1950s & 1960s Sci-fi Toy Commercials

[@testosticleesoralius8546]

That man in space set is nowhere available....rare as hell

[@AtomicSnackBar]

And extremely cool too. I would love to have that one. Though I'd love to have any of these really.

[@danhollifield]

I am always happy when you upload a new video. I actually remember most of these! --Dan

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Through my 20s and 30s I was always all about the 70s and 80s. But as I've gotten older, I've come to realize how much 60s stuff I was actually into as a lad. I find myself these days far more attracted to the 60s over the 70s.

[@vpower962]

Loved the video. The commercials brought back fond memories of a younger age.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Glad to be of service, good sir.

[@robertdee648]

Love those 50's commercials.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

As do I. They had a style all their own. Thanks for watching again.

[@rogerrendzak8055]

Back when kids, had 'social' relationships. Excellent lineup, of retro toy commercials, sir☺️👏. Saw a very young, Billy Mumy, and possible, Kurt Russell (Sonic gun comm ).I was a kid, back in the 60's-70's!!!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

And back too when they actually went outside and didn't have fancy phones glued to their hands.

[@StuartistStudio1964]

I want these toys!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

As do I. I would love a collection of these.

[@garfieldsmith332]

The stuff that Dreams are made of. As a kid I always wanted a lot of these toys mentioned. But it was never to be. Very expensive for those toys when sold in Canada. Robot Commando was $ 100 Canadian. So were many of the other Ideal and Remco Toys. However we were happy with what we got. One year my brother got a Great Garloo because at that time there was an official Canadian importer of Marx Toys. And someone got us the Simpson-Sear employee discount. He played with that for hours. . And when we did see them in the big department stores they had demonstrations and those battery toys in the video sure were noisy. Thanks for a walk down memory lane.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

When I first started digging around for these vintage ads, I was surprised how expensive some of this stuff actually was. Even here in America. When you actually look at the prices adjusted for inflation, it's kind of shocking toy companies could get away with such high price points. But that is awesome that your brother got the Great Garloo. He was before my time, but I would have loved the heck out of that thing as a lad. I didn't realize that Canada had such high import fees back then. I do recall as a kid always seeing the Canadian price on magazine covers and it being different than the U.S. price.

[@garfieldsmith332]

@@AtomicSnackBar Yes the fees and duties were high and on top of all that a federal tax. They were all added in to the wholesale price for a retailer. And with the smaller market the retailers had to charge more. And it had very little to do with currency exchange rates. Even today with a dollar difference of 35% prices for some goods are 60% higher or more. even though we have free trade prices are a lot highher for many reasons.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@garfieldsmith332 Totally off topic, but I don't get into many modern things. But I do like me some Canadian TV. You have some fine shows up there. Corner Gas. Trailer Park Boys. Cock'd Gunns. Schitt's Creek.

[@michaelmcclary8054]

I had "Robot Commando" & "Astrobase"! Robbie the Robot from "Forbidden Planet" as well.- Michael McClary, Professor of Trumpet 🎺, Georgia Perimeter College and GSU 🎉❤❤❤

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Oh man, I can just image being a kid and playing with the Robot Commando and Astrobase together. That would have been good times. Thanks, Michael.

[@airspeedmph]

I had none of them, I was behind the goddamn Iron Curtain not even knowing that stuff like that exists.

[@joshuaperrine2019]

This is my favorite youtube channel!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

That is mighty kind of you to say. I appreciate that, Joshua.

[@joshuaperrine2019]

@@AtomicSnackBar Anymore Vamp Star music in the works?

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@joshuaperrine2019 We released two Best Of albums a month or two ago. All the songs were remastered, cleaned up, and even featured some new versions. Plus, they have tracks that have been unavailable for a long while. Those are all on Spotify now. There's a vinyl release planned, but the factory that makes them is having some tech issues. So those are on hold. I did though get the test copies and they are pretty darn neat.

[@keithrawlings7633]

Robit. haha. Anyway, I always wanted a Garloo toy. And Mr. Sterling, I don't know where you get all these great old commercials, but keep it up!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Garloo was a bit before my time, but I have no doubt I would have gone bananas over that guy. Heck, I'd still love to have one. Thanks for watching, Keith. Next week's episode will be another compilation as well whilst I prepare for the grand reopening.

[@keithrawlings7633]

@@AtomicSnackBar Looking forward to that!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@keithrawlings7633 I think you'll enjoy it. Very fitting for what I do around here.

[@Slasheruprising]

I feel like I have seen all this before in another life. I have to say Robert The Talking Robot, King Zor, Astro Base,Robot Commando, and The Great Garloo are among my favorites. But it was also cool seeing all the other space toys weather rockets or toy guns or other play sets. Sorry for my extreme lateness.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Nonsense my fine feathered friend. Your mind is playing tricks on me again. That's all. And don't worry about the lateness at all. I know how the holiday season and the new year can be.

[@TheIntruder5150]

The Sonic Blaster, talk about irony it looks like a LAWS rocket.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

And I think the two came out at about the same time.

[@TheCommonGardenTater1]

Thank you for the feast.....

[@AtomicSnackBar]

My pleasure, Tater.

[@drummer3354]

What a fantastic channel. Thank you.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Ah, well thank you much. And I appreciate you watching.

[@YandereShiki]

I like how the toys back then had a story to tell. Makes me want a robot.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

You should very much draw a vintage robot. In your trademark style, that would be killer.

[@rogerrendzak8055]

You're don't have, a wife??

[@TheIntruder5150]

I so miss the Ideal Toy Company, my uncle used to work for them making the molds for the toys.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

That's really neat. Did he hold on to any of the stuff he worked on?

[@TheIntruder5150]

@@AtomicSnackBar No, unfortunately he did not...nor did his children.

[@williamcurry4868]

Wow, sir, doggone if you continue to find some of the greatest commercials for just neat stuff, especially with those ideal and marx commercials s. I hope we’ll see more in the future please.👍

[@AtomicSnackBar]

You are in luck, good sir. Next week's episode will be a compilation as well as I prepare for the grand reopening of the "lounge". It's not toys, but it's pretty darn neat as well. Thanks for watching, William.

[@RedSiegfried]

The only one of these toys I ever had was Mr. Machine because they were still making them in the 70s when I was a kid. I have fond memories of taking him to kindergarten show and tell. And then some movie called Star Wars happened and I forgot about everything else. And of course they're still making Rock em Sock em Robots today.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I had a younger cousin who had one as well. Weird story. That branch of the family was kinda low class, and cockroaches invaded and made the Mr. Machine their home. It was pretty disgusting.

[@MomIrregardless]

i didnt see Mr Machine here, but i am 70 and still have my original one! and he walks and rings his bell! fun times

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@MomIrregardless Ah, that's really neat. I had a cousin who had one. Do you have any other cool vintage toys?

[@lbbotpn5429]

No wonder Snake Plissken was so good - he started young!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Not to mention his journey into outer space via Lost in Space.

[@danf321]

Great collection of all the toy commercials I grew up with but never owned…sadly.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

A bit before my time, but hot dog, I would love to own every one of them here.

[@rogerrendzak8055]

You grew up, poor probably, just like me🙄…………

[@martykarr7058]

I had a couple of Major Matt Masons and minor accessories, but my cousin had the lot including the base.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@martykarr7058 Seems like we all had that cousin or friend who had all the cool stuff.

[@interwebkaiju]

Rocker switches and a steering wheel do seem like the pinnacle of remote control design. I wish I was as talented as Robert. Very good collection of home videos

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Not enough is said for the steering wheel on electronics. I use one for editing videos. Really makes things nice and swirlie.

[@destructarr]

These toys were before my time. I think the best time for toys was the late 70s thru the 80s. If I had been born earlier, I would have collected the Marx playsets and similar toys, like the Ideal 1966 Batman and Justice League toys.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I had thought about doing a 70s volume as well. Perhaps if this one does well, I will. I would like to expand it into actual videos, discussing the history of some of this stuff. Though I did cover Robert the Robot in Sci-fi Robots II and really enjoyed doing that. Cause really, toys are still my favorite thing to cover. Picked up anything lately? Or still trimming down the collection?

[@destructarr]

@@AtomicSnackBar I've been getting graded Star Trek The Motion Picture aliens, like Arcturian Graded 85 for my birthday and Rigellian Graded 90 for Christmas. Also, I got a Remco Universal Monsters Wolfman carded. That's one of my favorite figures and altough I had three of them as a kid (2 non-glow and 1 glow), I opened them all and put them in a figure case. So it's nice to have a carded one.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@destructarr Those are some great purchases right there. I really like the packaging and style of the Star Trek figures. And of course, I have a real soft spot for pretty much anything Remco.

[@clarencewalker3925]

I remember these commercial. Bummer!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I'd say that is pretty neat.

[@williamsandell3260]

Wish I could have a Great Garlooo

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I saw one in person a few weeks ago at a record store. He's really big. The commercials don't do him justice.

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Robot commando here to help you. An Oldie in any case!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I saw one in person recently and he was glorious.

[@13thdukeofwybourne69]

at 8:17 I'm getting a real Tim Curry "Into spaacce" vibe. I swear the guy is on the verge of cracking up in places. Absolute gold :)

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I hadn't noticed that until you pointed it out. But it sure enough looked like he was about to crack. Good eye there, your grace.

[@horrorhands666]

Man, they really knew how to advertise toys back then! Garloo looks cool! I would definitely have wanted a King Zor. They weren’t messing around with that Sonic Blaster!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I saw a picture recently of an actual King Zor. Surprisingly, he was kind of a teal color with green legs and arms. More aquatic looking than I would have thought.

[@tonysantiago255]

Did you ever notice how in the 1950s if an alien flying saucer landed on Earth, the knee jerk reaction was to blast him in the face with whatever gun was at hand? Kids were shooting everything back then judging from several of those commercials. That Space Patrol console "send 25¢ and the top off a Nestle's Ever-ready Coco was what inspired Ralphie from A Christmas Story to " Drink more Oveltine ". Billy Mumy seemed to be auditioning for the Twilight Zone judging from his commercial. Creepy kid. You can be sure that other kid ended up in the cornfield. Robots and Guns were clearly the favorite toys for boys in the 50s. More civilized times.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

They may have had the right idea. Had they had that same attitude in E.T. that would have been a much better movie. And I think you may be onto something with the Bill Mumy commercial. That fourth wall breaking kid was never seen again. Robots and guns were favorites of my generation as well. G.I. Joe, Transformers, it's a dynamite combo. Thanks for watching this one again.

[@tonysantiago255]

@ The Wacky World Lounge - Hm. Excellent observation, my friend. Combining Robots and Guns is a natural progression. Perhaps the plastic forming technologies weren't capable of the minute articulation without breaking. Transformers toys were quite revolutionary in hindsight. Inevitable. William C.Mumy grew into the Will Robinson role and thank God. He did project potential little psychopath vibes in that commercial. That kid with him did in fact meet a mysterious and premature demise. Lost In Space also brought us the hotness which was Marta Kristin aka Judy Robinson. And the classic Robot. I never heard the term B-9 before the last few years. Just like George Lucas' revisionism; Star Wars was just... STAR WARS... Bah-dah! Iconic.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@tonysantiago255 I do want to say the Robot's model number B-9 was mentioned in the original series. But the family never called him that. It was always just "The Robot". Or "Robut" as Bill Mumy always said. I'm actually long overdue for another full rewatch. But I have so many boxsets I haven't watched yet. Space 1999. UFO. About 5 seasons of Ultraman.

[@tonysantiago255]

@ The Wacky World Lounge- Have you seen the original Pilot episode for LOS? Well worth it. Much more straight forward Sci-fi/Fantasy. More serious in tone. But sans the "Robutt" and the necessary antagonist villain in Dr. Smith. It's also only about $10 almost everywhere. You certainly do have a number of full series to slog through. I wasn't particularly interested in UFO until I found out that it was done by Gerry Anderson of Super-Marionation fame. Now I'm very interested. Robert the Robot Co-pilot of Steve Zodiak is probably my 5-6 year old introduction to the World of Robutts and his transparent acrylic appearance and especially the way he spoke immediately made me a lifelong Robot fan. A fan of butts would come later after puberty hit. And their accompanying upper partners. UFO purple- haired nymphomaniacs are another selling point.

[@tonysantiago255]

@ The Wacky World Lounge - I just watched this video again and man! That Sonic Blaster commercial with Kurt Russell squinting through the scope so reminded me of his future characters of Snake Plisken, and his roles in Big Trouble in Little China and the much ignored but terrific Soldier 1999(?) Sci-fi should be a classic. Have you seen that one?

[@jennifertochi6253]

Watch out for the Pink Robot Commando Sterling!! He is coming for you. You can never go wrong with Rock Em Sock Em Robots either. Wonderful finds and picks Sir.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I thank you, good Miss Tochi. And I will watch out for the pink Robot Commando. That is, so we can hang out. I like robots and my favorite color just happens to be magenta.

[@jennifertochi6253]

@TheWackyWorldLounge My favorite color also Sterling.

[@tonysantiago255]

@ The Wacky World Lounge- I had a metallic magenta bicycle with a banana seat back in the late 60s. True story.

[@tonysantiago255]

@ The Wacky World Lounge- I forgot the long handlebars too. We used to take playing cards and pin them to the spokes in the wheels. It made an awesome clicking sound that got louder the faster you pedaled. Haven't thought about that in years. Good times.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@jennifertochi6253 Oh yeah? I wouldn't have expected that. I would have thought something like Tork Blue.

[@fatdog1963rb]

These old ads are a wonder to watch we'll done my lord wxelent collection!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I thank you much, good Mr. Blackmoor. I really enjoy these little compilations, even if they aren't as wild and wacky as the Sophisticated Weirdos. Thanks for watching, good sir.

[@FeverDreamlandTheater]

For me, Great Garloo is the star of the show in this collection. 🤖Robot Commando is pretty awesome too though. Great stuff as always Rob, it's always cool to check out some of the vintage toys before our time. I also dig that Silly Safari game. Looks like fun to set up and play as well. Have a great weekend ahead man!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Silly Safari did look like a good time. And that catchy little jingle too. I know it's not really sci-fi, but I thought it was just too fun to leave out. And for all we know, maybe it was a bunch of super intelligent silly safari animals created by a silly safari mad scientist. Either way, thanks for watching, good sir.

[@Phil-n1p]

Thanks again for a great video . I remember so few of these commercials and i wonder if they were aired or the toys sold in Ontario . I wish there were a toy museum close by and a comic book museum as well .

[@AtomicSnackBar]

My pleasure. I really enjoyed making this one. And not sure if you noticed, but there was a young Kurt Russell in one of the commercials.

[@Phil-n1p]

@@AtomicSnackBar I saw it mentioned in the comments but I only noticed Billy Mummy, I'll have a closer look .

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@Phil-n1p His comes it at around 17 minutes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6ilnXmoo8lpobcsi=TuFxWPbGswcVKm6S&t=1047

[@CesarClouds]

I just saw Garloo in ebay for $500 .

[@williamcurry4868]

Dang, who would have thought that they’d be priced like that?

[@AtomicSnackBar]

That is a hefty sum. Was it still in the box? Or we talking a loose one?

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@williamcurry4868 Being an avid toy collector, just the prices I've seen for 80s stuff can get sky high. I imagine something from the 60s would be a small fortune.

[@CesarClouds]

@@AtomicSnackBar It's without the box.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@CesarClouds That's rough. It would have to be in mega mint condition.

[@richardkohlhof]

Why do I come here when I need to feel safe LOL

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Probably because of all the robots.

[@atarikid282]

Another great video. Is that Kurt Russell in the zero m sonic blaster comercial?

[@AtomicSnackBar]

It was indeed. I threw the Kurt Russel and Billy commercials in there, even though they aren't sci-fi, simply because they featured future sci-fi stars. Thought it would be kinda neat to see.

[@robertdee648]

I also wondered it was Kurt Russell.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@robertdee648 I stumbled across that one simply by accident. It wasn't even labeled as Kurt.

[@paullevine1813]

Only one of these i had as a kid was a Mr. Machine but i see why my generation became either hippies or killers LOL !!! Wow i must say what a brave little kid to give little Billy Mumy a hard time & how lucky he didn't get sent to that cornfield; you know the one i speak of. Yea it's no wonder we who were born in the 50s turned out as we did!!! Lucky us .. I did have one those Machine guns that had the little red flame thing on the barrel that moved in & out when you fired it & the only Rockets i had were the ones you put a cap in & tossed so when they hit we got the big bang & the rockets that you put water in & it had this slide thing you hooked it to & pumped it up & got soaked when it launched . Man, they just didn't care what we did back then.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Either the cornfield or getting zapped by the robot. Neither sound too good. Growing up in the 80s, we were the last generation to have realistic toy guns. The dreaded parents groups were really coming into power back then and ruining stuff for everyone.

[@rexevans5477]

this is just a list of things to put in a king kong comic

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I would read that. Especially Kong vs. the Robot Commando. Thanks for checking it, Rex.

[@rexevans5477]

@@AtomicSnackBar for me it's Kong Vs Garloo, keep up the amazing videos.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@rexevans5477 That would be a very close second for me. It's long past time for our buddy Garloo to make a comeback.

[@rexevans5477]

@@AtomicSnackBar True but I would love to have a rerelease of it too put in my collection.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@rexevans5477 That would be great. There's been a few new, really stylized versions, but they just don't have the same feel for me.

[@HorrificNightmaresJM]

I love these cheesy commercials. Your videos always make me smile. But Santa i want a countdown for Christmas.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I just got an angry e-mail from Santa demanding I hurry up with the rebranding and get an actual Top List episode up again. I think he misunderstood.

[@wetdog1606]

Some lovely toys here. As a kiddling I loved sci-fi toys but I really didn't like 50s/60s look space stuff. I now really like it. I used to love Flash Gordon and King of the Rocket Men - so I should have liked it more. Thanks for a lovely vid some of these toys would work well with Godzilla - speaking of which, I have heard some really good things about the new film (minus one) I really liked Shin - so I'm keen to see it.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Even though they were slightly before my time, back in the 80s toys would often hang around on the toy shelves long after their day, so I had a few of the Flash Gordon toys. I always wanted the Lion Man. But I think he was long sold out by that point. As to Godzilla, I haven't really gotten into anything since the Showa era. I like the Big G when he's light, fun, and over the top. Once the 90s hit, all the fun went away. Oddly enough, that's just for Godzilla. Kamen Rider on the other hand, I like when they make him dark and serious. Those 90s films that felt like The Guyver were great.

[@wetdog1606]

@@AtomicSnackBar I've kind of tried some of that - but not really me. For some reason Godzilla just hits my spot - showa is definitely my favourite but some of the others do tickle my giggles and shin hit the spot that The Host also nudged. I just love those little moments when the big G looks big and bad and tough. Also love the music - not mentioned enough - the music is so good. That march - I would never have listened to anything like that - but that march....

[@wetdog1606]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y57Gaot5lK2aaa8

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@wetdog1606 Still to this day when I think Godzilla music one of the first things to come to mind is the music from the NES game. I enjoy the heck out of that menu music. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pp7akp-PgcaCjs0

[@ultramaximusreviews]

These are awesome. When I think Ideal I don't think toys, I think models and paints.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I would love a collection of pretty much everything here.

[@tommydarbe1524]

I used to have Robot Commando. Got it for Christmas one year.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

What a great Christmas gift. I can just imagine that fine gentleman under the tree. Very neat.

[@larryaldrich4351]

I had the small wind-up version of Garloo. Mom couldn't afford the big battery powered Garloo. I bawled for Robot Commando at Christmastime to no avail. Later I found a broken one in a neighbor's trash but it didn't work.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I actually saw the big guy in person a few weeks ago at a record store. I didn't realize what a large toy it actually was. So it makes sense.

[@xpump876]

A neighbor kid had a "The Great Garloo" ( pretty cheaply made I recall) . I had a "Defender Dan" 50 cal as a kid. I wish I could recall the set of 2-60's plastic 'walking' monster insects with grasping jaws I got for Xmas. - the larger fat long oval one was green and there a was a smaller all flat orange "crablike" one . They were hard plastic and 6"-8" inches. I've looked but can't source them

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I do believe you are referring to Hamilton's Invaders by Remco. Came out in 1964, if I'm not mistaken.

[@ICE9RLN0]

toys, they were so much better when I was young.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I'm pretty partial to the toys of my youth as well, but I do love the early sci-fi stuff.

[@sirhilarybraybaronet3152]

Great fun: cheers!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Good to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

[@kurtchristensen3016]

A very young Kurt Russell I believe. 17.27

[@AtomicSnackBar]

It was indeed. I know that commercial wasn't technically sci-fi, but since Kurt went on to do quite a bit of it, I thought it was kind of a neat thing to include. Thanks for watching, Kurt.

[@Lumibear.]

Oh early voice control technology eh, well I had to look that up! It’s a bit of a ‘magic trick’, the child had to first use the controller to set the desired action, then their ‘voice’ activated it, but really any strong enough ’puff’ of sound caused a flat plate inside the ‘mic’ to connect the motor, so shout, or just blow. Clever stuff though, great interactive play!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Well, that's neat in and of itself. It's a fascinating topic. Vintage toys are one of my main interests. I actually did a little coverage of the Robert the Robot toy in my Top 1950s Sci-fi Robots Part II. My way of slipping some toy talk onto the channel.

[@Lumibear.]

@@AtomicSnackBar you must love automaton! I do…

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@Lumibear. Yes, indeed. One might call me a fan of robots.

[@Gappasaurus]

Hey there Rob, been MIA due to reason (that may or may not have involved assisting Agent Zero-M on a covert op, very hush-hush), so catching up on videos & comments on Turkey Day 🦃 An altogether amazing assortment of adverts, would have been stoked to own any of these as a kid, but the ‘70s/‘80s toys we had were awesome in their own right too 😁 I’m guessing you were named after Robert the Talking Robit, as i know you also have a talent for delivering magazines while driving bulldozers (or so i’ve heard).

[@AtomicSnackBar]

That Agent Zero, he really does eat up much of one's free time. Allegedly, that is. Wouldn't know anything about that. Fully agreed with you on the 70s/80s toys. I would actually quite like to do a video like this about Sword & Sorcery toys. But the bulk of the great lines never got commercials of any kind. Which is a shame. A Warrior Beasts ad would have been seven layers of awesome. And right again. I was indeed named after my father and do indeed share his magazine delivery skills.

[@Gappasaurus]

@@AtomicSnackBar Some of the best lines from companies like Remco, Olmec, & Arco must have had zero advertising budgets beyond some comic book print ads. A shame that… 😕

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@Gappasaurus Odd too. Take Lost World of the Warlord. It had a comic, comic ads, yet not a single commercial.

[@Gappasaurus]

@@AtomicSnackBar Maybe they thought commercials would have pushed their luck, considering the MOTU-style design influences 😅

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@Gappasaurus It was the 80s. A wonderfully lawless time. I somehow doubt that even crossed their minds.

[@richardkohlhof]

I'm going to tell everyone that you made me look at a rocket cockpit

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I can't be held responsible for that. Says it right there in the terms of service.

[@RedSiegfried]

It's funny, even in the 80s they were selling a cardboard control panel that you could get if you mailed in to the STARS Transformers fan club. I can't remember if you had to send money or just "Robot Points" proofs of purchase, but it was pretty awesome to be able to call up Optimus Prime on your cardboard control panel and alert him to any Decepticon infiltrators who may be subverting democracy with laser whips.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

One of my absolute favorite playsets as a kid was the fully cardboard Transformers Activity Center from 1985. I got it on clearance at KB toy store, and I got so much use out of it. It lent itself well to all kinds of different games.

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

Wow, these were more expensive than I thought. $19.99 was a lot of money back then

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I was looking at an inflation calculator, and according to it, that's over 200 dollars nowadays. That's wild.

[@tomsenior7405]

Bloody lovely. North American children of this era were the luckiest sods on earth (We were deeply envious). Major Matt Mason. Yes please! I only ever owned two of these Astronaut figures. No vehicles, no extras. It didn't matter to me. I played with them for hours on end. I wanted a Robot. Never got one. (Turns out the Robots were naff anyway)

[@AtomicSnackBar]

You touch on something that has always fascinated me greatly. I'm a big toy person. Heck, the bulk of stuff I actually watch in my free time on youtube is toy content. But a thing that really tickles my interest in the toys exclusive to other countries. What were the toys of your youth like there, I assume in the U.K.?

[@tomsenior7405]

@@AtomicSnackBar A Great question. First off, yes I was born in England. That would be considered part of GB back then. Toys, by the early 1960s were becoming more widely available to the lower and middle classes, but they were still expensive. Focus was on educational toys, so that parents could justify the expense. And so Meccano was a big seller. A small box of Meccano "Box Standard" (Bog Standard) could set a parent back a big chunk of a week's wages. The Box Deluxe (The Dog's Bollocks), this was only affordable to the Upper Classes. The very rich. The elites. "The One Man Army" toy? No chance. Kids made their own weapons in school, if they were lucky enough to be assigned to Wood-working class. Children who had passed their 11+ exams were not so lucky. We were expected to be the next generation of Doctors and Generals. Fine Empire Building stock. Children made their own Bows and Arrows. A fallen branch would be crudely carved into a rifle. Twigs became Pistols and Revolvers. Toys were commonly hand-me-Downs, during the 1950s. (Rationing and lack of production facilities limited availability for my older brothers' haul of toys). I inherited a broken Action Man (The English version of G.I. Joe), and a few uniforms. Along with a handful of knackered toy cars. (I received a few Lego pieces too). Most toys of my era were "Made in Hong Kong". Cheap, plastic injection moulded rubbish. A quality water pistol was as rare as hen's teeth, but a cheap one that broke first time was easy to come by. Robots; The American Robots did not reach GB, as far as I knew. We had to rely on Tin and clockwork tat. Plastic Hong Kong variants were nowhere near the standard of American types. One of my favourites (Until I discovered Airfix) was TIMPO. I was obsessed with The Wild West for a while. It was obvious that I would play with TIMPO cowboys and Indians. Balsa Wood; We made our own Aircraft. Gliders, Rubber Band propelled. Fly by wire. If you had the skills to build them, then off you go. I lost track of the number of Spitfires I crashed and made again. Board games; Chess, Monopoly, Scrabble were staples, along with Playing Cards. If you knew a child with Mouse Trap, or Ker-Plunk, you were quids in. Operation? Buck-a-Roo? I never saw one. Battleships was played on paper. By the mid 1960s Airfix was becoming hugely popular with boys like my brothers and me. Table-Top wargaming was extremely popular. Matchbox was pocket money priced. If one had a Paper Round, then Corgi and Dinky became affordable to those children. If one had a Saturday Job, then Hornby and Scalextric became an option. Children made their own Steam Locomotives in metal work classes at school. I was a Grammar School boy. Metal work was for the working class, not for me. (Bloody annoying). By 1977, lads had a large range of Action Man, Matchbox, Dinky, Corgi, Hornby, Scalextric and Airfix to choose from. Foreign imports were rapidly encroaching in. I think Hot Wheels was just starting out? Accuracy went out of the window in favour of Speed, decals and garish colours. Star Wars figures? I only recently found they were even a thing. I never saw any of them when I was a child. Throughout my childhood the most important things were my friends. My Dog, my cat, my old, old bicycle and my family. Telly was naff. We rarely watched it growing up. The woods at the back at our home could be Sherwood Forest, a Desert Island, the moon or the Somme. Camping was a great hobby. The old abandoned Manor house became our castle. Building sites became the trenches of the Great War. The local farms were the airfields for our Balsa Fighter planes. One more mention; Comics. The Beano, The Dandy, The Topper, The Whizzer and dozens more. We bought these every week. (Even though they were not at all comical) Better yet; Commando, Battlefield and any magazines related to WW2. Library books. 2000AD was a game changer. (Hook-Jaw, Judge Dredd). I did not know that Batman was a comic book character. I did not know anyone who read that superhero stuff. Superman was also unheard of over here. Was Superman an American state secret or something? I apologise for prattling on. Can you forgive me? Collectables; I restore old toys. Broken battered Dinky toys. TIMPO Waggons, buildings, forts and castles. I repair them to their factory finish condition. Britains Toys. Airfix Games and toys. I also continue to paint my Napoleonic Armies. Even after 50 years I am still adding to Napoleon's Grande Armée and to Wellington's and Blucher's allied armies. And then I display them in our reception room/library. It annoys my beautiful wife endlessly.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

@@tomsenior7405 No worries at all about "prattling on." It was quite interesting. And I love talking toys. I have to ask, though. What is Meccano? I'm not familiar, and when I did an internet search, the results were not what I imagine you were talking about.

[@johnmarlin7269]

Thanks for the PTSD! My parents didn't get me any of these must-have toys and I was in therapy for years. Guess I have to go back now ...

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Or do what any rational person would do ... go spend a bunch of money on vintage toys.

[@johnmarlin7269]

@@AtomicSnackBar well -- probably cheaper than more therapy 😹.

[@louisborselio8608]

The Space Patrol cockpit is the worst thing here. Just a picture glued on to some heavy gauge backing.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

But even that has its charm.

[@louisborselio8608]

Billy Mumy in the house.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

He really got around in the '60s.

[@aleistercrowley7549]

A great era for toys. But they required one extra component (not batteries) that seems to be in short supply today. Imagination.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Plus, it's probably pretty tough to play with toys when you have a phone glued to your hand.

[@AlanEmmons-qw6bg]

Oh and a Billy Mumy commercial? Your a bad man a very bad man!! And there he is the ever popular Curt Russell, the king of Mattel commercials! But I had an aircraft carrier which launched planes via rubber bands but I can't recall its name. And a model tank called battling Betsy but it had to many parts (500)I think and I could never finish it, I got the base done but the turret had to many gears and so small gears and it was programmable! To much for a 10 year old! I didn't flip and smash it but we moved and it got lost in the move!. But my brain injury brain shrink is calling so I have to be ready for him, or no PTSD meds for me!😵😱

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Sounds like you had some pretty spiffy toys as a lad. The good old days, when toys could still launch things.

[@richardkohlhof]

I still can't figure out how robot Commandos secret weapon is a secret when it's under a clear covering on top of his head...

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I can't tell you. It's a secret.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

I prefer Great Garlic, makes mealtimes better.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I'm more a mustard guy myself.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

The Greyt Poupon ! .

[@Me-qp8vz]

Wow a missile base teaching kids to blow up their enemies!

[@AtomicSnackBar]

And yet, I'm sure very few of them actually blew up their enemies. Don't quote me on that.

[@keithcall7795]

I had a Robot Commando. I had more fun with him, clobbering the plastic army men. These were great toys to develop imagination. The 60s were a great time to be a kid.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

That's great. He was before my time, but knowing me as a lad, I would have loved the Robot Commando. The only use I ever had for plastic army men was to fight my Imperial Godzilla toy.

[@RedSiegfried]

Yeah, I've seen that Man In Space commercial so many times and never have I seen one for sale anywhere. It makes me think if one could secure the rights, it would be a great toy to make a reproduction of and sell to Boomers. Are people younger than Boomers who like this stuff "Boomers at Heart?" Matter of fact, pretty much all these toys would sell if someone re-released them, there's a market for it.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I can't speak for others, but I darn sure am a boomer at heart. And I darn sure would buy reproductions of nearly all of it too. I actually saw a King Zor and an Ideal Astro Base at a record store recently. Both even still had their boxes. I wanted them too much to even ask what the prices were.

[@danospitpatio6236]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@AtomicSnackBar]

Right back atcha, Dano.

[@AlanEmmons-qw6bg]

What no greenie stick um caps toys. And we had a mr. Machine in my kindergarten class and I always misbehave so I'd be put in the coat room where the mr. Machine was kept. I spent a good amount of time in there why because I was ambidextrous and my teacher wasn't having any southpaw in her class. She thought left handed people were sinestre which is Latin for left handed. So I was evil!!😇. But I'm not, at least I think I'm not?

[@AtomicSnackBar]

As someone who is mostly left handed, I can neither confirm nor deny any amount of evilness. My teachers just did not want to admit to my left handedness, or just thought I had terrible writing, so I was made to learn to write right handed. I do nearly everything else left handed.

[@ricardoenriquevasquezsola5586]

Puro robots

[@michaelwilliamson4060]

Elon Musk toys.

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I bet those would sell.

[@WanderingOldGuy]

Still can't find any info on the best robot toy ever built. it was all metal with a head that opened and fired multiple rockets. As with all my toys as a kid, my younger brothers swiped it. I didn't find it until a week later, outside, under a tree after a week of heavy rains. :(

[@AtomicSnackBar]

I'm not sure. It kind of sounds like the Robot Commando, but I assuming that it wasn't. It was a '60s toy?

[@WanderingOldGuy]

@@AtomicSnackBar It was, as I was just 13, putting its manufacture late '60s, as I was born in '57. It was quite heavy, not sure what company produced it. It was the first real toy I'd ever gotten for Christmas. Dad would later tell me it cost around $18: so quite expensive for the time. I've searched numerous data bases and haven't found a picture yet. Definitely wasn't the Robot Commando. Thanks!