Gabriel Smokey Bear Jeep

Like most people, I thought it was “Smokey THE Bear” but this wonderful shot from the 1978 Gabriel Toys catalogue is loudly disagreeing with me. There is only one logical answer, I’m in the wrong universe.

#SmokeyBear

More Gabriel toys here!

The Lincoln Monsters are here!

The Blood-A-Rama Shock Festival Pack

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Toy-Ventures Issue 12- Stretch Monster

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We co-produced this amazing action figure with White Elephant Toyz; it’s an 8″ Mego Style Officially Licensed Tura Satana figure with a beautiful box by Joeseph Linsner! Get yours while supplies last.

Knock Offs; Totally Unauthorized Action Figures the book

Knock-Offs Totally Unauthorized Action figures is from the demented mind that brought you “Rack Toys: Cheap, Crazed Playthings” and features hundreds of hilarious, charming, copyright infringing toys. Get a signed copy in our shop!

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Smokey Bear, Smokey the Bear, Plaid Stallions, Gabriel Toys,

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Baywatch Rack Toy (eBay Link) -‘

I post this not as a Baywatch fan (never seen one) but as a Rack Toy enthusiast. I know Baywatch played during the day a lot, but I think it was more popular with teen boys than kids. What warms my heart is that it’s essentially a ray gun, just like the one the Hoff used!

Smokey Bear Bed Sheets (eBay Link) –

There has been a lot of mention of Smokey Bear recently, especially where I live. I still can’t get over that it was never “Smokey the Bear.” why do so many misremembered things involve bears?

Durham’s Ranger Action Figure (eBay Link) –

We published a piece about these in Toy-Ventures magazine a while back. They’re a series of crude action figures sold at discount stores, and the range is quite extensive. Also, the toys are just weird and cheap but with wonderful card art. This seller has a bunch of these figures for a super reasonable price. So if you want to scratch a vintage toy itch, here it is.

1978 Marvel Comics Pez Display (eBay Link) –

I know we did Pez last week but this showed up and whisked me to the deli in the Oshawa center. Damn, I liked it there. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve seen one of these since, and I just adore its design.

Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan FASA miniatures (eBay Link) –

I remember seeing these in the official Star Trek 2 Magazine Starlog did. Initially, my 11 year old brain assumed that they were action figures. I wanted to order all of them but I’m glad I didn’t. Still whenever I see these, I think of that moment in time.

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Toy-Ventures Issue 10

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Do you miss reading print toy collector magazines?

That’s why we created Toy-Ventures magazine, an old-school print publication dedicated to vintage toys from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each issue is packed with never before seen images and information written by some of the top collectors. We’ve got nine issues and climbing; please check our page here or visit our store.

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Our latest book is “Knock-Offs: Totally Unauthorized Action Figures” a love letter to cheeky copyright-infringing toys. You can get this new book via the PlaidStallions Shop, On Amazon (Affiliate Link) or eBay (eBay Link)

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Pod Stallions is based on our podcast and is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs, and remember, folks, you keep the glass! If you like our show, then you have found your tribe.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs and bootleg action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman.  It’s a fun group where we talk about Lincoln Monsters, AHI, Mighty Gary, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Mortoys, and other generic greats.

#Mego #toyventures #toymagazine

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Larami was well known for some of my favourite Rack Toy output in the 1970s and 80s. However, the one thing that I am mildly obsessed with for their oddity is the so-called “Super Heroes Skates.” They’re cheap roller skates shaped like Super Heroes or are they Super Heroes shaped like Roller Skates? They all look chubby and as if they’re being held against their will. Wonder Woman especially looks non-plussed. Sure you can make these but did anyone ask why? 

The Super Heroes Skates must have sold well as Larami carried them for about 3 years.

As a kid, I tried a pair of cheap skates like this and got my knee skinned after meeting my first pebble. I still look at these things and feel that.

Our long running Pod Cast, Pod Stallions is now available on Spotify.

The PlaidStallions Polyester Pals have arrived and come in green and orange. Be the first kid in the sandbox with our Podcast mascots!

Do you miss toy collector magazines?

That’s why we created Toy-Ventures magazine, an old-school print publication dedicated to vintage toys from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each issue is packed with never before seen images and information written by some of the top collectors. We’ve got 7 issues and climbing; please check our page here or visit our store.

Our latest book is “Knock-Offs: Totally Unauthorized Action Figures” a love letter to cheeky copyright-infringing toys. You can get this new book via the PlaidStallions Shop, On Amazon (Affiliate Link) or eBay (eBay Link)

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is based on our podcast and is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs and remember folks, you keep the glass! If you like our show, then you have found your tribe.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs and bootleg action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman.  It’s a fun group where we talk about Lincoln International, AHI, Mighty Gary, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Mortoys, and other generic greats.

#larami #superheroes #racktoys

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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.

Do you miss toy collector magazines?

That’s why we created Toy-Ventures magazine, an old-school print publication dedicated to vintage toys from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each issue is packed with never before seen images and information written by some of the top collectors. We’ve got 7 issues and climbing; please check our page here or visit our store.

Our newest book “Knock-Offs: Totally, Unauthorized Action Figures,” is now available. It’s 130 pages of bootleg goodness.
You can get this new book via the PlaidStallions Shop , On Amazon (Affiliate Link) or on eBay (eBay Link)

Our book Rack Toys, Cheap, Crazed Playthings is now available again! Order through our Affiliate Link

Order Rack Toys 2.0 Here through our Affiliate Link►https://amzn.to/3Bkm9z1

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is based on our podcast and is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs and remember, you keep the glass! If you like our show, then you have found your tribe.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs and bootleg action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman.  It’s a fun group where we talk about Lincoln International, AHI, Mighty Gary, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Mortoys, and other generic greats.

weird toy catalog

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The book opens on the planet Ultima and the emperor wishing to help a neighbouring planet which is suffering from famine. 

He wants to send treasure and we get several pages of the treasure, this is standard colouring book filler. T

hings go awry while transporting the treasure and the ship is attacked by the aforementioned Space Pirates. 

I know I’m a grown man but this is how I still picture space pirates to this day, hat, eye patch, and swords. This book loses points for the lack of a robot parrot.

Great MAzinga has been watching this on his “Space screen” and comes to the rescue, note that he is the same size as the ship.

A great battle ensues, resulting the pirate ship being blown up but special attention is given to note that the pirates weren’t harmed. They float around in space shooting at Mazinga with a laser blunderbuss (Yes!) and a cannon.

Losing the battle, the pirates visit a giant spider, who makes a web between planets, note that he is as big as a planet here or don’t because it doesn’t seem to matter.

Mazinger becomes trapped and the pirates steal his brain, which renders him helpless. I don’t know much about Mazinger so i don’t know if that’s correct or not. Pretty sure the Shogun Warriors had pilots but in these books, they’re sentient robot characters. 

Now Great Mazinger is about to get eaten by the Giant Spider.

Shameless plug: I also produced some action figures, they are available on Ebay thank you.

Meanwhile, the brain is not co-operating with the pirates and makes several escape attempts, I’m not sure where these guys are, didn’t their ship explode? Anyhoo, it manages to escape their safe and reunite with it’s body.

Mazinga threatens the Spider to make another web to trap the space pirates and the book reaches a wonderful non-violent conclusion. Mazinger is far more gentle than Dragun who commits genocide in his book.

The pirates are jailed and Mazinger is now 5′ 10″, as fun as this is, 8 year old me would have been perturbed this wasn’t like the Marvel comic, i was kind of an uptight kid. Now, I just find it brilliantly childlike and charming.

Next Week: Fantastic Four Vs the Witch! 

Previously reviewed Colouring Books

New Six Million Dollar Man Shirt in our Redbubble store!

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Get the expanded digital edition of Rack Toys here.

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The undisputed king of the “Rack Toy” in the 1970s was Azrak-Hamway International or “AHI” for short.


They were riding high with past hits like Batman, Spider-Man, Star Trek, Space 1999 but 1978 saw them add James Bond 007, Farrah Fawcette, Donnie and Marie, the Walt Disney characters and their answer to Star Wars, Star Fleet!

It’s a real blast down the pharmacy toy aisle, check it out here:
1978 Azrak Hamway Toy Catalog on PlaidStallions.

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