Siege! The Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery Playsets of the 1980s (Dragonriders of the Styx)

In this episode of The Little Things, we lay siege to the wizard towers, deadly dungeons and fantasy fortresses on plastic terrain playmats throughout the 1980s as we look at the Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery Molded Plastic Figure Playsets of the time period. There were dozens of these sets available, as the boom in fantasy toys were reaching an all time high due to Masters of the Universe and Dungeons and Dragons. They were great toys on their own, but could be (and probably were) used as supplements to the D&D game. Playsets such as Dragonriders of the Styx, Forest of Doom, Fires of Shandarr, Tower of the Night and Castlelon by Dimensions for Children (DFC) as well as lesser known playsets by companies such as Arco, Fleetwood, Helm, and Marty just to name a few. They were everywhere and at many different price points, so many kids owned them in some form or another. So pick up your sword, gird your loins, and have fun sieging the castle as we take a look at many of these toy sets.
Thanks to:
Fantasy Toy Soldiers
2 Warps to Neptune
Plaid Stallions
Little Weirdos
Toys Soldier HQ
Music: Dungeons And Dragons by Alexander Nakarada | www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
creativecommons.org/licenses/...

[@ChrisQuirk-lo9gm]

I had three sets and lived them. My son now plays with them.

[@mightyfrosthammer]

In times to come, warriors will speak of the magnificence of this video. Thank you. Loved seeing the ARCO playsets!

[@thelittlethings3309]

...but that is another story. Thanks for watching!

[@jonahrains7483]

I owned one of the Arco castles and, stupidly, got rid of it at some point. Years later, I found and bought it again. Good memories.

[@knyght27]

"And in effigy, in the hands of the little ones" haha very clever

[@jonothanthrace1530]

Even for the 80s, these feel very retro.

[@thelittlethings3309]

Absolutely! They were bridging a gap between 80s toys and the older Marx type toys. The last hurrah of those big, complex playsets. I love the aesthetic, though.

[@Merlynn132]

Man,can you imagine finding one of those cardboard playsets that's basically untouched so you could scan the printing and make new ones on card stock? Be pretty awesome.

[@thelittlethings3309]

That's the spirit! I wish someone would do that. I would buy one.

[@Merlynn132]

@@thelittlethings3309 Well,first,you have to find one. Then you have to scan it. And you have to see if anyone owns the copyrights. Good luck with that. But a lot of old toys are available as 3D printer models so who knows?

[@asafoetidajones8181]

The owner of the fantasy toy soldiers blog is selling off his collection (or part of it?) On eBay, has been for a year or so now. Hr has literally hundreds of complete in box/bag of these playsets. They ain't cheap though

[@Merlynn132]

@@asafoetidajones8181 Which is why no one's bought 'em yet. They're basically built to be cheap. That's what made them fun.

[@wimvanderstraeten6521]

The interesting thing about sword and sorcery for creators is that it's firmly rooted in mythology and fairytales, stories that are in the public domain. Nobody can claim concepts like wizards or dragons.

[@thelittlethings3309]

True. And I love seeing the roots, origins and evolution of the fantasy and sword and sorcery stuff that we all love today. It is always interesting to see how it is all tied together through time. Thanks for the comment.

[@jakestaples8498]

Nice! I had the Tower of Night and Orc War play sets as a kid

[@thelittlethings3309]

I loved those playsets! The fantasy playset was everywhere during that time period, but often overlooked or not discussed. They had a ton of imagination and playability. Thanks for watching!

[@nathan_the_barbarian7974]

My older brother had one of those playlets which eventually became a hand me down but I don't remember which one now. And then one year for christmas I got a stocking full of a bunch of those figures. Held onto them for quite a while even used them for D&D settings when I got into playing when the 90s rolled around.

[@thelittlethings3309]

It seems that a lot of folks used those old playsets for D&D settings throughout the 1980s and well into the 1990s. Makes a lot of sense. It was a cheap and easy way to pad our those hordes too. My kids got a How to Train your Dragon and a True Legends version of this kind of playset back around 2015, so I guess this kind of thing is still being produced in some form or another. Makes me feel better knowing that they are still out there doing their thing. Thanks for watching!

[@pkmoutl]

My nephews discovered my Dragonriders of the Styx playset in my mom's basement (buried there for years), and it's now their favorite thing to play with when they are at grandma's house. "Where's the dragon? It shows a dragon on the box." "Uh, I have no idea. I haven't touched that thing since I was like 12." BLATANT LIE. The dragon from that set sits on my desk in my home office, like the prize that it truly is.

[@thelittlethings3309]

You did the right thing. They can't enjoy it on as many levels as you can 😉. I know this, if I still had that dragon, it would be on my desk right now too. Well, at least the next generation is getting quality time with some great toys. Raise 'em up right! Thanks for watching!

[@mattcorley9811]

22:27 more than a little Frazetta, that barbarian to the right side of the box is also lifted from him lol

[@thelittlethings3309]

😂. Yup. When it comes to Barbarians in the 1980s there will always be more than a little Frazetta, Crom bless 'em.

[@Sklabah]

Great stuff! I never had these, but I certainly came across most of them in my play-days. I wish I had the boxes now just for the art!

[@thelittlethings3309]

Yes! The box art is really one of the best things about this type of toy. I need a T-Shirt or Poster of the art from the Fantasy Fortress Playset. Gotta make that happen! Thanks for the comment.

[@crimsondragon1690]

Yeah! Sword & Sorcery is my jam. I never had any of these sets as a kid; low-income family and such. But hey, I make up for it today by owning a metric ton of D&D miniatures, terrains, and props.

[@thelittlethings3309]

That's right. Part of being an adult is getting the stuff we couldn't have when we were kids. Thanks for watching!

[@smithryansmith]

I had Dragonriders of the Styx. I was surprised to see it was 18.99 in that JC Penny catalogue which means my folks dropped a pretty penny on it (in 1980s dollars).

[@TheChadTI]

As soon as I heard the voice.../subbed 😂 Those Dragonriders playsets were awesome. Had most of them.

[@thelittlethings3309]

Thanks for watching!

[@ronfroehlich4697]

Sometimes I really wish it could be the early 80's again

[@thelittlethings3309]

It was a great time to be a kid. Thanks for watching.

[@satellachannel6423]

Thank you! Very informative and detailed.

[@thelittlethings3309]

Thank you! I love this stuff. It brings back a lot of great memories. Thanks for watching!

[@TabletopJason]

So many good things there. I had a few of those more obscure fantasy sets. Miss the 80s so much :)

[@TheChadTI]

I like the lower stakes of the Forest of Doom. Smaller module like playsets would have been great had the line continued.

[@thelittlethings3309]

I agree. I would like to see some group pick this stuff up and run with it in modern times. Thanks for the comment.

[@TheTempest1944]

A truly excellent and well researched dive into the time where Sword & Sorcery and Fantasy ruled the lands..! And the toy isles..! BRILLIANT video, my dear Sir..!

[@thelittlethings3309]

Thanks! I loved this stuff as a kid and I hope the video brought back some great memories.

[@MadisonCarter]

Nice video. I just sold off my remaining Warriors of the Galaxy stuff on ebay a few weeks ago, loved those guys as a kid. I still remember the convenience store I found them in way back when. They weren't sold carded though, at that point, they were offering 20 or so of the figurines (with weapons) in a clear bag with cardboard header, bargain-store style.

[@thelittlethings3309]

I used to love those cheap bags of figures when I was a kid. They were sold just about everywhere, in any kind of store. I also remember also getting those as prizes at carnivals and fairs as a kid too. They were cheap and not well made, but I thought they were great. I still do. Thanks for watching!

[@Johnalucard-jo3yi]

I've got that castle set.first one.

[@thelittlethings3309]

One of the best. Is it still in good shape? It seems like it would be hard to keep it in a decent condition. Thanks for watching!

[@elcowabungahe-man6156]

Great video just recently i purchased a Gargoyles board game that comes with small scale figures a 3d version of New York just subscribe excellent video

[@thelittlethings3309]

A Gargoyles board game! That sounds great! I am going to look that one up right now. Thanks for watching!

[@nathan_the_barbarian7974]

Also @21:54 that skull head at the top of the mountain really reminded me of a certain aesthetic from some castle playset that was I guess kind of popular around the 80's. If only I can remember what it was called...🤔😉

[@thelittlethings3309]

Man, did Castle Grayskull show up again and again or what? Or at least homages to it. Seems like nearly every tower, castle, mountain, etc. had to have a skull effigy on it in the 1980s. Thanks for the comment!

[@dannycruz5446]

Was totally expecting to see crossbows and catapults (and their clones) but I guess it's not quite the same as these playsets.

[@thelittlethings3309]

That's a good one. No, it is not quite the same in my mind as it was considered more of a Table Top game, BUT certainly it could have been included. And it was pretty fun. It was a little bit playset and a little bit game. Also, I am trying to keep the time down on these videos. They keep getting longer and longer. 😩 There were several sets that I wanted to include, but decided that they fell more into the game territory. I will add Crossbows and Catapults to that list. I guess I am just going to have to make a video on the table top games too. Thanks for the comment!

[@mattcorley9811]

I always wanted those Dimensions for Children playsets, but never got them. I blame the satanic panic and bad publicity of D&D. My mom refused to let me have anything with a dragon, sorcery, or dungeon in the name of it lol.

[@thelittlethings3309]

Yeah. My parents were pretty good about that stuff, probably due to being "unaware" more than anything, but I had several friends who had varying degrees of toy restrictions that included D&D toys, or He-Man, or even Smurfs! Darn those dark sorceries!

[@nix-cipher]

The vacuformed plastic used to create terrain was straight garbage and was very thin.

[@thelittlethings3309]

True dat. The stuff tore like tissue paper, and if it didn't tear, it crumbled under the slightest pressure. That is why these things are rare. They survivors are like delicate Faberge Eggs, but worth so much more. That, and the intrinsic value of the art itself. Tre magnifique.

[@3Storms]

Ironlords were cool, but since they were basically "grocery store rack toys," they're somewhat hard to find now. Plus I know it's later, but 1991's Heroscape board game was awesome. I never liked it when there were no female characters because even when I was a kid I thought that having nothing but dudes is...well....that word is bannable.

[@thelittlethings3309]

Those fantasy "board" (maybe tabletop) games were great and there was a real renaissance of them in the early 1990s. That was another great era for this kind of stuff with a feel and style all its own too. Just gotta appreciate the stuff in reflection of the time period it came out in. Thanks for watching!

[@DJR641]

Im glad that the satanic panic is over. Even if i wasnt in that timeline, which i wasn't. That moral panic was absolute garbage! 🗑️

[@charlesyoung8214]

Why are you always bringing up lotr????? Kinda lame.

[@thelittlethings3309]

I get 5 cents for each reference. Peter Jackson himself delivers the money to my house personally and thanks me. He says that I am single handedly keeping the memory of LOTR alive. He is going to present me with a medal next Tuesday at the Tolkien estate, and parade me around town dressed as an Ent. Of course you are invited. See you there!