1978 Marx Toys Toy Fair Catalog Virtual Tour! Ready Gang Big Wheel Playsets & More! Toy History!

Another Vintage Virtual Video tour! This time in our series, we'll be taking a detailed page by page look at the original 1978 Marx Toy Fair catalog!
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[@jeffreese1828]

Great fun ! Had the Big Wheel ... recognized the classic colors immediately ! I am a Toy Soldier collector and recognise all those sets ... it may have been the year before or after '78 , but I remember my buddy got that Navaronne Mt. , at Christmas , and I had asked my folks for it ... but instead got the 2 mountain " Battle at Comanche Pass"...which by the size of box , I just KNEW it was the Navarrone set , so saved it for last to open , lol . At first , I was confused and kinda disappointed .... but not for long ! One mountain was as big as the Navaronne Mt. , the other slightly smaller , and they were spanned by a natural arch , forming The Pass . Like the Navaronne Mt. , there were levels all over the front and back with lots of cave openings for the Indians to ambush from and a huge Boulder that could be pushed off the natural arch . Running the gauntlet were U.S. Cavalry escorting some pioneers out west . Had a BB shooting cannon , covered wagon , chuck wagon, Indian teepees and camp , cacti , and lots of figures . Marx made great figures and they looked even better because they used nice flat colored plastics that did not glare , and really showed off detail nicely . Sadly , this was very near the END of the great playset/toy soldiers Era, and they would vanish from the scene for a good 20-30 years , replaced by action figures and later video games . But now toy soldiers have made a giant comeback in the collectors market . Sorry for the long one , lol ! If you get a chance , look up that playset .... it's a cool one ! The mts. were about 2.5 feet tall . 👍🍻

[@chris-q7c4x]

Love seeing it all together as it was. I had several things in there

[@OpenByChance]

Some people really like these catalog tours. I will be doing more in the future.

[@xray86delta]

I sure loved Marx toy sets as a kid! I had a "Fort Apache", "Desert Patrol", "History in the Pacific", "The Blue and the Grey", and "Apache Pass"!😅 I wanted them all!😉

[@OpenByChance]

Lots of imagination with those playsets!

[@Groundround1921]

My brothers and i had a "Gilligan's Island" toy set. My brother's children now play with it. Those 70's toys were really made well !

[@OpenByChance]

That's a really cool set. Made by PlaySkool, based on the Saturday morning cartoon "Gilligan's Island".

[@tcaabr]

I got a big wheel for x-mas in the late 70's and I recall riding in a circle from room to room inside our house singing "C" is for Cookie, by the cookie monster, over and over until my parents told me to stop. I can't imagine how annoying I was!

[@OpenByChance]

BigWheels were awesome!

[@DerekPugh-uj4yd]

just pulled the 'galaxy command' playset (1979) out of the attic today...was shocked to find it in excellent condition and 100% complete! I unfolded the mat and set all the pieces where appropriate...then i noticed the box said 'for ages 4 to 10'. So i scratched out the 10 and replaced it with 55. 😉

[@OpenByChance]

That's some great stuff!

[@danfinn2210]

Loved the Sky Heroes

[@greatesttoysevermade3693]

Great stuff for sure, thanks for sharing. 1978, sadly 2 years later and Marx would be out of business.

[@OpenByChance]

Very true!

[@subzero9113]

The Ready Gang? I remember having Johnny West and the Native Americans and Horses. That Buckboard was originally Johnny Wests just different Accessories. Does anyone remember Johnny? Those Apache Fighter Figures has so many accessories! Marx made some Great Toys for sure. I enjoy Your Catalog Vids Plaease keep them coming. I like learning more about the vintage toys I grew up with back in the 70s and 80s.

[@OpenByChance]

I used to have a lot of the Johnny West stuff!

[@bradyvelvet9432]

Looks like it was printed just recently! 😮

[@OpenByChance]

It's rare to find these in really good shape!

[@davelister2915]

You were right, mate! Some of these pages actually triggered some old child memories I remember having the Prehistoric playset - but the one I remember was alot taller I also seem to remember having one of those toy m-16 guns, Fort Apache and that Command Cycle game Hey, do you recall a certain UFO toy from the 70s where the "cabin" rotates and a robot inside would slide down a ramp? I have a vague memory of owning something like that . . .

[@OpenByChance]

That's one of the reasons I do the catalog tours. Lots of nostalgia and history in them. The UFO toy does sound familiar...

[@newatlantisrepublic6844]

I think that UFO toy you’re talking about is called Zeroid and the Starhawk.

[@davelister2915]

@@newatlantisrepublic6844 Smeggin' hell! I do believe that's it! In fact, that''s totally it! Thanks Mate!

[@robertwaid3579]

Was it from, "The Day The Earth Stood Still", Film possibly. Reason I recall? Is it Had the Large Space Craft Saucer, and the Alien 👽👾👽 that could Fit inside of the Compartment. Once Assembled, some of the Key Pieces on the Spaceship were removable so the Alien 👾👽 could Sit in the Commander's Chair 💺💺, or He Could Exit by the Ramp under His Spacecraft. Though I didn't care for Science Fiction then? The Set was Really Cool, & it was before Lost in Space, or Star Trek came along.

[@petebutler5139]

30:00 had one! Got it on my 9th BDay.

[@kellysnipe9586]

Great video! I had the Marx Fort Apache playset, and some of those prehistoric dinosaurs too. And you're right about the toy guns; RUINED by the do-gooders out there who seem to think they can legislate their way into Nirvana! It won't happen. And people need to remember that the USA was not founded as a police state!

[@OpenByChance]

Just like with the missile firing feature was taken away when one kid hurt themselves with the Battlestar Galactica Viper toy.

[@robertwaid3579]

To Open by Chance. Personally I really Dig & Love this Stuff? You are bringing Back too Life let's say. These Item's & Toy's are all Part of History Now, and Our Past. Yes I Can & Could Recall, many of the Big Wheel's, the Play Figure Sets, Dioramas, Stripper Car's, Hot Wheel's, & the Cindy Doll 🎎, & Barbi Doll, Character Advertisements, in the Catalog's that Our Mom would get Annually. To My way of Thinking 🤔🤔 all those Toy's Created before? Electric Arcade's, Pin Ball GM's, or ATARI, & Nintendo, came into Existence. They made Us, Think, Imagine, Create, Formulate, Build, Erect, and just Expend ages of Time, Developing Our Mind's. Plus in many Instances it would also involve Our Parents as well. This Nostalgia is Fantastic 👌😊 too Relive & Look Back on? Even if it's Only Briefly, that We do it. So To Open By Chance, I Say Thank You so Much, for Your Hard Work, & Research, & then Sharing it With US, so Generously. Wyoming, Robert,🇨🇦🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇸👍😎🤔💬👍🤳🤳🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@OpenByChance]

And that's what's missing nowadays, the creativity of thought and imagination!

[@pimpdaddysatan]

I had navarone.. I was like 4.. but I remember the white plastic Nazis and the dead soldier, mountain.. that whole set for little plastic army men was pretty Rad!!

[@OpenByChance]

They had some great playsets!

[@reubenfederico4567]

Cool toys really cool!

[@OpenByChance]

Yes indeed!

[@warrenchambers4819]

I had battleground playset, the caveman and dinasour playset, those flimsy gliders and I also rememeber my sister having the old woman in a shoe game. Always wanted a Navarone set but I did have my favorite playset of all time Deep sea adventure.

[@OpenByChance]

Some of those playsets were pretty cool!

[@maartenrijs3]

Yes, I love these catalogue tours!!

[@OpenByChance]

I've got another one filmed that's likely going up tomorrow!

[@mattandmargaritastoybox7462]

I love these videos and wish you would do more. The only feedback I have is that you should do the sears and jc penney large catalogs by year randomly and make them longer...over a hour or so each. I think your perspective and unique background and knowledge in 80s history and products really makes them interesting, informative and refreshing! You speak to the styles, electronics and not just the toys. I keep replaying your hour long version catalog video. Super fun :) Keep up the great work!

[@OpenByChance]

Glad you like them! I do have more of the big catalogs, but I try to reserve them for closer to the holiday season since that's usually when we found them as kids.

[@xtremezone987]

That cover is fugly. What the hell were they thinking ? Geez. Of all the options they had & they went with that ? Whatever floats your boat I guess. Neway good nostalgia as always OBC. Thanks for sharing. :)

[@jonathangrant6138]

This video was AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to shoot this with your wonderful narration. Truly brought me back to a kid again and those wonderful memories! Love it so much that I am now going to Ebay to look for some of my past favorite toys to relive the great memories all over again!!!! Keep the videos coming please.

[@OpenByChance]

I've done several of these catalog tours, and I do have a few more planned for the near future, thanks!

[@grinchville1]

Very interesting

[@OpenByChance]

thanks

[@ZOMb2010]

YES ...AWESoME Vids...

[@OpenByChance]

Glad you like them!

[@raymccarty4612]

I believe i still own this.

[@OpenByChance]

The catalog? Or something specific?

[@zim1966]

1979 Bally released the Kiss pinball machine and the Captain Fantastic /Tommy movie one 1976 Pinball was very popular until the early 90s

[@OpenByChance]

I love old pinball machines!

[@princevegeta1010]

Cool

[@ronstewart6362]

I know it's been said a Million times but truth is truth. Our generation had to use our imagination and our creativity with our toys. Since probably the late 90s, the video game generation was just given Everything so they didn't have no creativity. Don't get me wrong I would of loved a motorized car when I was 6 but my bike with baseball card and my big Wheels were good enough😂👍

[@OpenByChance]

They don't use imagination anymore. I've said it a few times in discussions on this channel, video games are fine, they can be fun, but if you play games all the time you are playing with someone elses imagination...

[@petebutler5139]

As part of my collection I added a big wheel (1st gen metal fork, blue seat) and a green machine! Marx was cleaver to use lame names for his toys! Big Loo, Great Garloo, Big Wheel, Lil Big Tractor 🙄😳

[@jedifyfe]

“Guns guns guns”. Was that a Robocop reference?

[@OpenByChance]

You got it!!!

[@romeross1557]

This generation will never know what it was like to really be a kid. Pretty sad. There are times, as much as I enjoy video games (I was a Nintendo head back then) that I feel that these games, cellphones, and tablets are the Bane of existence

[@OpenByChance]

The modern social construct doesn't allow for children to just "BE" children anymore...

[@geiragnalt7240]

I grew up in the 80’s. I wonder how it would be growing up in the 70’s (toywise)…

[@OpenByChance]

Still better than what's going on toywise now!

[@ronstewart6362]

They made a knock off of the green machine I got for my son about 10 years ago. It was okay 👍

[@canibaloxide]

I have a permanent scar on the top of my foot I got from a big wheel incident when I was in 5

[@OpenByChance]

That's how childhood was back in the day!

[@joetomczyk7893]

Heyyyyy do shorty putin and kim jung porko know about this. They can get their military equipment here, since hobby lobby imposed and arms embargo on them.