Punching Bag + Socker Boppers = Fun Fun Fun! I couldn’t find a vintage ad, so here’s a modern clip of some kid beating the shit out of Spiderman!
Author: danielwalterc
#19 – Viewmaster (Top 25 Favorite Vintage Toys)
When I was growing up, there was no YouTube, no smartphones or tablets either. No hand-held device for watching videos. But I had the Viewmaster and it was cool!
#20 – Dominos (Top 25 Favorite Vintage Toys)
For me, dominos was never about “matching the dots”, or whatever the official rules are for game play. They are for setting up and knocking down as shown in the video. Growing up, I watched a TV show called “That’s Incredible!” The show was filled with stunt men and daredevils, ghostly haunts and other supernatural stuff. Oh, and dominos competitions. I was always amazed at what they got the dominos to do when the fell one after another. I remember once falling dominos set of a rocket!
At one point as a kid, I thought I could be a domino showman when I grew up. I really thought this was a career (grown men were doing this on TV, how could it not be a career? LOL) I would try setups of my own. Nothing like in the video (of course not!), but I was able to arrange it so a domino fell into a toy car, the toy car rolled down a slanted ruler, only to knock over more dominos! I was so excited to impress my family, that on Christmas Eve (after receiving more dominos as a gift), I ran to a kitchen drawer at my mom’s new place searching for a ruler. I yanked at it and discovered it wasn’t a drawer at all. It was a decoration with a fake wooded plate that mimicked a drawer. It fell onto my bare toe and two days later the poor toe at to be treated in the emergency room. That might have ended my dominos career.
*****As a side note, I had a game “Domino Rally!” It had plastic setups, ramps and miniature staircases. I never like the game much. It didn’t work as well as it did in the commercials.
#21 – Wooden Letter Blocks (Top 25 Favorite Vintage Toys)
Making letters fun and decorating them on blocks was one of the best ideas for educational toys. I remember having a red sack filled with them. Supposedly at a very young age, I learned the alphabet thanks to blocks such as these (That’s what they told me anyway) This might be higher on the list if I remembered more about them.
#22 – Socker Boppers (Top 25 Favorite Vintage Toys)
I didn’t realize these things were still in existence. Searching for vintage commercials, all I found were moderns ads. I guess this is a toy for every generation. Just put a little air in em’, slip them on your hands and punch away!
#23 – Breyer Horses (Top 25 Favorite Vintage Toys)
My father used to do business with a guy who worked for a plastics company. They were also good friends. As a result, the friend gave our family tons of these horses. Not only horses; we had bulls, wolves and dogs. Specifically, they were for my older sisters when they were little. After that, they got passed along to me! We had a huge box of these!
#24 – Tomy Waterfuls (Top 25 Favorite Vintage Toys)
Were these really super fun, or are they just appealing because they aren’t around anymore? Probably the latter, but still, I remember enjoying these. I had about three of them.
#25 – Crossbows and Catapults (Top 25 Favorite Vintage Toys)
To be honest, I think my desire to like this game exceeds my actual likeability. I mean, it seems great – using crossbows and catapults and plastic discs to knock down plastic brick kingdoms; who could not like that? It was fun. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be on this list. But I remember it took more time to set up than to play. Speaking of playing, were there any rules to this game? I just remember shooting at your opponent’s kingdom. After that, who cares? But outposts and walls fell quickly; too quickly.
I also remember some cool accessories that were sold separately. A battering-ram, for instance. I remember asking for that one Christmas and my dad mistakenly got me a “battle ram” from some other toy set.
Thanks Santa! – Remembering those Vintage Toys: My Top 25 Favorite Toys from my Youth
Merry Christmas!
Hello all! Hope the holiday season is treating you well. Don’t let shopping stress you out. Well, I guess it will no matter what I say. It’s just the way of things.
Are you shopping for any children? If you are a parent of young’uns, chances are you will be combing the toy aisles. Do you like what you see? By that I mean, are the toys better or worse than when you were a kid? I guess the easiest answer is: some are better, some are not. Some modern toys have cool technology that wasn’t available in the 1970s (My personal decade for toy love and appreciation). However, many classic toys have a durability that just isn’t designed into today’s children’s play items. Either way, I’m guessing we are all biased toward the toys we knew; the ones we played with, the ones that spawned our imagination and helped us learn. Every generation has their own unique memories of such toys.
Before I go any further, I do realize that not everyone had the privilege of enjoying toys when they were children. Due to economic circumstances, some people that are very close to me went through their childhood without having toys. So if you have children and can afford to buy them such luxuries, consider yourself blessed. Please consider donating to Toys for Tots.
I was very lucky to have toys growing up and I am grateful for the memories they have given me. I will share these memories with you as I list out my Top 25 favorite vintage toys in posts to come.
Free book! Now that’s a sale!
To help celebrate Halloween week, I am offering my book for free! Please take advantage of this! Sale ends Halloween at midnight!
The Books of Daniel 