Vintage UK Toys & Games Adverts (Vol.1)

[@ShaneJoshua1980]

I loved being a child in the 80s, cartoons and TV shows were ace, toys were brilliant and the sweets were awesome! That whole Toymation era (were cartoon were essentially 30min toy ads which had you sitting there saying "I want that.") Being a teenager in the 90s was alright with the rise of videogames but the 80s always will hold a place in my heart.

[@MudSluggerBP]

Speak and Spell dissing Americans for nearly 40 years 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@RetroSteveUK]

Colourful language, right? 😁

[@kanekeyanah9908]

He spelled it in the American way at least

[@AtheistOrphan]

@@kanekeyanah9908 - But the machine soon corrected him!

[@FixerUK]

And also the title of the debut album of the greatest band ever (in my opinion).

[@MrAndroidData]

@@kanekeyanah9908 "spelt"

[@richardevans7035]

Would go back to these days in a Heartbeat, no Facebook or Instagram and everyone had respect for each other

[@jager896]

I agree 💯 did you know that the Bible speaks about no respect for anyone the book of Timothy second C3v1 says that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here and that there will be no natural affection not open to any agreement when ever I read this I think it is just like reading the newspaper it also speaks about greed in days gone by children were satisfied with whatever they got now as soon as Christmas is over people putting their gifts on line for sale Eileen

[@jwb52z9]

The "disrespect" was just easier to hide.

[@candjim]

So true..

[@richhughes7450]

And children had a childhood. Not forced to grow up to quickly and not forced to become tech zombies.

[@richardevans7035]

@@richhughes7450 bang on mate

[@andrewbriggs6083]

Thank you for these memories, amazing how simple life was in my childhood. I agree, i would go back to these days in a heartbeat.

[@Utv1874B6]

OMG the memories with family and friends as a child. I honestly believe the toys we had back in this awesome era lasted longer then the rubbish that they make today. Great video fella 😀👍🏼

[@RetroSteveUK]

I think you may be right. I remember my toys as a kid being favourites for many years.

[@chandlerbingbong]

Some of them battery games were really expensive. No wonder my parents bought me Connect 4 and Buckaroo 🤣

[@johnny5805]

Speak & Spell was released in 1978 at 39.95. That's 203 UKP in 2022 !! That gives you an idea how expensive these electronic toys were !

[@darranwigg3722]

My friend had Jaws game in the 70s, those water games I remember were more fun than you would think they would be.

[@RetroSteveUK]

Yes, I had Jaws and one of those water games. Both really good.

[@candythomson844]

I enjoyed the water games

[@FixerUK]

From a time where the delivery of the autumn and winter Christmas catalogue was one the the most eagerly anticipated events of the year and also the book you'd read again and again and again and ag....................

[@paulgallacher5384]

I love the little dig about American spelling being wrong in the speak and spell advert.

[@tambias]

The music for that Hornby advert at the end would make top charts nowadays!

[@joebryant5722]

I can't believe this reminded me of stuff I had, that I forgot I had!!!!

[@TheBlaert]

If you were lucky enough to get one of the electronic games on Christmas morning you can be sure the batteries were forgotten about

[@gripplehound]

I loved ‘Guess Who’. I have a vivid memory of eating cheese on toast with brown sauce on it and getting a blob of brown sauce on the box lid that stained it 😂

This brings back so man memories. Thanks Steve. I loved growing up in 70's UK. You also have the best name in the world, too 😋

[@Moonstone115]

Ahhh the good old days 💕thanks for cheering me up!

[@stephenjerome4135]

An awesome collection of adverts there, takes me back to my childhood. I had that perfection game when I was a kid. Scared me to death though when the timer ran out, every time. You concentrate on putting the shapes in the right holes and you'd forget about the timer and then BANG! Made me jump out my skin. I remember most of these games but I don't think I've ever seen the sketch a graph. Though I do remember I had something a bit similar called the spirograph. This was where you could draw on paper various patterns by using different sized plastic discs that had little holes in and a toothed edge. You put the disc inside the main flat plastic circle and went round and round like a cog. They were great fun. The speak and spell was an interesting thing to say the least. I can remember those words 'spell colour' very well. I can only imagine the number of times the Americans heard those dreaded words 'that's wrong'. I assume those things were produced in America.

[@RetroSteveUK]

We had Perfection in our house & I had the same jump scare experience, although eventually I got to know where all the pieces went by muscle memory & the game was no fun anymore. It was fun though, when a stall at my school's fete were using Perfection as a game challenge to win sweets. I played & won about five times before they banned me! 🤣

[@c1v1lwar24]

“Ladies with a sketch-o-graph you can make embroidery patterns..” 😂

[@chriso8485]

And nobody was offended

[@garrywitcomb2334]

Brilliant !!! Some of these games are still current in my house !! Great bit of film,of far better times,sadly missed. Thanks for posting mate 😆😆👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@vikwitch2185]

Never heard of the sketch a graph...but i want one!!

[@RetroSteveUK]

I remember those .. dirt cheap even then too, looking at that price. I never had one, but did play with one at school.

[@timothymorris4571]

I remember getting the 'Jaws' game from a jumble sale, early 1980s. It was great fun.

[@matthewbeard2300]

Thank you for taking me back to my childhood.

[@mr.y.mysterious.video1]

The prices on these, a fortune. Kids have it so good these days

[@bagpuss121]

Speak & Spell Every American Should Own One .

[@RetroSteveUK]

We'll, COLOR me impressed! Or is it colour? 😉

[@BAZFANSHOTHITSClassicTunes]

in 1979 i was in hospital for a eye operation. I was 5 years old. There was a nurse that would play Guess who with me.

[@goonerfactor62006]

hmmm. does he where an eye patch😂

[@myleslawler6866]

Does anyone remember the last day at school before the summer holidays when you could bring in one of these from home?

[@RetroSteveUK]

Yeah, always loved those end of term bring your toys in days. Magic!

[@myleslawler6866]

@@RetroSteveUK :)

[@vanenmar7491]

A lot of those toys seem more expensive than I remember hahah

[@Emma_N]

I've been transported to my childhood.. Thank you Steve

[@Essexmark4]

Fantastic collection of memories, I’ve still got my subbuteo set, we had the best games back in the day I feel sorry for kids now days,

[@imansfield]

I so wanted Speak and Spell because of E.T, but my parents in their wisdom got me the maths one instead. I was horrified! 37 years later I still hold a slight grudge!! 😂

[@zetametallic]

I wanted both of them. My friend (even now) had them and when I went to her house we'd have one each. I got the Little Professor instead😒

[@fraserkatie]

I feel your pain! I had the maths one it was awful!

[@jenniedarling3710]

I had really hated "little professor" wanted to rip that silly twitchy moustache off his face.

[@susandodds8482]

I had the speak and spell.... ended up with a degree in.... Maths!

[@taraelizabethdensley9475]

I didn't know there was a maths one, i did have the little professor though

[@Foebane72]

I had all three of those Texas Instruments toys back then, they were great!

[@RcNerd]

So glad I was born in the 70s..

[@develynseether4426]

I had the first VTech it was both Texas in one and more, man I loved that thing.

[@joannedixon-jackson7348]

I had one of those Big Badge Factory things when I was little! :D

[@yomilemondragon1721]

Speak & Spell: Spell "Colour" Kid: **spells it the American way** Speak & Spell: WRONG Shade thrown XD

[@mistofoles]

I was gonna say that.....Speak and Spell was also available in America ( Remember how the kids converted it into a transmitter in "ET" ? ) - So did they alter it in the UK ?

[@AtheistOrphan]

@@mistofoles - Yes, as exemplified by this video: Kept the yank accent but changed the spelling to the Queen’s English.

[@danielthorp8717]

In my collection, i have a collection of items from the late 70s and 80s, all in working order. Picked from 2nd hand shops and car boot sales. One of the items being the early eighties item in the box Spirograph.

[@ScratchySlide]

I remember most of these. Whatever happened to Action GT...? I love how they used to tell you the price!!

[@StevenSmith-mk5fg]

I was just a kid back in the 80's so I didn't really notice it like I do now with regards to just how expensive everything was back then. Take the speak spell toy in the first clip for example. rrp of £39.99. That would be the equivalent of about £150 today. The board games too. £16 back then would have been around £60 in today's money. I can only guess that moving the manufacturing to China/Asia is wat as brought down the cost of everything and that if it was to come back to the West, the prices would go back to being like they were in the 80's/90's.

[@RetroSteveUK]

Yeah, and maybe mass production has streamlined in some ways too.

[@martindunstan8043]

Yeah but,Freddos were 5p, can of coke 17p so swings and roundabouts 🤣✌️

[@noelht1]

Ace video. Legit my entire childhood right there

[@TheHoldenmcgroin]

PURPLE PEOPLE EATER!!!! So many have told me I was making that thing up. lmao!!!

[@wetleyrocks3092]

I had Stock Car Smash-Up, a very bullet-proof toy!

[@robertleem5643]

Found the Merlin video, wow so many of these toys brought back some good memories, when you look at the price of some of these toys, today they aren't built to the same standards. As for the Hornby - prices from £17.95 to £74.95, now many sets are nearly £200

[@RetroSteveUK]

We have a Christmas Hornby set for going around our tree. We like to add a new accessory to the setup each year. Love a bit of Hornby.

[@one2nd1]

That was an amazing collection of adverts

[@uknowmyname007]

The prices for some of these were so expensive. Even by today's standards. They would be a fortune in today's money.

[@squidge125]

Just look how many of these have versions or rip-offs still in sale today- says everything!

[@HeyLaserLips]

Man, I used to have about 5-6 of those Ideal Water Games, I loved them, but by the time I was into them in the late 80s, I think the branding was Tomy. Also, I'll always remember our doctors surgery having one of those Perfection games with about 1/2 the pieces missing. xD

[@RetroSteveUK]

We had a local toy shop called Zodiac. I remember getting one of the water games from there. Probably late 70s.

[@iainbonnar8864]

Stock car smash up ,I loved that

[@sallyhodson7366]

Omg all these ads take me back

[@davidjones6470]

Remember most of these 😌 Great vid sir 👍 really enjoy watching them

[@RockyScorcese]

Geez- toys were expensive back in the day!

[@speedbird737]

Used to hate the 'batteries not included' notification lol - I had computer battles ships - such a fab game! and Simon, Merlin, Subbuteo etc!

[@Leon-lt5gv]

Computer battleship was brilliant ' going on a power trip ' sinking carriers ' quality 😁

[@simonstroud2555]

Looking at that Hornby ad at the end I think I discovered where they got the idea for the toy train sequence in The Wrong Trousers (Wallace and Gromit)

[@willdatsun]

youtube should have an option to watch all old videos in a wooden telly.

[@RetroSteveUK]

Yess! Optional frames! You should suggest it to them! 😆

[@5implesimon]

Amazing compilation thanks very much

[@mistofoles]

I used to have that Little Professor ! If you got a calculation wrong, it said "EEEEEEEE !" , the implication being he was laughing at you !

[@TheFreshSpam]

Loved the Hornby Advert big time

[@AtheistOrphan]

Still got my Palitoy Blip game! (‘No TV set needed’)

[@gamingtonight1526]

Subbuteo 1,000s of games with me and my friends, the arguments, the shouting. It was like being at a real match!

[@johnwatson4801]

Excellent compilation @RetroSteveUK. Just subscribed after looking at your past videos 👍

[@RetroSteveUK]

Cheers! 👍

[@dominichazell7862]

£45 for the micro electronics game??!!! Wow!!!

[@Emily-vs9ju]

I’d play with Perfection now if I could!! Loved that game.

[@RetroSteveUK]

Used to scare the bejeebus out of us as kids.

[@sunflower7766]

My son has that game. I bought it him as I had it when I was a kid. Still good fun.

[@antenant9294]

I remembered about half these toys maybe, but not the other half. However, what was crazy- a few of these adverts just created such a strong association with the time, that I "felt" the same way that I did when buying other toys completely- not in this video. That is mad.

[@kins749]

Great memories, had some of those games

[@RetroSteveUK]

Jaws, Connect 4, the water games, Battleship, & Perfection for me. Wanted a few of the others, but you can't have everything can you? 😆

[@xxnoxx-xp5bl]

I miss my Split Second game, it was so simple, but it was still fun.

[@duffymoony]

Subbuteo, bestest game, then, now or ever. Stands the test of time, none of the rest do.

[@RetroPlus]

I love that subtle dig on American English in that first clip

[@dan8031]

Simpler, more fun times.

[@Sam616-69]

Who remembers Boris the spider. I've been trying to find it to show my family what I used to play with.

[@anthonyjohnson8672]

killing myself laughing looking back at my childhood memories

[@S7EVE_P]

Simpler times. We seemed to have more time - remember many afternoons in playing connect4 not all this rushing about like today.

[@RetroSteveUK]

I gotta say, I'm definitely a fan of finding that work/life balance, taking down time, and not rushing around like a headless chicken.

[@ThermionicValve]

I had TCR racing set, I looked inside the cars to see how it changed lanes. The motor turns a cog which turns one of the rear wheels. If it turns the right rear wheel, the car moves to the left. If you flip the switch on the hand set, the polarity will change and the motor spins in the opposite direction and turns the rear left wheel, then the car turns right. To stop the car leaving the track, all of the tracks has barriers on both sides and the whole length. The cars are rubbing along the sides of the tracks so it can move in a forward direction.

[@RetroSteveUK]

Genuinely, that's fascinating!

[@Metalwaterwood]

Still have my speak & spell and Speak & Math...both still work!!

[@RetroSteveUK]

Built to last!

[@Gambit771]

Perhaps try typing in 'maths' to your speak and spell. 😉

[@danielnewton5867]

I remember these TV add from my childhood.

[@noelht1]

1:01 those water games were the shiz. I had loads of them

[@RetroSteveUK]

Sister and I used to love those.

[@darranwigg3722]

Demon driver, I forgot about that game, brillant game, if only we had rechargable batteries back then.

[@PhilPurcellPT]

The rough conversion of these prices to todays money is 285% based on when I played with Little Professor. No wonder I had crappy toys as a kid, some of these are really expensive.

[@bensonmeier9808]

I like the Hornby Train Sets ad. The green engine reminds me of Henry from Thomas the Tank Engine.

[@candjim]

The Hurican Higgins Cue Ball game was brilliant because it also came with a bottle of vodka and a few lines of cocaine.

[@garethbramley1]

Not heard of any of these except the last two.😁 No sign of Bernard Cribbins - bring on the 70s!

[@Mindsmog]

so many memories

[@markszczepanski5293]

Demon driver I had one of those 😍

[@LFOVCF]

35 quid for a speech synthesised toy, that's amazing, even then!

[@adamcatlinmusic4321]

Is anyone else going straight to eBay after watching these videos?

[@RetroSteveUK]

Been there! 🤣

[@MrIrrepressible]

Haha I just saw mr pop by ideal in a toy shop today and had to buy it

[@RetroSteveUK]

I had a similar experience with Action Canyon a few years ago. It was only a tenner, boxed.

[@kerry1754]

I now times move on etc, but I think the beauty of these toys is in their unsophistication and the fact that they involve children playing together.

[@nathancox6249]

Some of these toys games were really expensive for their time

[@RetroSteveUK]

Yeah, I always remember certain toys and games were hopelessly out of reach because of the prices.

[@mistofoles]

Sounds like Ray "Mr Ben" Brookes on the stock car ad..

[@matthewhendy5785]

I had at least half of these toys as a kid in the 70s.

[@RetroSteveUK]

Jaws was always a great favourite in our household. We played with that for years.

[@matthewhendy5785]

@@RetroSteveUK I remember that- it had an elastic band in to snap the jaws shut.

[@mandynicholls3042]

Sketch a graph, that took me bk, I'm sure mine never worked lol

[@RetroSteveUK]

They were cheaper than I remember, too.

[@AtheistOrphan]

The 80’s ‘electronic’ Hornby ad is a bit pants compared with the classic Bernard Cribbins ‘Look! I’m Hornby size again!’

[@RetroSteveUK]

Yes, definitely. Hopefully I'll be able to fish those out at some point.

[@jasontaylor5580]

Some of the electronic games weren't cheap at the time!

[@lucaschapman2188]

Speak and spell.my cousins just used it to spell out swear words Lol!

[@MrAndroidData]

some of these were not electronic, just pop up mechanical games, but was fun to watch

[@RetroSteveUK]

Yeah, slightly ambiguous title. Electronic games ... and toys.

[@keithwaites9991]

I see in the TV ad for the 'Connect' game the boy beats the girl. That wouldn't happen now. Girl beats boy every time

[@RetroSteveUK]

As it should be. 😉

[@justinebourke9449]

You will never see a girl loose and a boy win these day.

[@RetroSteveUK]

As it should be! 🤣😉

[@jwb52z9]

Here's a quasi-interesting tidbit for everyone outside the US watching this video. Texas Instruments had to make a different label for most of the rest of the world than it did for the US because Americans don't say "Maths".

[@loushared6602]

I loved my Little Professor, I think that’s why I’m good at mental arithmetic today. Does anyone remember Bond tests at school (circa 1980s)

[@andrewmiller2226]

It’s surprising how expensive some of these are for the time

[@RetroSteveUK]

Yeah, a lot of these were the "big ticket" items you'd hope for as your main present at Christmas and birthdays.

[@reccerat4446]

I remember desperately wanted the “harrier jump jet” game where you launched it of a carrier, flew up a wire and you flew it back. I got it one Christmas, it was complete rubbish! Never forgot the let down!

[@RetroSteveUK]

I don't remember that one, but I guess I wasn't missing much by the sound of it! I do remember wanting a mechanical aeroplane game where you'd change the height of the plane as it spun round on an arm attached to a spindle in the middle.

[@reccerat4446]

@@RetroSteveUK hi, no you missed nothing mate! On the advert it had me dreaming of being a fighter jet pilot, in reality an elastic band “launched” a plane up a bit of string, it turned around and fell back down! My first of many letdowns in life, although I did end up flying helicopters for the British Army so got close to “Top Gun” status! Cheers.

[@fightersweep]

That was Airfix "Flight Deck" followed by "Super Flight Deck". I really wanted one too, but heard through the playground grapevine that it was a bit of a let down. The little aircraft included was a Royal Navy Phantom.

[@animaltvi]

The one I had was a phantom . And it took you longer to untangle the wire than it did to play it. .