1979 AHI Pool Toys Catalog- KISS! Mr. Spock! Marvel Comics!

AHI (Azrak-Hamway International) is largely famous for creating some incredible licensed rack toys and action figure in the 1960s to the 1980s. However, they also had a thriving business in the inflatable pool toys category. while the offerings were largely generic, AHI occasionally brought over some of their better licenses from Rack Toys. The 1979 inflatables catalog has an interesting mix of items from KISS, Marvel Comics and Star Trek.

The first page showcases a Gene Simmons KISS beachball. This is something I have never seen before and well I can’t seem to find any evidence of it on the interwebs.

 

I am getting a real Marvel Comics vibe off that art but I’m no expert, I’m sure someone will tell me where it’s from.

AHI also offered two KISS swim rings featuring some interesting sketches of StarChild, SpaceAce, the Cat and the Demon. 

I’m going to go out on a limb and say these probably never say production, but like a lot of things, it just may have had a minor release somewhere. 

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What Superhero do kids want in the pool? You guessed it, Spider-Man because he……. swam that one time? I’m really not sure why Aquaman never factors in here, but AHI was pretty happy with Spider-Man and Hulk. As the note suggests below, kids were eating this up.

 

 

Lastly, we’ve got battery-operated Batboats and licensed Bop Bags. The Mr. Spock bop bag differed from the one AHI offered the toy trade, it came in a baggy instead of a box. We covered these in issues 1 and 2 of Toy-Ventures magazine.

 

Can I just say that I love this Fantastic Four Bop Bag? It was also offered in the 1979 AHI Rack Toy Catalog but again, I’ve never seen one.

 

 

Here is the much rarer 50″ tall “Pool Spock Bop Bag” courtesy of Corey LeChat. 

 

Issue #13 of Toy-Ventures Magazine will feature the never-before-seen plans for the 1983 World’s Greatest Superheroes toy line and a cover featuring artwork specially commissioned for Mego’s catalogue, gloriously coloured by Robyn Adams, founder of the Mego Museum.

 

 

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AHI, Rack Toys, Inflatable toys, Pool toys, bop bags, beach balls, 1979, Azrak Hamway International, KISS, Star Trek, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, Snorkels, Gene Simmons, swim rings, Batman, Batboat, plaidstallions