Evel Knievel in Australia

This PR photo from an Australian toy magazine just goes to show how popular this toy concept and Evel's celebrity extended well past the United States. Heck, even the Japanese weren't immune!

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Space Wars 1977

Christmas 1977 is such a unique period of time, every kid in the country had space toy fever thanks to a certain movie. However, no physical toys existed  (the cardboard promissory note was clever but come on) meaning it was a golden age for the Ideal Star Team (hastily slapped together to captilize on the movement) and pre-existing space toys like Mego's Micronauts, Mattel's Shogun Warriors and Zee Toy's Metal Man.  

It all hit the fan in 1978.

5 Awesome things on Ebay this week

Steve Austin's Belt Buckle- Ok so it's not the exact one but it's the same one the Six Million Dollar man wore. Anything that gets me closer to looking like Lee Majors is a good thing, also I imagine he smells really good.

70s Star Wars rip off parachute guy from Spain- This hits an incredible amount of buttons for me, if it's already sold it's because I caved and bought this.

Captain America Movie Viewer Catridge- How weird is it that Cap was marketed under the Walt Disney Brand 40 years before that happened? Also, I just know this is clips of those weirdly animated Krantz cartoons, so i want it more.

Berwick Dalek Playsuit from 1965- Even though this came out many years before I did, I love Doctor Who and the Daleks. Also, I find the wonderful simplicity of this toy very appealing.

Ideal J,J Armes Mobile Investigation Unit- I remember seeing this commercial as a kid and wanting it for that entire Saturday and then moving onto something else I guess, childhood is funny like that. 

While Armes himself is a real PI with different mechanical hands, he never had a cool ride like this, I totally checked.

Mister Rogers toys by Ideal

I wasn't much of a Mr Rogers viewer (more of a Mr. Dressup man) but these toys are all kinds of awesome. I really love the attention to detail on them.

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Jaws Game!

Currently trying to put one of these together to play this with my kids. I'll say it again, OK game but amazing nemesis for your Mego Superheroes.

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TV stars 1978

Wow, throw in a Mr Kotter doll and you've got a great episode of "Battle of the Network Stars"

Japanese Evel Knievel

I'm back from Mego Meet and I bring many virtual presents in the form of the sights I encountered there. Let's start with this, a Popy Evel Knievel stunt set or as they dubbed it "The Evel Knievel Challenge Machine".

I had to do some Guerilla photography on this one because it had just been sold! Fortunately the purchaser was a good egg and let me mess with it before he took it home. More after the (Snake Canyon) jump!

A message to the Toy Industry from 20th Century Fox

From the October 1977 of a Toy Industry magazine.

And behold, in the very same issue!


Ulp!

1978 Ideal Toys S.T.A.R Team Catalog

Ideal R-R-R-Raw Power

I've mentioned it before but my parent's denying me this toy for "safety issues" never ceases to amuse me. Think I'll call them up and bug them about it again.

I would have probably broken it in an hour though...

Jaws: The #1 Selling Game of 1976

They mention the TV Spots but I don't think i have seen it in 40 years.

Ideal Spider-Man Make up Kit

I have to applaud Ideal Toys for spinning the monster makeup kit concept to Superheroes and not just including Hulk and Spider-Man but the Thing as well as  being smart enough to include She-Hulk and Spider-Woman on the box.

The Humble Origins of Kenner Star Wars Part 2

Just a  follow up to last week's post about the late start that Star Wars got toy wise. In the very same toy trade magazine that nonchalantly showcased the photo of Lucas meeting with Kenner execs had this impressive add from Ideal at the very front.

Ideal invaded alright, the company worked very fast to crank out a Star Wars inspired series of action figures using old molds and a brand name "S.T.A.R Team" they used in the late 60s.

The publication date on this magazine is late September (ironically my 7th birthday) that means Ideal got a toy line to market in 90 days. Pretty impressive stuff and don't think people didn't notice,in October a new full page ad appeared in the toy trades.

Scarier than Darth Vader and the Imperial Senate, Fox unleashed their lawyers. It's a battle many would lose but Ideal actually won, seeing as S.T.A.R Team existed prior to 1977. It didn't matter because once Kenner launched real Star Wars, everything else paled and the landscape was forever changed.


More Star Team

Ideal Dorothy Hamill and her ice skating rink

Growing up some kid told me she was Luke Skywalker's real life sister and I believed that until the mid 1990s...

JJ Armes meet Kojak

Both these guys were based on real people, Kojak was an amalgam of several people who worked on a real life case but Armes was a real life detective with prosthetic hands. I'm not sure about the van being real however, just in my dreams sadly...

More JJ Armes:

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Evel Knievel Road & Trail Adventure Set

I was scrounging through an Ideal advertising book when I remembered this somewhat more sedate Evel Knievel set. 

This has to be Ideal's response to Big Jim, who was pretty much the king of Camping related toys in 1975.



Turns out, this is a pretty rare set that got limited release and a sealed one probably commands much more than I've got in my wallet right now. The box is also reportedly the largest produced for the Evel Knievel series. 




I don't collect Evel Knievel toys but I do sometimes like to walk by the bakery and smell the donuts if you get what i mean....

More Daredevil stunt goodness.

Headquarters for Evel Knievel Action Products

Discovered this in some documents featuring Ideal toys from 1976 that I'll feature on the site in the very near future, a photo of the different Ideal toys store displays, the belle of the ball being Mr Knievel.

The displays for Mousetrap and the Junkyard game are particularly inspired, I miss the days of paintings on toy boxes...

More Daredevil stunt goodness.

Evel Knievel for daredevil thrills and action!

It's no surprise that Ideal claimed at one point that it sold more than $125 million of Knievel merchandise, I think even the amish kids wanted one of these.

True fact: I have never in my life, played with one of these....

Vintage Toys I saw this weekend

This past Sunday I set up at Burlington Toy Show, mostly to hang out with friends and eat food that's not good for me but also to hopefully earn some money for next week's Mego Meet toy show.

It was hard being good but I took photos instead of buying, above is easily the rarest toy at the show, a boxed Battlestar Galactica Land Ram. Way, way out of my price league but so nice to see.

Here are a few more highlights.

This bootleg Avengers set wins most "awesome" toy I saw all weekend, in addition to being just weird, there is also a random shot of a woman cos playing as Ms Marvel on the card. Glorious.

There was vintage Mego all around me, which is of course, bad for a guy trying to save money to go to a Mego Convention! Agghhhh!

And of course, I was RIGHT next to door to this, the Shogun Warriors utility belt and it's very easy to work with vendor. I'm happy to say I do some will power.

I'm not the world's biggest Captain Action fan but I have to admit seeing a photo boxed Dr Evil was surprisingly tempting.

Plenty more photos and  coverage of this event at the Plaid Stallions Facebook page.

Also, don't forget that the tenth annual Mego Meet toy show is this weekend, it has a customs contest, exclusive figures and toys, door prizes, a customs auction (featuring original creations spun off from Brick Mantooth) and the most Mego centric dealers room available. For more information visit the official Mego Meet facebook page.