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Post by waywardmonk on Jan 25, 2016 20:11:32 GMT -6
One of my favorite childhood toys was a fairly basic box of Legos I got for Christmas one year. I never got tired of playing with that set, and even after I got into Star Wars toys I just used it to make small ships & vehicles for the those figures for years. As an early teenager I got a few new Lego sets that were more complicated and enjoyed them, but the magic of that first simple set was never again realized. As an adult now buying Legos for my son, I fully appreciate that Tyco Super Blocks ad: "The cost of space travel just came down to Earth". Ha! So true. Legos are insanely expensive for what you get. Plus it is a bizarre mix of tiny detailed pieces and those large, lazy pre-formed pieces that you don't even build. I have found a few Super Blocks pieces at yard sales, but never owned an actual set. The pieces were interesting and a little different than Lego. I guess they were the Mega Bloks of their day. I also had a Riviton set as a kid that was a lot of fun. It had a nail-gun like tool that stretched rubber bolts to connect plastic panels.
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Post by StarRunn on Feb 1, 2016 15:02:15 GMT -6
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Post by spockoda on Feb 1, 2016 21:00:22 GMT -6
Remco produced some visually interesting lines but seemed to always have "also ran" status on the toy shelves back then, at least in my mind. Crystar is my favorite Remco line. It was cheaply made which is too bad as it had potential to be more imo.
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Post by StarRunn on Feb 8, 2016 6:42:52 GMT -6
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Post by rihia2k on Feb 9, 2016 5:22:22 GMT -6
Oh, man. That Big Bad Stuff Hawk from '94 is truly radical!
I have to admit - there's a sorta' unusual feeling that hits me in a way when the ads get totally ruthless. Like the line 'Superheroes Stand For Sales' or the body text on the Olmec one: "Look a new specific demographic, let's grab the cash up!"
I don't wanna risk sounding naive, business is business. I think the feeling stems from looking at toys directly from a time when I viewed them with childish simplicity - and viewing these promos now. Most employ charm, cockiness or cheesiness, yet others are so quick draw "MONEY HAHA!" they almost slap the inner child right outta me... almost.
Anyhow, this thread is right proper eye candy, Starrunn2. You have some incredible image collections in your arsenal.
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Post by figurecollector on Feb 9, 2016 10:48:01 GMT -6
If they made that Hawk, I would have probably had one for myself, adult at the time or not since he was one of my favorites. I do not think you could bet those bendies wrestlers into the Camel Clutch position either.
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Post by spockoda on Feb 9, 2016 17:18:56 GMT -6
The kid in the "Fighting Furies" ad reminds of the kid in The Shining, sort of.
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Post by rihia2k on Feb 9, 2016 22:57:32 GMT -6
The kid in the "Fighting Furies" ad reminds of the kid in The Shining, sort of. He's pretty classik. Got some serious 'imagination face' going on.
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Post by StarRunn on Feb 11, 2016 13:01:57 GMT -6
Well, it appears that my latest batch of toy ads was a good mix. Thank you all for your comments.
Spackoda, the kid in the Matchbox pirate ad is Mason Reese. He gained fame doing a lot of TV commercials, including Post Raisin Bran, Dunkin’ Donuts and Underwood Deviled Ham. He appeared as a guest on many TV talk shows and even made the cover of TV Guide. Mason wasn’t in The Shinning; that was Danny Lloyd. The two boys did have the same hair style.
Rihia2k, sorry that some of the ads upset you. The toy and hobby industry was my livelihood for many years; I worked in the Research and Development Department of Aurora Plastics/Products from 1965 to 1975 and continued doing freelance and consulting work on and off, even to this day (Atlantis Toy & Hobby, Dencomm). For a long time I attended the industry trade shows and reported on new releases for both fan and professional magazines. So, I’ve been surrounded by toy and hobby sales hype most of my life and I guess that I’ve gotten immune to it and haven’t thought about how it all manipulates the general public.
But, you’re right about how blatant some of these can be. The Olmec Sun-Man ad is surprising because the company was founded and run by an African-American woman who was trying to add some characters of color to children’s play time. Mining the niche might have been an afterthought generated by the ad agency.
Still, I’m happy that you consider the bulk of this thread as “proper eye candy”. It was the flashy artwork that inspired me to start showing off and sharing this stuff. And yes, I have an incredible arsenal to draw from. I started this thread by cleaning up material that I already had in the computer and by scanning loose pages from my files that I had pulled from discarded magazines. I still have plenty of complete toy and hobby mags to sift through and scan, but I am working on it. I’m really enjoying this and hope to keep bringing you guys these advertisements for many months to come. Unfortunately, my other threads are being neglected. You can’t win them all!
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Post by spockoda on Feb 11, 2016 19:24:04 GMT -6
The red headed kid did seem familiar and I wouldn't be surprised if I saw some of the commercials he was in back then. On the surface, some of the "salesman" lingo in some of the toy ads does at first seem a little cold blooded when you think of some of the toys you may have fond memories of but it is also a reminder that just like today the almighty dollar was the common denominator of everything even back then. On the subject of ads and commercials I got on youtube and watched some vintage Mego Star Trek and Kenner Star Wars commercials mainly from the 70's and realized how innocent and quaint they seem by today's standards.
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Post by rihia2k on Feb 12, 2016 3:27:47 GMT -6
Well, it appears that my latest batch of toy ads was a good mix. Thank you all for your comments. Rihia2k, sorry that some of the ads upset you. Oh hey, no apology necessary at all. I tried to word my comment so it didn't look like I was having a pc freakout or anything, haha. More an observation on my own perception in that moment, if anything. I'm no stranger to marketing from various areas, but these toy ads you're sharing ... well, you've single handedly provided a banquet of fresh info to digest, I'll say that. I’m really enjoying this and hope to keep bringing you guys these advertisements for many months to come. Unfortunately, my other threads are being neglected. You can’t win them all! And thanks for doing so. Perfect timing to keep the site fresh and frequented, as a few previous key contributors to AFA have been quiet or inactive for a while.
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Post by retroplaymo on Feb 12, 2016 6:02:02 GMT -6
Hi Starrunn! These ads are really amazing!!! Thanks a lot for sharing!!! Friendly Steve
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Post by StarRunn on Feb 15, 2016 7:50:36 GMT -6
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Post by retroplaymo on Feb 15, 2016 12:54:25 GMT -6
Hi starrunn! Thank you very much for this!!! Playmobil indeed has some wonderful ads on the past... But the big surprise was the last photo!!!!!! Mastef of Ninja Deluxe Comabt Set...Oh boy....I had this set when i was a child!!! Thank you very much for sharing and for the memory!!!! Friendly Steve
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Post by StarRunn on Feb 22, 2016 8:26:32 GMT -6
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Post by Ebessan on Feb 22, 2016 10:54:43 GMT -6
Thank you for sharing these, starrunn2. This is like going through a virtual museum.
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Post by Thor Laserpunch on Feb 24, 2016 14:30:11 GMT -6
Interesting stuff. Any idea if that Galaxy Series is meant to be part of Multimac? And what's up with the Everwise Limited toys? And Bug Force??
Loving the hand drawn cheapness of the Super Ninja ad.
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Post by StarRunn on Feb 27, 2016 19:55:49 GMT -6
Thor Laserpunch, the Galaxy Series and Multimac were both products manufactured by Silverlit. You can see that several identical components appear in both series. I pretty sure that Thinkway Toys did nothing more than repackage and distribute the Multimac vehicles for the U.S. market at the time the advertisement appeared.
I have no real knowledge on Everwise Limited. Some of the toys in the ad look to be Silverlit, while others are Way Formed designs. So, Everwise might have been a distributor of toys by these two manufacturers and others as well. Or, they might have been a manufacturer knocking off a whole lot of different stuff!
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Post by StarRunn on Feb 29, 2016 6:44:28 GMT -6
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Post by Thor Laserpunch on Mar 3, 2016 17:11:44 GMT -6
Thor Laserpunch, the Galaxy Series and Multimac were both products manufactured by Silverlit. You can see that several identical components appear in both series. I pretty sure that Thinkway Toys did nothing more than repackage and distribute the Multimac vehicles for the U.S. market at the time the advertisement appeared. I have no real knowledge on Everwise Limited. Some of the toys in the ad look to be Silverlit, while others are Way Formed designs. So, Everwise might have been a distributor of toys by these two manufacturers and others as well. Or, they might have been a manufacturer knocking off a whole lot of different stuff! I thought Multimac itself was lifted from Tomy Tomics, or licensed perhaps. Ah, the incestuous world of 1980s toys!
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Post by BoogDoc7 on Mar 4, 2016 13:30:58 GMT -6
Sweet BuddyL Marvel stuff. I keep those when I find 'em. And Steel Monsters should have done better, but didn't.
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Post by kylefromdirtnapp on Mar 6, 2016 0:04:15 GMT -6
Man, I need a Bug Force helmet!
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Post by StarRunn on Mar 7, 2016 8:17:19 GMT -6
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Post by StarRunn on Mar 14, 2016 5:59:20 GMT -6
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bubbashelby
Forum Lurker
Jan 16, 2016 11:05:44 GMT -6
Posts: 18
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Post by bubbashelby on Mar 19, 2016 21:37:17 GMT -6
Wow, I had that Sonic Phaser from a few posts back!
And that Mattel ad threatening lawsuits - wow. Was that aimed at figures like the Sungold right below it, or actually straight up bootleg ripoffs of He-Man etc?
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Post by StarRunn on Mar 21, 2016 5:49:22 GMT -6
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Post by StarRunn on Mar 28, 2016 6:19:44 GMT -6
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Post by BoogDoc7 on Mar 28, 2016 7:56:04 GMT -6
This has been great. Honestly, I think you should start a blog with these. Good potential there.
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Post by figurecollector on Mar 28, 2016 10:14:41 GMT -6
Don't keep us hanging too long!
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themasterturtle
Garage Sale Scavenger
Apr 6, 2016 19:31:39 GMT -6
Posts: 32
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Post by themasterturtle on Jun 1, 2016 11:56:04 GMT -6
Have any ads for Dinosaucers?
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