I’m still going through photos from ZoloCon earlier this month, and I missed talking about a few items. I just remembered why I took so many photos of this at my friend Mark Huckabone’s booth.

The Tri-Star M*A*S*H toyline came onto the scene when I was pretty into the GI Joe RAH toy line, thanks to that wonderful comic. I’m a notorious cherry picker of action figure lines as a kid; I only had Crystar himself, one Muppet Show (Gonzo), and….. Hawkeye Pierce. I watched M*A*S*H episodes back-to-back every day on the little black-and-white TV in my bedroom as a kid (on City TV channel 79).

I can’t say the toy line impressed me at that age. I remember friends taking me to see the “Klinger in a dress” figure in the toy department. We were old enough to wonder why a toy company would even do that. Klinger no longer did that on the show since the 1970s. It was our first taste of ironic humour; these figures almost reached “Love Boat” levels of mockery with my friends on mall trips (WHERE WE WENT BY OURSELVES BTW!)

But I caved and bought a Hawkeye. I thought it would work, but at that age, I don’t know if I was playing so much or acting out the comics. Also, I was 12 and impulsive.

It didn’t work; his grimace ruined every “Scene” in my head. He even looked elated when Cobra killed him. I vowed never to buy any more Mash figures; I had “buyer’s remorse.”

However, the Vehicles looked cool as hell, and I always wanted the MASH Helicopter as a toy, dating back to an early memory. However, I couldn’t abide their “Generic 4077 Soldier Man,” who was not only just Hawkeye again but also a mustard-blonde, no-eyebrows man.

It pained me that the entire M*A*S*H cast, even a simple background soldier, had to be smiling as if the Joker had just visited the 4077 and put Smylex in Hawkeye’s still.

I could live with myself with having one chuckling character, but I was not letting this grinning homunculus into my home.

It’s a silly thing to me now, and honestly, even when I saw that helicopter on closeout, it didn’t matter because there was this new toy line called “Dungeons and Dragons” that, despite my never successfully having ever played the game, was my last childhood toy line. It was perfect for a middle school kid.

#mash #plaidstallions #toyventures

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The Lincoln Monsters Backer Kit Store is now open to the public. After the successful Kickstarter campaign (Thank You Again!), BackerKit is the next chance to get in on the Lincoln Horror Show.

The Lincoln Monsters Backer Kit Store is now open to the public.

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

The Blood-A-Rama Shock Festival Pack

MASH, M*A*S*H, Tri-Star, O-ring figures, GI Joe, 1983, RAH, Toy-ventures, Mark Huckabone, Plaidstallions, Zolocon, action figures, Love Boat, Mego, Alan Alda, Hawkeye Pierce,

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As shown in our recent Toy-Ventures Video, the 1983 Consumer’s Distributing Toy Catalog is from an era where the Canadian retailer was truly one of the biggest retailers of toys in the country, not only through their stores but by creating “Toy City” which were superstores in major Canadian cities.

The following pages are a total time capsule to a wonderful era of toys, enjoy.

Consumers Distributing 1983 Toy Flyer

Cabbage Patch Kids were the hot toy of 1983, oh the carnage….

GI Joe’s second year was particularly awesome and sort of my swan song of toys at the time.

I personally love the Arco Other World toys. Sure, it’s a MOTU KO, but it’s so different and weird. The Machine Man racers would eventually become Go-Bots…

Return of the Jedi was the big hit of the summer but Consumers was having trouble selling Kenner’s Micro Playsets from the years earlier. Such an underrated toy line. I love it. The Mego Dukes of Hazzard were still available despite Mego going bankrupt, that’s because Canada’s Grand Toys made a special trip to Hong Kong to restart Lion Rock because of this Consumers listing and other purchase orders.

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I had completely forgotten that Team America was sold in Canada, I did read (and enjoy at the time) the Marvel Comic book, which hasn’t aged super good.

My friends sister at the time was Strawberry Shortcake obsessed, I know everyone’s names to this day.

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I really dig Grover swiping his pose from Burt Reynolds like that.

The Fisher Price circus train sure had some long legs.

I laid this very site out on a Texas Instruments computer.

I remember wanting those Coleco mini arcade games but dang, they were pricey!

There is a Mattel Wayne Gretsky doll at EVERY antique mall in Canada, they’re right next to the Bob and Doug McKenzie record and the “Blue Jays World Series” newspapers. It’s Canadian law put into place by Stephen Harper.

My 7th grade teacher made us play IQ 2000 like almost every day. She was a terrible teacher.

Consumers Distributing,Canadian Stores,Toy City,1983,toy catalogue,GI Joe,Masters of the Universe,He-Man,Team America,Kenner Star Wars,Dukes of Hazzard, Mego, Hot Wheels,Barbie,Space Lego,Hasbro,Destro,80s toys,Strawberry Shortcake,Sesame Street,Catalogue Stores,Consumers Distributing Catalogues, Cabbage Patch Kids, Space Lego,Fisher Price toys, Little People, Atari 2600, Texas Instruments, Coleco, Nintendo, Wayne Gretsky,

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.

The Blood-A-Rama Shock Festival Pack

Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying to bring back print toy magazines; if you would like to support us, please check out the latest issue: https://plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

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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Check out ‪@Retrontario‬ for more on Consumer’s Distributing.

#80stoys #toyventures #gijoe
 

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.

The Blood-A-Rama Shock Festival Pack

Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying to bring back print toy magazines; if you would like to support us, please check out the latest issue: https://plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

Toy-Ventures Issue 12- Stretch Monster

Click Here for past installments of 5 Awesome Things on eBay this week

Join our weekly newsletter.

The Super Collector Newsletter combines all the news from Mego Museum and Plaid Stallions and a lot of other fun stuff across the Interwebs. It’s got customs, new action figures, vintage finds and a lot of pop culture. Sign Up Here!

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!

Facebook Groups we enjoy

The official FB group for PlaidStallions, come for the conversation, stay for the chill vibe. Remember, you keep the glass

. 

The post Toy-Ventures: 1983 Consumer’s Distributing Toy Catalog! appeared first on PS.

Horrible Rubber Masks

ShockTober: Horrible Rubber Masks

Today’s ShockTober subject is this beautiful Hong Kong Trade ad from 1983 for the Mei Bong Latex Co. I’m positive the company didn’t want to suggest their product was Horrible but likely meant “Horrifying,” but well, here we are.

I also need to track down that green Dracula mask, as it’s the spitting image of the Lincoln Monster Dracula.

#plaidstallions #shocktober #halloween

The Lincoln Monsters arrive this month!

The Blood-A-Rama Shock Festival Pack

Toy-Ventures is our magazine; we’re an independent publisher trying to bring back print toy magazines; if you would like to support us, please check out the latest issue: https://plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

Toy-Ventures Issue 12- Stretch Monster

Click Here for past installments of 5 Awesome Things on eBay this week

Join our weekly newsletter.

The Super Collector Newsletter combines all the news from Mego Museum and Plaid Stallions and a lot of other fun stuff across the Interwebs. It’s got customs, new action figures, vintage finds and a lot of pop culture. Sign Up Here!

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! 5 Awesome

Facebook Groups we enjoy

The official FB group for PlaidStallions, come for the conversation, stay for the chill vibe. Remember, you keep the glass

. 

The post ShockTober: Horrible Rubber Masks appeared first on PS.

Despite being kicked out of my sole D&D game when I was 12 (I didn’t really “get” role playing and decided to be an ass) I really dug these toys and bought much of the first wave of figures.

Like I mentioned in the opening, D&D was a big coup for a toy company to get in 1983 and this line should have been a bigger hit.

The first wave of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons figures, the Kelek figure was later changed. There was a nice mix of cloth and plastic here and I remember being happy to see Strongheart on the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon!

A good steed is essential to all fantasy toylines..

I remember these giftsets well, I drew the line at them, to me they were toys but the figures were um… collectible figurines, yeah that’s probably how I justified it to myself.

I searched for Northlord forever as a kid, never found him, not even sure he made it to Canada.

Hook Horror was another character that I searched for, I hit every store in my town that sold toys (4) and I can safely say it never made it to retail in my area..

These miniature figures were something I grabbed every single one of, they were cheaply priced and I couldn’t paint metal miniatures to save my life. I didn’t do anything with them however…

Easily one of the most inspired-looking playsets of the 1980s..

GET Issue 3 of Toy-Ventures here!

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Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s dimestore goodness, we talk vintage toys, not others!

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There are NINE PAGES of Annie merchandise in the 1983 Sears catalog. More than any of the other themes like Smurfs or Strawberry Shortcake and exactly nine pages more than “Wrath of Khan” which was more successful at the box office.


Not being a young girl at the time (or any time for that matter) I have no idea if “Annie-Mania” swept through households the way Sears was hoping. Anybody have a bedroom like this?

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