Author Posts

Happy Rack Toys Day!

  Happy 9th birthday to my book, Rack Toys: Cheap Crazed Playthings, unleashed onto an unsuspecting world in 2012 after nearly two years of hard work. I think it’s funny that my newest book Knock-Offs is currently in the final stages of production. Knock-Offs was initially supposed to follow up Rack Toys in 2014, but […]

Knock-Offs Book Pre-Orders Open

  Hey folks, I’m happy to say that I’m putting the final touches on Knock-Offs after spending the last 24 hours with this glorious press proof. This book and the new printer I’m using have totally exceeded my expectations, I seriously am overjoyed with how things are shaping up. This book is an explosion of […]

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week- Dec 10

Martin Landau’s collection of Space:1999 toys– OK, I don’t what kind of pedigree you need but these are Martin Freaking Landau’s collection of Space:1999 toys. I have a book from Landau’s collection and it’s something I will always keep. I can’t tell you how cool it would be to own Commander Koenig’s Eagles but you […]

Pod Stallions 97: Bill Murray

Pod Stallions 97: Bill Murray There are some things we here at PS HQ feel have been constants throughout our lives, and we’ve decided to celebrate a Hall of Famer for our first December ep: Bill Murray. From Nick the Lounge Singer to Carl Spackler, from Winger to Venkman, Frank Cross and everything in between. […]

HG Toys Toy Fair Ad for 1983- MOTU-Smurfs-Eagle Force

Loving this 1983 Toy Fair Trade Advertisement for HG Toys, one of the more unsung toy companies of the 1970s and 80s. This is mainly because HG Toys made a lot of toys using other people’s brands as this page shows, they’ve got toys for Mattel’s Masters of the Universe, Coleco’s Cabbage Patch Kids and […]

Knock-Offs Book sneak preview 5 :Toyfoolery

Chapter Five is entitled “Toyfoolery” and is all about counterfeit Toy properties trying to trick us into spending our pocket money. Expect pages of Sad Skeletors, Bizarre-looking G.I. Joes, bogus ninja turtles and a surprising amount of toys copying unsuccessful toy lines. Chapter 5 is super silly and I hope it brings a smile to […]

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week- Dec 3 2021

Remco Batman Trik Trak- Remco made some pretty obscure toys, and Trik-Trak is one. Trik-Trak is a road race/obstacle set (battery operated) featuring a Batmobile, and it’s got some gorgeous Batman artwork all through it. Also, that’s the 1966 Batmobile which was the “go-to” in merchandising until Lawyers ruined it for a couple of decades.  […]

Toy-Ventures: Kojak Toys

Toy-Ventures: Kojak Toys Who loves you, baby? Toy-Ventures this week looks at all the toys based on the TV show Kojak. Exactly why was there so much merchandise based on a tv show about a middle-aged detective that dealt with pimps? We get into that and talk about Power Records, Corgi toys and of course, […]

5 Awesome Things on eBay this Black Friday

  Popy Gorenger Challenge Machine (eBay Link)  Popy scooped up the rights to Evel Knievel in the 1970s and decided to give him some friends. Popy released Evel, Kamen Rider and this dude Gorenger and well, they’re pretty darn amazing toys. This very set was featured in Issue 3 of Toy-Ventures magazine. Space:1999 Promotional Booklet […]