My connection to this line of toys is different than most, I'll preface by saying my dad sold toys in the 1970s. He had contracts with some major chains to provide them with a toy aisle, the majority of these items were closeouts and "rack toys" from Imperial and AHI, above is one of his original display signs. The company for a while was actually called "Toy Rack".
NO BABY SITTER FOR US
My folks being self employed meant a lot of weekends and evenings tagging along with Dad as he stocked stores or went on buying trips, I can probably trace some of my obessions to those times. One Saturday morning we cruised up to a distributor called "P.K. Douglass" who were pretty big in the novelty wholesale business at the time. My dad turned to me and said "If you see anything you like, let me know". I'm five years old and to the best of my knowledge am going to a toy store, it was pretty exciting.
As I recall the showroom was in an industrial mall, concrete floors, the people working there sat in folding chairs and the items were placed on large tables and tagged. It looked almost exactly like modern day toy show. While peering through the myriad of squirt guns and inflatable toys I spied it:
It was an action figure of Frankenstein and it looked just like my Superheroes, I lost my marbles and raced to my dad and pointed him out, my mum ushered us out and my Dad did some paperwork with the owners and left, emptyhanded. I posed the question "why didn't you buy anything" and my mum (who remembers this day better than me, bless her) explained the whole idea of samples and placing orders which I remember not understanding.
BOX AHOY
One day my dad came home for lunch and said "Your monster dolls arrived", I was able to visit his warehouse and open the case myself, Dad had ordered a gross of the figures, the master case was huge. What I didn't know until I got them was, there more in the series. I was in love the minute I opened the case:
That fall the "Monster Squad" TV show would premier (another thing I am totally obsessed with) and the Lincoln Monsters would come to act out their adventures, they not only took over Big Jim's van but G.I. Joe's Capture Copter as well. I played with them for years, replacing broken ones with Dad's diminishing stock (Dracula became rare in my house)
Sadly my childhood friends just disappeared one night, mostly likely the victim of Mom, creator of all toy collectors. Gone but not forgotten I've been on a quest these many years to put together a collection of them and spread the toy love across the interwebs. I've had some setbacks and heartbreak but I've also had some wonderful experiences and genuine acts of human kindness along the way. I'm happy to finally get this tribute site to where I want it and i hope you enjoy it. Got photos? Got Lincoln Stories from Childhood? Got Stuff to sell? Drop me a line
Thanks
Brian
