Return of the Man Dress

This guy's face is hysterical, you can't look like a badass sir when you are dressed like you belong in a stage version of "T'was the night before Christmas". Where exactly is this couple anyway? The detention cell of a UFO?

A 33 year old mystery solved

In kindergarten (which was 1974), I played with a type of weird toy where the figures all connected, for hours at a time. I've been trying to figure out what they were ever since with no luck, so I just figured they were education toys produced by some anonymous company. Nope, they were produced by Mattel in 1969 and called TOG'L, kind of a weird precursor to the Micronauts. One childhood mystery solved, 1,200 to go......

More Superhero Appearances

The Plaidstallions mailbox was rocking this weekend with two new submissions for the Superhero Mall Appearance Gallery, the one above was sent in by James Powell, it's him and his sister meeting Spider-man in Orlando.

Darryl sent in these great shots from the 1984 Macy's Thanksgiving parade, here Mighty Mouse struts his stuff.

Red Kryptonite strikes yet again.

Down in Front! This picture is pretty wicked, check out that bat cowl and how often do you see Hawkman?

Send me your vintage superhero encounter photos and I will bestow upon you fabulous prizes!

Charlie's Angels Catalog

Some girls toys for a change today, the 1978 Hasbro Charlies Angels catalog featuring the girls, their fashions and of course, you remember the treehouse they lived in right?

The Bar of my Dreams

Were I not a happily married man, I would fill my basement with the stuff pictured above, especially that sweet combination ashtray/magazine rack. I even used to have that wood panelling, I knew I should have kept it!

What Ever Happened to the Man From Atlantis Toys?

It's not often I get to play toy detective (which is a shame because I have the hat and everything) so it was gratifying to make this discovery this week. Ever since I posted the Kenner Toy Proposals for the Man From Atlantis Line, I've wondered what the line would have actually looked like. Then I found a curious couple of pages in the far back of the 1978 Kenner Catalog that answered my question.

I am pleased to present Scuba Squad , Kenner's attempt to rebrand the toys they were making from the then cancelled series, which gives a glimpse of what might have been. Click the link to see the evidence yourself.

Men of Plush

Those that know me, know of my fondness for plush superheroes, especially stuff like the mego super softies. I've always found these late seventies characters from Knickerbocker to be terrific but I'm perplexed by the exclusion of Batman, Batman always gets picked for the team!

Time for a Workout!

Way to get a belt massage Lisa Loeb! So much to love in this image, the wood paneled, orange curtained home gym, the skirted workout uniforms, it's just such a party.

Super Joe 1978 Catalog

They fight by night with the power of light! I really fun one today the 1978 section of the Hasbro catalog devoting to SuperJoe, G.I. Joe's futuristic kick at the can. Joe took a four year holiday after this, come see why! Also come check out our newly redesigned website, now with 50% more smooth.

The Human Adventure is Just Beginning

I have to admit I really liked Star Trek The Motion Picture as a kid, not really the movie itself but the merchandising. As a kid I had all the Mego figures and the styrene bridge playset. I never saw this southbend enterprise or phasers but those would have been once they hit clearance because almost everything related to TMP eventually did......

Rug Hooking Rocked!

Thanks to Mr Hurst's 3rd grade art class, I got into making latch rugs as a kid. For about ten minutes, somewhere in a landfill is a half done Superman logo (inspired by the movie) that I just bored with once nice weather arrived. I did finish a snoopy skating on a field of green though (they were out of blue).

Back to school means formal occasions

These fine outfits are perfect for Jr. Proms, confirmations, sweet sixteens, weddings, Bar Mitzvah's and of course humiliation....

The Epherema blog has posted an interview with yours truly, which I admit I was surprised to be asked, it can be seen here.

Stretch Armstrong Day!

It's a double shot of Corn Syrup today as we take a look at the 1978 Kenner Stretch Armstrong Catalog, which features such memorable sights as Stretch Monster and Octopus

If that wasn't enough, we have the world wide web premiere of the original Stretch Monster Commercial from 1978 as well.

What a perfect way to start a long weekend, have a great one!

More Spider-Man Encounters

Lou sent me this awesome addition to the Mall Appearances page on the site and he promises more.

One of these days I'll find a kid who saw the Superheroes at the Whitby Woolco whose mother didn't expose the film.....

Send your message with a T Shirt

What better way to say "Hey I'm Wild and Crazy" than with a skin tight powder blue shirt? Ever notice that most of these shirts end up being on the wrong person, like "Touch of Class" will end up with mustard stains on it....

Move over velvet Elvis

I'm setting my phasers on "art" and this is heading warp speed to my mantle.

World's Coolest Cage Match

Alien VS ROM: Spaceknight

That would have made Steve Austin VS Bigfoot look like a tickle fight, I somehow feel cheated I never got to play this as a kid....

A look inside the operation

I recently got interviewed about my catalog collection, I never considered myself an Ephemera enthusiast but I pretty much am. I decided to lay out as many catalogs as I can on my dining room table for the photo part of it.

This is about half of it, the trouble with it is, it happened so gradually that I didn't even see it coming. What did I do after I took these pictures and came to the realisation I have too many catalogs? I bought a new catalog of course......

Our Ways Studios Catalog

While not an instantly recognizable name, Ourways Studios produced some of the wildest superhero merch in the 70's, heavily advertised in the comics themselves. Best known for their awesome stickers and decals their product features art by some of the true greats like Neal Adams and John Romita. The catalog not only features their product but examples of their rocking store display systems as well.

Ok, I find the term "Super Dumps" really funny, sometimes I'm six years old.....

So Much Wrong

So the official Playboy sleep wear is a dress a like man dress? Didn't Hef live in pajamas?

Also, what's with Fran Tarkenton's expression in this picture? Lastly, why do they never have merchandise like this for Juggs?

The Empire hadn't yet struck back

1979 made for some pretty wild Star Wars toys with the sequel still months away, Kenner started deviating from the first film. I must have been getting into The Black Hole at the time because I missed out on toys like the Imperial Troop Transport. The Remote Controlled Sand Crawler was the feature attraction at a birthday party I got invited to that year, every other guest gave the kid a jawa.

Thrown in at the bottom of this page was mystery man Boba Fett, I got this doll for Christmas that year despite not knowing who he really was.

1978 is the year of the Home Computer!

Yeah, like this'll catch on......

I'm pretty sure this is the computer my girlfriend in college had in her dorm room.

Sleep Tight Tony Manero Jr.....

Saturday Night Fever didn't garner a ton of merchandise save for the soundtrack, some gumcards (which I will admit I bought) and this bedding set. I realize the power of Travolta but this movie with it's adult themes and language seems like a strange kid's bed set.

Space:1976 The Future Was Fantastic!

One of the reasons I began collecting toys was my love for Space:1999 merchandise, so these Mattel Space:1999 toy offerings from 1976 are something I'm really hyped about bringing to the site.

Now, Fight Like Apes!

Apes + Army Men = Bliss

I'd have played with this for an entire summer as a kid.

Staged Catalog Fun

Stuff like this always makes me laugh, like a photographer said "OK guys, frolic and act silly" because you know, all men do this......

"Hey what's your number?" Brick is wearing the "Smoothy Belt" in this piece.

Style Sensations

More Put Togethers pain, the pants, jacket and shirt of this ensemble seem to be fighting.

Vintage Toys I saw at Wizard World

I should almost call this post "stuff that tempted me" as I posted at the Megomuseum Blog, I attended Wizard World this weekend in Chicago and was blown away by the amount of vintage toys available. I'm tired, so let's just go through my photo's and I'll get back to catalogs tomorrow, I promise. Above is a boxed Remco Climbing Spider-Man, a shorter version of Energized Spider-man, it was sooooo minty. (pic courtesy of Heroes)

A full set of 12 backs in very nice condition, I don't know how I'll ever swing it but one day these will be mine.

Actually, I was surprised by the amount of decent "entry level" (meaning cheap) vintage Star Wars pieces available at this show. I'm officially on the wagon when it comes to Lucas, so it was bothersome.

The Monsterizer just plain bothered me, I collect Remco Mini Monsters and this is just like, the neatest toy ever. I don't know why but I held out and bought a carded Mego Planet of the Ape instead, he's a very pretty ape though......

I can't believe I forgot to show this pic of SuperPowers toys, such a beautiful, classic line and really hard not to stare at.

FIsher Price Toy Love

It's not often I give myself flashbacks but that's what happened with this 1977 Fisher Price Toy Catalog., Starting with crib toys and moving to the point where you traded in your little people for adventure people, you might find something you had on every page.

Viewmaster Gift Sets

My dad used to sell Viewmasters, so I've always kind of dug them. My kids can watch anything they want whenever they want, so I guess viewmasters won't be the big deal they were for me. If you look at some of them today, the amount of care that went into them is pretty noticeable.

These gift sets were something I always wanted to have, I've never seen the "Science Fiction" pack before, anybody have it? What reels came with it.

Christmas is a Disco Shirt

I was unaware of this custom but according to this catalog, it's some sort of tradition. I love anything Disco in catalogs, they always have somebody looking goofy, like the gentleman at the bottom right...

Space Warriors

I love knockoffs, these "Alien Warriors" and "Fighters from Afar" from Tomland (which was part of Marx) went by a lot of names. "Star Raiders", "Creatures from Other Worlds", "Famous Monsters of Legend", the Wards catalog gave them the "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" name of "Kantina Kooks"!

Note how much "Flash" (bottom middle) resembles a certain wookie.....

Galactic Slumber Wear

I'm not sure what weight lifting has to do with Star Wars Pajamas but somebody at Aldens thought they mixed. What's more intriguing is the set of Micronauts PJs pictured at the bottom, I wonder if any of those survived?

70's Superhero Mall Appearances

Thanks to the generous donation of our blog readers I have some fantastic new images of 70's mall appearances by Superheroes, Jawas, Micronauts, Apes and even Lee Majors! This is a subject I will admit to being obsessed with so if you have photos like these and want to share please drop us a line, I'll send you a prize pack for your troubles!

Put Togethers Claim Another Victim

Not only are "Put Togethers" the goofiest clothing line since "Man Mates" but they've incorporated Plaidstallions mascot Brick Mantooth into the mix. Nooooooooooo!

Actually, this is the kind of stuff my Uncle Bob wears to family gatherings, the fashion train stopped for him.

Why I love Catalogs

For me, my enjoyment of catalogs boils down to images such as this G.I. Joe page and a single moment in time. When I was two years of age, I caught croup something bad and had to be left in the hospital. I was panicked and inconsolable, my mother remembered having an Eaton's catalog on her and gave it to me, I went silent. Apparently I didn't even say goodbye, something I'm still reminded of to this day.

Thanks to everyone for making July the best month plaidstallions has ever had, we've been growing steadily for the last eight months but July was over the top. I'm glad I'm not alone in my love of this material.