Archive for June, 2014



1978 Spiegel Catalog: Star Wars, Shogun Warriors, Star Bird, and More

Spiegel 1978-1

Spiegel 1978-2

Spiegel 1978-3

Spiegel 1978-4

Spiegel 1978-5

Catalog diving never gets old. We were conditioned at an early age, and the sight and smell of these filmy, glossy pages is like the ringing of Pavlov’s buzzer.

I was surprised to see that the Micronauts Battle Cruiser ($19.95) was more expensive than the Death Star ($17.95). Mego just couldn’t recover after rejecting the Star Wars license, although I think the Micronauts line, even in its last throes, is more creative.

I love the Super Joe toys, including Terron, shown at the bottom of the second page. You can see commercials here and here.

The “Sonic Ear” is new to me. It amplifies sound, which is pretty lame, but what a great looking gun to take into a space battle.

Don’t miss the Fonz watch—the strap is denim-colored, naturally—on the last page.

(Images via Yesterday’s Ads/eBay)

Kay Bee Toy Store Ads (1984 – 1987)

Kay Bee Ad 1984

Kay Bee 1984

Kay Bee 1984-2

Kay Bee 1985

Kay Bee 1987

Brilliant marketing, but not a reflection of reality. Kay Bee was the go-to mall toy store, yes, but it was overpriced and rarely had the hot items in stock. And it was always a mess.

Kids at Party, Circa 1975

Party 1970s

The young lady’s pose pretty much sums up my perception of girls when I was a boy: effortlessly precocious, defiant, untouchable. Feminism seemed to be something they demanded by virtue of being alive, by candidly commanding a room or a conversation or the task at hand. It was an emanation, not a hollow phrase parroted about on Twitter.

The “shesmidas” on the cup is a watermark referring to the eBay store where I found the shot.

See another great found photo of the period here.

 

Kid Scores Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game for Birthday, Circa 1981

D&D 1981

Mom, can I go over to Danielle’s house?

See the game stacked up in a 1980 toy store here.

(Photo via Brutal Chaos)

Troubador Press: San Francisco Scenes (1972)

Troubador San Fran 1972

Troubador San Fran 1972-2

Troubador San Fran 1972-3

Troubador San Fran 1972-4

Troubador San Fran 1972-5

Troubador San Fran 1972-6

Troubador San Fran 1972-8

Troubador San Fran 1972-7

1973 Troubador Press Catalog: ‘Presenting a Colorful World for Creative People!’

Troubador 1973

Troubador 1973-2

Troubador 1973-3

Troubador 1973-4

Malcolm Whyte has very graciously sent me a number of Troubador catalogs that I’ll be scanning and posting. Here’s the first. You’ll spot Monster Gallery, the first in Troubador’s “fantasy trilogy,” first published in 1973. Paper Airplanes and The Dinosaur Coloring Book were always reliable sellers. I’ve yet to nab copies of either.

I do have the outstanding Zodiac Coloring Book, and I have some pages from San Francisco Scenes that I’ll put up next. After that, I’m on break for a week.


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