Archive for the 'Christmas' Category



Christmas Morning, 1978: Shogun Warriors

Christmas Shogun 1978

Let’s kick off the Christmas season with some giant, exceedingly dangerous robot toys, shall we? John Reese—snug in his Snoopy shirt, maroon cords, and Adidas casuals—is showing off Great Mazinga. Lots of orange shag carpeting. Lots of wood. Bucolic painting hanging over the floral print couch. Possibly an urn filled with somebody’s ashes next to the lamp.

Christmas Shogun 1978-2

Next: Raydeen. From Shamus Young, who writes the blog Twenty Sided:

On the left is Pat, who got the Shogun that launches a big plastic fist. I got the one that shoots missiles out of his hand. When I say ‘missiles’, I’m not talking about a blinky light, or a sound effect, or a bit of missile-shaped foam. I’m talking about real, pointy bits of plastic that can be aimed at the eyeballs of children for fun and excitement. Good times.

Speaking of missiles, one of them appears to be missing. Better check the dog!

Christmas Shogun 1978-3

Here Dragun and Mazinga guard Darren Bryant, who’s captaining the forces of good from his inflatable Six Million Dollar Man Mission Control Center. In the background, Commissioner Gordon reaches for the Batphone.

Check out a 1976 – 1978 Shogun Warriors commercial here.

* * *

I’ve got a couple of pretty incredible Christmas morning submissions already. Feel free to send yours to 2warpstoneptune@gmail.com.

The countdown is on…

Christmas Morning, 1980: The Empire Strikes Back

Christmas Morning Star Wars

Christmas Morning Star Wars-2

Christmas Morning Star Wars-3

Christmas Morning Star Wars-4

Would you let your parents dress you up in these atrocious outfits if you knew loot like this waited beneath the tree? Yes. Yes you would.

In the first shot, unboxed, we’ve got two Tauntauns (Solid Belly), the Falcon, Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer, and a Darth Vader Collector’s Case. Among the heap of boxes behind the kids, I see the Snowspeeder, the Twin Pod Cloud Car (I think that’s a second one on the far left), and the Cloud City Playset (a Sears exclusive). Only one of the toys is from the original Star Wars line: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter. You can see it better in the third photo.

Our furniture looked like this. We had those TV trays. My dad had those moccasins.

Christmas Morning, 1978: Everything! (Part One)

Mikey Christmas 1978

Are you serious? There’s an entire layer of toys that’s covered by other toys!

The Spider-Man comic on the right, underneath the Death Star, is Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #27, a Bronze Age key. It marks the first time Frank Miller drew Daredevil.

The ship on the left, above the Radio-Control Racer, is a Star Bird Avenger. Right next to it is the Star Bird Command Base, seen below via John Kenneth Muir.

Star Bird Command Base

The red box under the tree is Tin Can Alley, a shooting game from Ideal. The rifle emitted a light pulse that, if aimed correctly, would knock over the cans on the “range.”

(First image via WEBmikey/Flickr)

(Video via tvdays/YouTube)

Christmas Morning, 1978: Micronauts

I love the smell of a newly assembled Battle Cruiser on Christmas morning. Is that a jug of moonshine by the TV stand?

(Via veronicamoonlit/Flickr)

Christmas Morning: Tinker Toys and Mr./Mrs. Potato Head

Christmas Morning Tinker Toys

I had lots of Tinker Toys. We had that chair, that carpet. My dad wore those moccasins.

Christmas Morning Mr. Potato Head

Date unknown. Early-’60s? Mr. Potato Head was introduced by Hasbro in 1952. Mrs. Potato Head came along the following year.

Christmas Morning, 1983: G.I. Joe

christmas g.i. joe

I love his expression. “Huh? Can’t you see I’m really busy here?” He’s putting together the Polar Battle Bear. Waiting in the wings (top box) is the wicked Cobra H.I.S.S.

(Photo via killerlouise/Flickr)

Christmas Morning, 1983: ColecoVision

Christmas Morning ColecoVision 1983

Score. Coleco Vision came with Donkey Kong, and I see a Donkey Kong Jr. cartridge as well. Word Yahtzee? Please. That box was “lost” before the day was over.

We’ve got a G.I. Joe box, but I can’t tell what it is. Bigfoot is a monster truck toy from Playskool. You turned it on with a key and it had forward and reverse gears.

(Photo via colorcritical/Flickr)

(Video via RetroTY/YouTube)

Christmas Morning, 1986: G.I. Joe

December 25, 1986. (Photo: Ted Fitzgerald)

G.I. Joe Tactical Battle Platform

(Image sources: Boston Archive and Final Frontier Toys)

Christmas Morning, Circa 1982: Stompers and Masters of the Universe

Christmas Morning 4

I can’t identify the Masters of the Universe figure, but I think that’s the Stomper Badlands Trail Set. What is the mom holding?

Stomper Badlands Trail

Christmas Morning, Circa 1962: Marx Operation Moon Base Play Set

I think he’s holding a coonskin hat! And you know he’s just dying to get the pictures over with so he can try out that sweet sled.

Marx Toys’ Operation Moon Base was released in 1962, the year John F. Kennedy gave his now legendary moon speech:

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? […]

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency […]

Marx Operation Moon Base

Marx Operation Moon Base-2

(Image sources: Darrin’s Photoclique and Time Warp Toys)


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