the 1980 Ben Cooper catalog BTW.

Giant Jawa Sale

Insert random "Time Machine Wish" comment here, followed by "Wankenoba' joke.

Play Doh Dr Drill N' Fill Commercial

Here's another one from our archive, from 1980, the Play Doh Dr. Drill N' Fill playset. Now kids can recreate the amazing tense scenes from "Marathon Man" in their home!

Is it safe?'

More classic toy commercials on our Youtube Channel, subscribe now!

Popy World Heroes Catalog 1980

I recently acquired the 1980 Popy Catalog and it's a "Treasury Edition" sized book that hates scanners, it's also delightful.

While I don't have the time to scan the whole thing, I thought it important to showcase one of my favourite toy lines the Popy World Heroes.

I honestly wonder if that middle carrying case exists...

Check out our Popy World Hero Gallery!

Empire Strikes Back Toy Sale

Back in 1980, I would probably spent an entire morning carefully studying this very valuable information.

Vintage Toy Store Pictures Volume 18

For this year's last Friday feature, I bring you my favourite of all sections of PlaidStallions another volume of vintage toy store pictures!

Celebrating the time when we had unique independent retailers dotting our landscape and came up with colourful and and interesting ways of selling us toys.

Volume 18 is our biggest yet and loaded with shots across the USA dating from the 1970s to the 1990s. Maybe even your favourite childhood toy haunt is included in this mix!

Notable sites include Kenner Six Million Dollar Man, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Mego 2 XL, Muppets, Fisher Price Little People, Electronic Games, Atari Consoles,  Kenner Star Wars, Gabriel Lone Ranger and much, much more.

"Take my advice kids, keep one of these in the box!"

Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 18

Don't forget to visit our archive of Vintage Toy Store Photos, it's a timewarp!

CHiPs Diecast vehicles

As Rack Toys go, these are a pretty solid concept.