Seeking Vintage Halloween Photos!

Ah, It's my favourite time of year again and like always I'd like to put out the call for your vintage Halloween photos, show me me your store bought and home made costumes from the times of orange and brown.

Send them on in to Kid70s*at*gmail.com (replace the at with an @ of course) or load them to our facebook wall! I'll feature them on the blog this October!

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!

Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 17

Yes! A new installment of  one of my favorites, vintage toy store photos. A journey back to the days of oddly named department stores and independent mall toy stores and chains that are fondly remembered but sadly mostly gone.



Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 17 covers the US and Canada this time and features appearances by Big Jim, Kenner Bionic Woman,  Barbie, Shogun Warriors, Mego Star Trek, Space:1999,  Ideal Star Team, Mattel Donnie and Marie and Kenner Star Wars.

I hope this edition brings back some powerful memories like it did for me.

And hey, check out volumes 1 through 16 when you're done.

Starlog stores in Japan

(click on any photo for an enlargement)

Like a lot of 70s kids, I cut my nerdy teeth on Starlog magazine. It was basically my window into a world of wonder that wasn't available where I grew up.

As a struggling student in the 90s, I used to visit the Starlog store in New Jersey twice a year and stare at the toys I couldn't afford. That's why I loved finding these shots and ads for the Starlog store in Japan in the late 1970s, I'd have killed to visit them.

Lots of cool vintage shots after the jump!

Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 15

 

Seeing as it's the site's birthday, it's no better time to drop a new installment in what is one of my favorites, vintage toy store photos. A journey back to the days of oddly named department stores and independent mall toy stores and chains that are fondly remembered but sadly mostly gone. 

Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 15 gets all Bionic up in here with some smashing shots of Kenner Six Million Dollar man and Bionic Woman displays, joining them will be Godzilla, The Sunshine Family, Barbie and the Lone Ranger. All in the late 1970s/early 1980s glory.

Check out Vintage Toy Stores Volume 15 here

And if you haven't already, Volumes 1-14 are a pile of happiness, click the image for the full gallery.

Release the birthday Kraken!

Christopher Elam of the great blog OWARI submitted this great bit of 1981, this being his ninth birthday he has received the Mattel Kraken. Being of a similiar age, I wax fondly at those blockbusters that diverted our attention from Star Wars, albeit briefly...

A bounty on his head

This vintage toy shot means a lot because well, it's me. I found this picture while cleaning my garage last weekend and it's one that's very special. 12" IG-88 was not easily found in Canada (and purists will note that's an American box beside me) and I remember being really happy with this.

Sadly, I sold hin during lean times in college, it's a long shot but if you purchased a 12" IG-88 at the Toronto toy show circa 1990-91 from a tall, possibly hung over man please drop me a line. I'd love to have him back.

Before you say it, I'm totally aware my fly is open. Also, happy to add that my grandmother's living room is exactly the same 32 years later. No wonder I like going there.

Capturing the copter

Nick sent in this great vintage shot of him putting the stickers on his Action Man Capture Copter on Christmas morning 1978 and if I may add, doing a far better job than me of putting the stickers on.

If you squint you can see a Mego/Palitoy Joker and Penguin right off the left. Nice stuff Nick!

If you've got shots of vintage toy love, send em on down!

A girl and her Gaiking

Marty sent in this fantastic family portrait and as she explains "I was maybe one of the few girls who preferred robots and Star Wars toys". This family portrait from her eleventh is proof of this, pictured are Marty, her mom & dad, cat Tiger and "new baby brother" Gaiking.

I'm at a loss for words to describe how awesome I think this is.  Marty, I wished you had been my neighbour. Not only because you had a Gaiking but mainly because you dug robots and Star Wars toys.

If you've got shots of vintage toy love, send em on down!

Ken of the Apes

From down under comes this awesome shot of Ken, clutching an Astro Ape having a Mego Planet of the Apes adventure that includes a Big Jim Gorilla and Frankenstein(!) The joys of imagination and the "Megoverse"....

I miss having that kind of fun.

If you've got shots of vintage toy love, send em on down!

King Kong VS Alien

John, a frequent contributor of awesome things sent in this fabulous vintage shot of him holding two movie heavyweights, namely a Mego King Kong and a Kenner Alien. Happy times!

Look for more vintage goodness from John in the coming weeks, as well if you have some vintage toy love to share drop me a line.

Steve's pals

Steve sent in this awesome shot of vintage toy love, showcasing his "toy collection" so to speak. That's a good group he's got there, Mego Hulk, Bigfoot, Steve Austin, Pulsar (awesome team up) and what I think is a Mego Shazam.

To be honest, I really wish I had a similiar photo of my toys but I never had the foresight.....

If you've got shots of vintage toy love, send em on down!

Speaking of home made Star Wars

After declaring my love for home made Star Wars appearances last week, Kip sent in this awesome mural from his eighth grade graduation where the theme was "May the force be with you always".

While it's not a mall appearance, it is just a special bit of magic isn't it? This is Franklin public school in Markham, Ontario BTW. I grew up not too far from there, so does that make me cool by association? Probably not.

Send me your mall appearance photos!

Me and Spidey : Easter '76

I'm too full of chocolate and coffee to do anything like Colouring Book Theatre today but I thought I'd share this fun shot of me and Mego Spider-Man (who does not have a great view) on Easter morning, I'm guessing in 1976. I am assuming that there was some sort if law that children had to wear the Ernie-esque striped shirts back then, I seemed to own nothing but these and turtle necks judging from my photos...

Even More Vintage Toy Store Pictures

I'm always happy when I have enough of these images to fill another page. In our sixth installment we visit several toy stores on Halloween (kind of fitting). See a store visit by a giant MonChichi in 1983 and check out the many images from the video game explosion of the early eighties chockfull of Atari and INtellivision consoles and enough electronic games that your head will explode.

When you're done strolling through the new update, please check out our five previous Toy Store Galleries for more strolls down memory lane. Everything from pictures of long gone department store fronts to toy aisles brimming with star wars, G.I. Joe, Tonka Trucks and Mego Superheroes.

They Still Stand

Props to Myspace pal "The Comatose Boy" for these amazing pictures from Grand Junction Colorado where the remanants of an old school rocket park can be found. THe top of the rocket is now closed to the public, but tell me that isn't cool.

An old school Saucer too, man finding this is gold!

Click here to see the vintage playground catalog.

Shogun Warriors Under the Tree

Got a great couple of vintage images this week from Dan Brackett, who here is opening up his Shogun Warriors Mazinga (man that box looks sweet) and behind him is a Bat-Away set. Dan says he managed to replace the Bat-Away on Ebay for under $10 but no such luck on Mazinga...

Want to see more? Check out the Mego Museum Blog Today for more vintage goodness from Dan.

Got a Vintage Shot to Share? Please drop us a line!

Back in Day Goodness

Some more vintage photos from Wes Booth, this one is rather timely, it's Wes opening up a Sam Cobra from the Marx Johnny west line. You'll also notice a Superfriends Colouring Book that we reviewed here at the bottom right.

Not only did Wes get a Best of the West Horse but I see the familiar sneakers of Steve Austin and the Big Jim Jungle Adventure net/launcher on the floor. What a Haul!

Here, Wes gets a Stretch Armstrong for his birthday in 1976.

Ah Corn Syrup righteousness....

Got a Vintage Shot to Share? Please drop us a line!

More Back in the Day Toy Shots

Another great batch of photos this week, starting with Chris Franklin, a fellow Megomuseum forum pal proudly displaying his Remco Energized Superheroes along with his 12" Mego Spidey.

Here is a killer shot of Betsy opening an Evel Knievel set. According to Betsy her Evel was best friends with Mego Batman, they even picked up girls together! For more of Betsy check out the Megomuseum blog today.

Rounding out today's set is an awesome shot submitted by Tom Beiter watching anxiously as his brother plays with his new Stretch Armstrong. Come on man, give it back!

Got a back in the day shot you want to share? Drop us a line!

More Back in the Day Shots

Tom Bligh proudly shows off his Maskatron figure, man, that was one fun toy.

A young Rob Kelly admires his Uncle Fred's can collection. I used to make a punch with Tahitian Treat and Rum back in college that tasted just like budget cough syrup. Rob's T shirt suggests a Batman fan but now he's known for his fandom of this hero.

Got some back in the day shots? Email Me and I'll send you some Plaidstallions Trading Cards.