Retro toys

Growing up in the early-mid 1960's, most of my toys were "transportation" toys: buses, trains, trolleys, boats, etc.

But I still fondly remember so many other COOL toys of that time!

Who else remembers REMCO's truly AWESOME "FLYING FOX"prop-jet airliner (this cool toy was patterned after the L-188 "Electra", then a commonplace airliner?)

And REMCO's super-cool, swimming "FROGMAN"?

And (by the same company) the formidable "MIGHTY MATHILDA" battleship?

Remember all the long-gone toy companies?

MARX

TRANSOGRAM

REMCO

CHEIN

LIONEL (STILL made in the USA (Irvington, NJ), back then!)

AURORA slot cars

How about the COOL, battery-operated "Lost In Space" robot??

And, how about all the "super-spy"/James Bond-inspired toys, like the "James Bond Road Race Set" and battery operated Aston-Martin

My FAVE toys were the made-in-Japan, made of tin, toy buses and trains, many costing 50 cents and under, especially at the "Five and Ten" stores!

CANNOT forget the super-awesome "G.I. JOE MERCURY SPACE CAPSULE"!

Yup, they were indeed the "good old days", and I'm sure glad I grew up when I did!

 

I had this Aurora Racing Set. It was fun for awhile. Then I got the bigger slot cars for the commercial tracks.

 

MY cousins were BIG into slot cars; they also had every Hot Wheel car and ALL the sets.

I can remember "slot car parlors", where you could either bring one of your cars to race, or, you could either buy or rent one....I'm going back to the early/mid-1960's, here.

I worked with a guy (one of my supervisors) years back who was a VERY avid classic slot car enthusiast, and he showed me pictures of the several elaborate tracks he had set up; he was spending a good chunk of $$$ each week buying vintage cars and accessories.

Time flies........

 

Recall also:

"Mr. Machine"

Spirograph

Kenner's Turnpike Building Set

Snap 'n Build building set

Blippo's Construction Set

Barney's School Bus Factory

Mr. Kelly's Car Wash

Stretch Armstrong

G.I. Joe (12") action figures

Captain Action

Operation

Trouble

Battleship

Uncle Wiggly

Candyland

Chutes and Ladders

Matchbox (made in ENGLAND, by Lesney!)

Zoomer-Boomers

Crashmobile

Slinky

Slinky Train

Slinky Dog

Slinky Elephant

 

MONOGRAM and AMT plastic model kits

Lindbergh "Mini-Lindys" small-scale model kits (under a buck!)

Evil Kenevil action figure, motorcycle, and action playsets

Gilbert's "ALL ABOARD" American Flyer modular train set

Dinky Toys

Inflatable toys of the "Fab Four"

Cap guns

Rubber dart guns

Steve Scout (and his friend Bob) "The Only Scout Action Figures!" (and adventure sets)

MATCHBOX "Models of Yesteryear"

 

Colorforms

Johnny Lightning

Technofix (elaborate, tin litho "track toys" imported from Germany)

Ensign O' Toole's Navy Blinker Code-Lite Set

Johnny Express (large-size remote control tractor trailer)

TONKA cars/trucks

 

Thumbelina

Chatty Cathy

Patty Playpal

Little-Miss-No-Name (my cousin LOVED these dolls, back in the 60's!)

BUDDY L cars and trucks

Etch-A-Sketch (STILL fun!)

The Farmer Says ("See-and-Say")

Mr. Potato Head

MIghty Mike (battery-op Jeep w/accessories.....COOL!)

Skittle Pool/Skittle Bowl (Don Adams did these commercials!)

Tricky Busy School Bus (I have one of these in the original box!)

 

Man, do I remember those "Bop Bag" toys!

I ALWAYS felt sorry for poor "Bozo"........always getting punched in the shnoz!

I also remember one of these for "Popeye"!

 

Voice Control Kennedy Airport (another of my faves!)

Fisher-Price Little People

PLAYSKOOL Camper

Disneykins (miniature plastic Disney characters)

"Blue Box" small plastic vehicles/trains (often w/accessories) from Hong Kong (you'd always find these in "5 and 10's" and candy stores)....I had TONS of these!

Electric football/basketball/hockey games

 

Hippie trolls!

 

I had TOTALLY forgotten the "Trolls"....my cousin probably had every one of them!

(Wishniks?)

Where have the years gone????

 

How about, back in '69, when you could go to any GULF station and, for free, get a printed, punch-out cardboard model of the Lunar Modual?

I sure had fun with mine! (recall, GULF was the sponsor for the Apollo missions, back then!)

 

Pedal cars (and fire trucks) made of STEEL and made in AMERICA!

SCHWINN bicycles (Captain Kangaroo touted these for years!)

"Billy Blazes" (fireman figure)

"The Man From U.N.C.L.E." action figures

"Honey West" (doll/action figure)

LEGO battery train set

 

My Schwin is on my media pictures. Man, that was a nice bike. Had a horn, a light, a rack in the back for carrying stuff or a person. You really didn't see 10 speeds in those days, but later became all the rage.

 

Pedal cars (and fire trucks) made of STEEL and made in AMERICA!

SCHWINN bicycles (Captain Kangaroo touted these for years!)

"Billy Blazes" (fireman figure)

"The Man From U.N.C.L.E." action f

I, also, had a SCHWINN (much like yours!) but, sadly, it was sold to a neighbor for his son (a friend of mine) some time later, as I simply COULD NOT stay upright....I was a TOTAL disaster on a bike!

I remember one of my cousins having what I believe was an "Italian Racing Bike" that was pretty cool-looking!

 

Erector sets

Gilbert Science & Chemistry sets

"Suzy Goose" toy appliances/doll accessories (a cousin of mine LOVED this stuff!)

"Robot Bus"(1950's sheet metal mechanical bus with mystery action; "The Bus With A Brain"); I have one of these!

 

Remember when the kids (especially the boys) used to clip baseball cards to the spokes, so that when you were pedaling away, you would hear loud flapping?

There was also, I remember (late 60's/70's), a toy "gizmo" that you'd hook up to your bike, and it would make motorcycle sounds?

Ahhh, the lo-tech days!