Nostalgic Toys

[legion]

http://www.radarmagazine.com/features/2006/12/toys.php

[IROC]

I had the Creepy Crawler Fright Factory!!! That was actually kinda fun...

Mike

[legion]

I don't buy the power wheels motorcycle bit. I've never seen one of those things do over 2 mph.

[rouxroux]

The "Creepy Crawler" metal molds could also be used in one of my favorite toys, the "Vac-U-Form"...that toy was GREAT! And having the heating element that was EXACTLY the same size as the Creepy Crawler "thing maker" mold was an added bonus! Ahhh, the smell of fresh frying plastic!!!

I also liked the "Mr. Machine" robot...very cool as he marched/rolled around, then the bell would go off as he made that horrible sound as his jaw was opening!

[Nostril Cheese]

I had lazer tag. Just up until my mom heard about some cop shooting a kid who pointed the gun at him.

[Dave L]

how about the wood burning kit?

[Dave L]

Consumer Probe

Joan Face.....Jane Curtin
Irwin Mainway.....Dan Aykroyd




Joan Face: Good evening. I'm Joan Face, welcome to "Consumer Probe". Well, Monday night on All Hallow's Eve, there'll be a lot of witches, ghosts and goblins roaming the streets trying to give us all a traditional Halloween fright. But what really frightens us here at "Consumer Probe" is the increasing number of injuries, and even fatalities, caused each year by unsafe Halloween costumes for children. For instance.. [ holds up plastic skeleton costume ] ..this little skeleton costume looks cute and harmless, but in fact it's coated by a highly flammable paint.

[ cut to full shot, showing Irwin Mainway seated to Joan's right ]

My guest tonight is Mr. Irwin Mainway, President of Mainway Novelties, and Chairman of the Board of Mainway Latex Corporation. Mr. Mainway, you are clearly the main flagrant offender in this area. For instance, your company manufactures and distributes this Halloween costume.. [ picks it up and holds it ] ..Johnny Space Commander mask, which retails for $6.95. It's nothing more than a plastic bag and a rubber band. This is very dangerous for young children!

Irwin Mainway: [ grabs the costume ] Okay, I'm gonna say something about my product right here, Johnny Space Commander mask. I want to say, first of all, it's a very fluid item, in terms of sales. I don't know, Miss Face, if you're familiar with the movie "Star Wars"? Well, this movie has generated a tremendous amount of popularity and enthusiasm about space and science fiction. [ rips open the costume packaging ] This Johnny Space Commander mask here is a pure fantasy toy. I mean, you know, kids can have a lot of fun with a toy like this, you know? Let me show you.. [ puts the plastic bag over his head, then wraps the rubber band around it ] "Hello, hello, this is Johnny Space Commander. I'm in deep space, I'm gonna land the rocket now!" You see what I mean? [ takes off the plastic bag ] You see what I mean? It's a pure fantasy toy!

Joan Face: Alright, Mr. Mainway, if you don't think that was unsafe, how about this Halloween costume, which you market under the label "Invisible Pedestrian"? [ holds up the costume ] It's an all black suit, gloves and mask. Now, it seems to me, Mr. Mainway, a child wearing this costume at night to go trick-or-treating is in grave danger of being hit by a car!

Irwin Mainway: Car? What do you mean "car", Miss Face? I mean, a car is a pretty big object, right? I mean, kids are smart today, you know? They know when a car is coming at 'em to jump out of the way. I mean, most of the kids I know go trick-or-treating at houses, right? You don't see too many kids walking along the expressway knocking on windshields looking for treats. This is a "sidewalk" costume!

Joan Face: A "sidewalk" costume?

Irwin Mainway: Yeah! I mean, you know, we don't recommend this for blind kids. See, there's a warning right on the label - "Invisible Pedestrian, Not For Blind Kids." [ turns packaging around to show this warning in big bold letters ] Huh?

Joan Face: Alright, Mr. Mainway. But surely even you can see the danger in this next costume, which you call Johnny Combat Action Costume. This is an actual working rifle!

Irwin Mainway: An M-1, yeah.

Joan Face: I mean, this is a deadly weapon, and you're selling it to children!

Irwin Mainway: The ammo's not included. I mean, this is a very popular item, you know? Give the kid a little something extra! Field glasses, a little helmet there, the gun, you know, it makes 'em feel like a real general! I mean, this product is very popular in Texas and Detroit!

Joan Face: What about this? [ holds up new costume ] Johnny Human Torch? It's a bag of oily rags and a lighter!

Irwin Mainway: This happens to be a favorite of mine, because it's a low-price Halloween costume. [ tears it open ] It's really one of the more exciting ones. You take the rags, you just pin 'em on there like a hobo, you know? And then flame on, lights up the night! It's a beautiful costume, I think.

Joan Face: Mr. Mainway, I am shocked at your irresponsible attitude! I think we can all see that your Halloween costumes are unsafe and should rightfully be banned from the market!

Irwin Mainway: Now, wait a second, hold it! You're picking on these because you're saying these costumes are unsafe! Well, I'm gonna tell you something - any item of clothing can be proven unsafe! Anything! What you're wearing, what I'm wearing! I've got this tie on - nice tie, nice thin tie.. alright, I'm driving along in my convertible, a nice gust of wind comes up.. [ he lifts his tie, shoves it into his face and feigns choking ] I could choke to death, you know? I mean, really! I could put it in my mouth - I could swallow my whole shirt!

Joan Face: Mr. Mainway? You are a very sleazy man. [ turns to the camera ] I'm afraid that's all the time we have..

Irwin Mainway: Hold on, hold on! You see this jacket here? [ removes his jacket ] This is a rayon-polyester jacket..

Joan Face: ..tune in next week. Have a happy and safe Halloween.

Irwin Mainway: ..I'll show you something, this could go up in flames just like that! [ lights his jacket on fire, as the flames rise ] Look at that! Look at that!

[ show fades black, as Mainway jumps in front of the camera ]

[Tim Hancock]

Nearly every year as a kid, my parents would take us to the Smoky Mountains for vacation. My brother and I would usually come home with at least one new pocket knife and a mandatory bow & arrow set.

We would spend many hours in the front yard with the neighbor kids shooting arrows straight up in the air. The exciting part happened when someone lost sight of the arrow. Mass panic would ensue with everyone scrambling for cover.

[HardDrive]

I'll stick with my Lionel trains thanks.

[dd74]

Tonka trucks made out of real metal - with sharp corners to boot...

[VenezianBlau 87]

I had this toy that was basically a hot plate with a glass/plexi dome. I'd put a cube of plastic in it and watch it turn into a dinosaur or whatever. Then I'd heat it up and put it into a compactor to make it a cube again. It was fun for some reason.

Then came the Evel Knieval drywall-seeking motorcycle missiles...

[Aerkuld]

Who do you think might have had one of these?



"WHISTLING DIXIE Through the new hole in your head
SCHLOCK AND LOAD This must-watch 1961 commercial for the Reb features the catchy jingle, "We'll all be gay when Johnny comes marching home!" Click play, you'll thank us.The South did rise again, at least during playtime for the owners of the Johnny Reb, a 30-inch "authentic civil war" cannon draped in the confederate flag. The Reb fired hard, plastic cannonballs with a spring mechanism—the aspiring secessionist need only pull a lanyard. No word on exactly how fast the cannonballs flew, but they traveled up to 35 feet and seemed perfectly sized to lodge into an eye socket, down an open mouth, or through a slave's window.
For only $11.98, young rebels got a cannon, six cannon balls, a ramrod, and a rebel flag. What better way to permanently maim your little brother while spreading valuable lessons about states' rights?"

Any guesses yet?

[Nathans_Dad]

Might have had? You mean still does have!!

I'm sure he has 80 of em lined up against the wall as he recreates the major battles of the civil war, with the South winning of course...

[Aerkuld]

I think kids need to have toys with some kind of risk attached.

My eldest son (12) want a paintball gun for Christmas, while my youngest (6) want's an air-soft M16!

Nothing better for kids at Christmas than toys that make tham want to shoot each other.

I think I'll get them for them, then send them back to their Mother.

[rouxroux]

Dave L, would you happen to have the script for the SNL interview bit featuring the Mainway toy called "The Mainway Bag-O-Broken-Glass"...that was one of the funniest ever!

[VenezianBlau 87]

Aerkuld, I just "figured out" your username. I thought it was Dutch... Too many fumes from the plastic dinosaur factory, etc.

[cashflyer]

I had one of the hammocks, and I still have my BSG Viper (with pilot and missile).

I had read that the "failure to stop / evade police" mode of the powerwheels cycle is the same defect that killed the Powerwheels Porsche 911 Cab - which only sold for 1 year before being removed from the market. Go figure.

[bigchillcar]

i had toys from the mid 60's thru mid 70's i guess..a really cool time for detail. i still have most of them, lots with original boxes, stored in my mom's garage.
ryan

[rouxroux]

Originally posted by bigchillcar
i had toys from the mid 60's thru mid 70's i guess..a really cool time for detail. i still have most of them, lots with original boxes, stored in my mom's garage.
ryan

Original boxes? There you go, P-car project funding, compliments of ebay.

[craigster59]

Originally posted by VenezianBlau 87
I had this toy that was basically a hot plate with a glass/plexi dome. I'd put a cube of plastic in it and watch it turn into a dinosaur or whatever. Then I'd heat it up and put it into a compactor to make it a cube again. It was fun for some reason.

Then came the Evel Knieval drywall-seeking motorcycle missiles...

I had one of those too, Mattell's "Time Machine". Got as hot as the "Creepy Crawler" cooker.