I mean, the only thing missing from this is macrame and a fresh pot of Chicory brewing.

However, the more curious thing is the selection of toys for a 1978 catalog, a weird mix of stuff from 1977 and years earlier and a couple of glaring omissions.

The top toys here would be Pulsar and Electroman, and Zogg; both toys debuted in 1977 and were actively available so it’s no surprise to see them. The lack of Pulsar’s nemesis Hypnos is a bit strange but not the strangest thing in this toy catalog.

Six Million Dollar Man was kind of a fixture in toy catalogs even in it’s last year so that’s not surprising, Shindana’s Dr. J was also fairly current but Mego’s Muhammad Ali toys came out in 1976 and were discontinued by 1978.

Mego Micronauts were a hot toy in 1978, so it’s no surprise to see Biotron, although it’s weird he’s all alone. The Mattel Welcome Back Kotter series is another line that was discontinued by then. This deluxe classroom was likely a way of closing out unsold figures.

Both Evel Knievel and Fonzie were available but were in the last years of production. Most of these toys made their debut 2-4 years previously.

Finally, we have Stretch Monster (1977) and Stretch Armstrong (1976) which were staples of this kind of Service Merchandise/Consumers Distributing type store.

What’s interesting about this catalogue is what isn’t there, no Kenner Star Wars, No Mego Superheroes, No Mego KISS, Kenner Bionic Woman. It’s weird.

If you had a Monroe store in your area, please let me know what kind of store it was. Was it a closeout store? I need closure on this weird toy catalog.

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weird toy catalog

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Up your nose with a rubber hose! Toy-Ventures looks at the 1970s phenom that was the Sweathogs with this special look at the Mattel Welcome Back Kotter action figure line. Did kids want sitcom figures? Was Epstein faking those notes from his mother?

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The post Toy-Ventures: Welcome Back Kotter Toys appeared first on PS.

The popularity of the sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter” inspired all kinds of merchandising including these 9″ figures from Mattel, the line was a bit of a flop, and carded figures can still be affordably priced today (especially the Horshak!)

The Sweathogs classroom playset included a record of catchphrases from the show, which I thought were hilarious in 1976. The Sweathog bike is a recycled Big Jim Motor Cross, you’d see Big Jim stuff reused up until the mid-eighties!

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