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My History Fix

the Fun Side of History!

VINTAGE TOYS: THOSE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST

December 26, 2014

Did Santa bring you what you wanted this year? Even if he did, it can’t be better than these gems from days of yore!

LINCOLN LOGS

I loved my 1970’s version of these! The idea of building a house with my own two hands, and the smell…

Lincoln Logs

Photo: Pinterest

SLINKY

Just look at his face. Enough said. Well maybe not. Slinky was the happy accident of a mechanical engineer who was working on a system to keep shipboard equipment steady during World War II. He knocked it off a shelf and was surprised to find it “walking” down from its perch! Slinky took the toy world by storm after the Christmas of 1945 when Gimbel’s department store allowed its creator to demonstrate the toy in-store. You really need to see it in action, right?

Slinky toy

Photo: Pinterest

HOWDY DOODY

I have no words for this. But maybe you do?

Howdy Doody toy

Photo: Pinterest

TIN TOYS

This is just so cute!

Tin toy, tricycle

Photo: Pinterest

DOLL HOUSE

A classic from the 1960s! Gotta love the plastic bay window!

Doll House

Photo: Pinterest

COLORING BOOKS

I admit it, I still like to color. So there.

Vintage Coloring Book

Photo: Pinterest

VIEW-MASTER

One of the best toys ever! High tech, sometimes educational…Ok, I know it’s a glorified stereoscope, but still super cool! It debuted at the 1939 Worlds Fair in New York and was a specialty item sold at photography stores. Initially, it was a way for people to “visit” national parks and sites across the country. The View-Master really took off when a deal was inked with Disney to promote its films and parks through the toy.

View-Master ad

Photo: Pinterest

FUTURISTIC TOYS

That’s right, it’s an early 20th century toy from the 25th century, the first toy ray gun ever produced. I want one!

Buck Rogers toy

Photo: Time.com

MR. POTATO HEAD

And then the toy designer checked into rehab…

But seriously, this guy started out in 1952 as just a set of features you would stick into an actual potato. The plastic potato debuted in 1964.

Mr. Potato Head

Photo: Time.com

PLAY-DOH

Oh the smell! I wanted to eat it. I didn’t. But I wanted to. Also fun to play with, and not at all messy. Still super popular with kids over 50 years later, and still not at all messy.

Vintage Play-Doh

Photo: Time.com

RUBIK’S CUBE

How many sides did you solve? (Without moving the stickers.)

Rubik's Cube

Photo: Time.com

LEGOS

One of my all-time favorite ads. Talk about a classic toy, timeless…

Lego ad 1970s

Photo: Pinterest

MAGIC 8 BALL

Conceptualized in the 1940s by Albert Carter, son of a psychic, he didn’t live to see it come to market in this form. His brother-in-law Abe Bookman converted the original cylindrical version into the familiar water-filled 8-Ball. Amusement for all ages!

Magic 8 Ball, vintage

Photo: Pinterest

BARBIE

Oh Malibu Barbie, you were my girl…even though you can’t stand. I mean look at them! They look drunk.

Malibu Barbie ad

Photo: Pinterest

FISHER PRICE

Fisher Price anything was fun, but I loved all the possibilities this toy offered, especially the car elevator.

Fisher Price garage

Photo: Pinterest

COLORFORMS

Yes I had this! A little foreshadowing perhaps but I loved Holly Hobbie and the General Store rocked!

Colorforms Holly Hobbie

Photo: Pinterest

MATCHBOX CARS

This classic was created by Lesney Products co-owner Jack Odell when so his daughter could take a toy to school: the rule was it needed to be small enough to fit in a matchbox.

I much prefer the old packaging; put the Matchbox car in a box please.

Vintage Matchbox car

Photo: Pinterest

SHRINKY DINKS

And here’s one from my mom’s “you don’t need this” file.

Shrinky Dinks

Photo: Pinterest

BABY ALIVE

Gross. My friend left hers out in the rain and it got ants. I wasn’t a baby doll girl anyway.

Baby Alive Doll 1970s

Photo: Pinterest

What were your favorite toys? Did you “shoot your eye out” on Christmas morning? Share in the comments, or over on Facebook!

A Christmas Story Red Ryder BB gun

Photo: Time.com

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Shaun Cassidy

Shaun Cassidy. Best. Gift. Ever. Thanks Santa!

SOURCES:

“All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys,” Time Magazine, http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2049243,00.html.  Accessed December 16, 2014.

Filed Under: Holidays 6 Comments

<- CHRISTMAS CARDS: HOLIDAY ART
OBJECTS OF DESIRE ->

Comments

  1. Linda says

    December 27, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    GREAT toys!!! Ya gotta love the picture of you with your Shaun Cassidy magazines! 😉

    Reply
  2. Dennis Lupien says

    December 28, 2014 at 8:55 am

    My 2 favorite toys I got for Christmas were View-Master and Cootie.

    Reply
  3. margie says

    January 5, 2015 at 6:09 pm

    My daughter wanted the baby alive with baby food and bottle. She got it for Christmas, and the novelty wore off after all the diapers were used up.

    Reply
  4. kk says

    December 16, 2016 at 7:30 am

    Oh my such great memories!! I got the Holly Hobby dress up colorforms one Christmas.. I see it every now and then at an Antique store. I have almost all of the fisher price little people at my moms. Up until recently my kids loved dragging it all out and setting up a city. I really miss the good ole days!

    Reply
    • Christina Branham says

      December 16, 2016 at 10:36 am

      I STILL want to play with the Holly Hobbie General Store! The good ol’ days for sure… 🙂

      Reply
  5. Kerri Allen says

    December 19, 2016 at 12:10 pm

    I loved my Barbies and Lincoln Logs!

    Reply

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