This is an ad for Hong Kong toy maker FairToy International. FairToy International makes various dolls, including one that strongly resembles Barter Toys  Dynaman. Dynaman is one of the more prolific (and fuzziest) GI Joe Knockoffs and ran under different names. He also made history by being the basis for the “Gay Bob” doll in 1977.

Fairland packaged the toy line to order from foreign distributors, as evidenced by the array of names on the various accessory packs. Another name would be “Johnny Strong” or even “Bruce.”  It might seem strange to see a company selling such products in 1983 but 12″ figure ranges like this had longer legs outside North America. 

Fairland also had their own Big Jim Knock Off, who had a popular Western Line in Europe for many years. These 10″ figures are simply called “West” and, according to my pal Steve Moore, are very cheaply made. I’ve seen that boxed horse a bunch of times, so this stuff hit our shores.

 Of course, they had their own Barbie Clone in Christina. Many of those outfits (especially the Western gear) look like straight-up copies of what Mattel was doing at the time. 

FairlandToy also created Adventure Man, a 2000s Knock Off of GI Joe that sold quite well. 

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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

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Space Apes! Star Warriors! Galaxy Maidens!

Toy-Ventures returns with a long-overdue look at recent knock-off action figure pickups based on Mego Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Moon McDare, and numerous space vixens.
#Mego #startrek #knockoffs

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

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Lincoln Monsters, White elephant toyz, mego, rack toys, lincoln international, Frankenstein, Dracula, Chris Franklin, Monster toys, Tomland, horror toys, retro monsters, Plaidstallions, Absolutely retro, famous monsters, monster bash, 70s toys, mego knock offs, megolike, Monster dolls, AHI, new toys, gothic horror, werewolves, wolf man, drive in horror,

The post Toy-Ventures: Invasion of the Space Knock-Offs appeared first on PS.

Dr Steel Mexican Big JIm Cipsa

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Mexican Dr Steel in box (sponsored link)

I recently found my Big Jim grails and of course, something really cool comes along. Dr. Steel was a bad guy in Mexico and he lead a crew of baddies that included an alien. Things got crazy and wonderful. I wish I had the disposable income to justify this but I don’t, It sure is purty though. Well, as purty as Dr. Steel can get, he’s pretty tough.

Mecha Godzilla Model Kit – 5 Awesome Things on eBay this week

Mecha Godzilla Model Kit (sponsored link) 

This thing i a very happy memory, I ordered it in the ninth grade after seeing an ad in Starlog (the 80s  nerd internet) and I loved it. Godilla stuff was tough when I was a kid so being a teen with disposable income opened the floodgates, which, seeing as I’m going to SDCC have never closed. 

King Kong kid’s t shirt (eBay Sponsored Link) —

Man, I did not see this Kong until I was an adult but being a kid when this came out sure had an effect on me. I see this image and just think “Coooool!” and I’m actually not a big fan of the film itself.

PS I went on the Universal Kong ride for the majority of the day in 1991. It was a rainy Tuesday and I felt like the Omega Man. It was magical save for Jaws being broken.

Terminator Knock-Off (sponsored link) —

“Come mitt me if you want to leave.” This is not only a Terminator Knock-Off, but if you squint, it’s Lorenzo Lamas as “Renegade!” So it’s two things that are equally relevant!

Action Man Cassette tape Adventure (sponsored link) —

So I stumbled upon this and fell in love, I really need to see if anybody put this on YouTube. I grew up with the Peter Pan GI Joe records (ah-mazing) and finding out the story continued in the 1980s? With British Accents? Colour me there!

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

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

.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters is a group created to discuss bootleg toys and customs. Totally chill vibe for fans of Tomland, Lincoln International, Mego and AHI. It’s a super fun group, join Mego-KO-HQ!

Check out the PlaidStallions store for Toy-Ventures magazine, Tura Satana and much more:

www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

Join the fun at Mego Knock Off Headquarters, 1800 members and climbing:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Megoknockoff

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Kenner Star Wars Taunton Commercial (eBay Link) —

I collect vintage commercial reels, to me, it’s like owning a little bit of the history. To others, it’s a white box with a film strip inside, so I see both sides of this. I’m not big on Star Wars but this commercial makes me feel nine again.

Action Man Annual (eBay Link) —

These showed up at Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Canada, and I remember it blowing my mind. As a Canadian, I hadn’t seen 12″ GI Joes since 1976 and here was a book loudly proclaiming, “England still has 12″ GI Joes!” It made me wonder what else I was missing toy wise.

El Chapulín Colorado Lunchbox (eBay Link) —

If you saw Blue Beetle, you might recognize this guy from his cameo. I’ve never actually watched this Mexican comedy Superhero series but one of my toy collector mentors when i was a teen had this and loved telling the story about it. Stories were what got me into collecting, and this one was so fun.

Voice of the Mummy boardgame (eBay Link) –

My family collects and often gets together to play weird board games, and this one is something I’ve been trying to track down for years. It has everything I like, Monsters and a weird gimmick. I wish I could find one locally for less than 200 bucks. The trouble with board game collecting is often the shipping.

Mysterious Dr. Satan 16mm film (eBay Link)—

Thanks to TVO’s “Magic Shadows” program and its host, the late Elwy Yoast, I am a Gen-X kid with a better-than-average knowledge of Republic Serials. I’ve seen a ton of these, and I liked “Mysterious Doctor Satan,” which has a made-up superhero called “Copperhead” (a fill-in for Superman when the rights expired!). It revolves around a mad scientist bent on world domination, and you’d better believe he has a robot. Republic used this robot a few times in production, so we should probably give him a name. Oddly enough, this serial was remade in Turkey in the 1970s and I still can’t find a copy. 

Previous installments of 5 Awesome Things on eBay this week.

Lincoln Monsters Return from the Crypt in our latest Collaboration with Absolutely Retro and White Elephant Toz.

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!

Toy-Ventures Magazine Issue 11 is here!

Do you miss print toy magazines? I sure did; that’s why I created Toy Ventures. A full-colour print magazine that celebrates toys from the 1960s to the 1980s. It features collector guides, interviews and even some satire. We’re on issue 10 now but still have a limited supply of our back issues; please visit our Shop for more information.

Get the Official Tura Satana Action Figure

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.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters is a group created to discuss bootleg toys and customs. Totally chill vibe for fans of Tomland, Lincoln International, Mego and AHI. It’s a super fun group, join Mego-KO-HQ!

Check out the PlaidStallions store for Toy-Ventures magazine, Tura Satana and much more:
www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

Join the fun at Mego Knock Off Headquarters, 1800 members and climbing:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Megoknockoff

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5 Awesome Things on eBay this week, 5 Awesome, five Awesome eBay, 5 Awesome eBay, Republic Serials, Magic Shadows, voice of the mummy, lunchboxes, Action Man, Star Wars, Kenner, Empire Strikes back, vintage toy commercials, El Chapulín Colorado

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Roboskull held by it’s creator Bob Brechin

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.

Roboskull
#toyventures #roboskull #palitoy #actionforce

The post The Birth of Roboskull in Toy-Ventures Issue 8 appeared first on PS.

Toy Talk Show Episode 1- Toyshop on Tour

Welcome to the Toy Talk Show, a new feature on the channel where we talk toys with others.

Our first guests are the amazing Joe and Gav from Leicester Vintage Toy Shop and hosts of Toy Shop on Tour now in its second season on YouTube.

We talk about the show, vintage toy trends, bootleg toys, how Palitoy would bury toys and our mutual admiration for toys that are “a bit naff.”

Watch Toy Shop on Tour (now in it’s second season) here

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.

PlaidStallions Toy Talk Show

The post Toy Talk Show Episode 1- Toyshop on Tour appeared first on PS.

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Unlike Hasbro in the US, the GI Joe Action Team catalogue names our characters.

We’ve got Hard Rock, Tom Stone (who was also a Palitoy Action Man character) and John Steel. It all sounds like a 70s action movie I’d own on Blu-Ray.

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So nice to see the classic GI Joe set “Secret Mission to Spy Island” photographed so well here, with John Steel doubling as a bad guy!

Danger of the Depths was my favourite GI Joe set as a kid and well, it still is. I love it so much!

GI Joe Action Team Catalog

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The Canadian Mountie was popular worldwide, heck it even sold in Canada in the 1970s along with some Western outfits. I remember seeing them at Eaton’s on my sixth birthday, I wish I had bought them and kept them MIB, they’re worth a bundle!
i

The GI Joe Action Team catalogue starts to get more into the military styling now. I believe many of these sets are taken from Action Man. While the US fell out of favour with military toys, Europe didn’t follow suit. 

Oh, those are the Western Outfits I saw as a kid, sorry I’m writing this as I go. 

The classic yellow helicopter was a standard for what iteration of GI Joe was marketed.

We have a new book out called “Knock-Offs: Totally Unauthorized Action Figures” it’s a 132-page tribute to bootleg toys.

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

Toy-Ventures Magazine is our newest creation, an old-school print magazine about vintage toys! Professionally laid out and written, each issue is brimming with obscure and rare toys from companies such as Mego, Kenner, Remco, AHI, and much more. Monsters, Superheroes, Adventurers, Knock Offs, Apes, and so much more, it’s in Toy-Ventures.

Toy-Ventures Issue 5 is available now:
Ebay: https://ebay.us/XSS1X7
Plaid Stallions Store: https://plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop/
Amazon Affilitate Link:https://amzn.to/3d9Q0AS

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions 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!

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

The post GI Joe Action Team Catalog from Germany appeared first on PS.

• The One of a Kind Antique Mall (Woodstock, ON)
• Southworks Antique Mall (Cambridge, ON)
• The Toy Society (Cambridge ON)

While I am there I showcase all the vintage toys, bootleg figures, kung fu movie posters and incredible pop culture memorabilia from the last four decades that I encounter.

It’s an extra long jam-packed episode of Toy-Ventures and one I’d really like your feedback on. Should I do more of these? Would you like to toy hunt with me again? Let me know in the comments below:

 
Issue four of our magazine Toy-Ventures is now available. Toy-Ventures is bringing back the old school print toy magazine with articles written by the collectors themselves, it’s a love letter to toys and action figures from the 1960s to the 1980s and this issue is our best yet. We’ve got a fantastic toy tribute to the Munsters, the outrageous adventures of Septor and Garth, the dimestore goodness of the Durham Click Button action figures, Superhero and Planet of the Apes knock offs and a fantastic tribute to the Mego Mad Monsters Toy Line.

Ebay: https://ebay.us/XSS1X7
MM Store: http://www.megomuseum.com/odeon/store/products/
Amazon:https://amzn.to/3d9Q0AS

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Join us for our all-day breakfast bar on Sundays and remember, you keep the glass!

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s dimestore goodness like Lincoln International, AHI, Tomland, Durham, you get the picture. Whether you like Mr. Rock or are more of an Astro Apes person, this is the group you need to be in.

The post Toy-Ventures: Toy Hunt with me! appeared first on PS.

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week! Happy Friday!

EBAY LINK Logan’s Run Farrah Fawcett Towel

There really isn’t enough Logan’s Run merchandise out there and honestly, there will never be enough for me. I do, however, have a soft spot for stuff like this towel, which is obviously meant to cash more in on the popularity of Farrah than the movie. I just don’t know what I’d do with it…

EBAY LINK The Shadow Colouring Book-

The Shadow is, of course, a wonderful radio and pulp character from my Grandfather’s day, he got some unusual merchandise in the middle 70s and this book is one of those out-of-place items that I’ve actually featured on this blog. This is an amazing price BTW.

EBAY LINK Destination Moon Base Alpha Poster-  So sometime in the late 1970s, two episodes of Space:1999 were merged together and released theatrically because…star wars. I own this poster, it’s one of my prized possessions, it’s just so gorgeous and exciting. You owe it to yourself to see Martin Landau every day.

EBAY LINK Argentinian LP featuring Wonder Woman, Star Wars and Charlies Angels. Look, I have no idea with this is about but look at that cover, I want to see that movie.

EBAY LINK Action Man Solar Hurricane– This is actually a Kenner Six Million Dollar Man vehicle but it was repurposed for the wonderful Action Man space line, which also included ROM Space Knight. I love foreign toys and variations like this.

Issue 4 of Toy-Ventures magazine ships this June

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is a special place on Facebook and honestly, my favourite group ever. It’s deep nerdy with zero judgement.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s dimestore goodness like figures from Azrak Hamway, LJN,  Tomland and Lincoln International.

The post 5 Awesome Things on eBay this week appeared first on PS.

Hello All,

I’m very pleased to announce that issue 3 of Toy-Ventures is now available. I’m so excited to be on our third issue, this has truly been a dream. I mean, our living room is a total disaster and my back is killing me from lugging boxes but I can’t complain because the response has been so overwhelmingly positive and it just keeps growing.

This issue fills me with pride, and I wanted to spend this time giving some much-needed attention to the folks that made this issue such a success.

Corey LeChat– Corey wrote and designed the breathtaking Evel Knievel article this issue but he is also responsible for every issue of Toy-Ventures looking as good as it does, without him, I couldn’t do this. His art direction on every issue is essential and issue 3 is no exception.

John “Toyzilla” Marshall– John’s articles and books were extremely influential to me, he had a wonderful sense of humor in his writing and it definitely influenced me when I started working on websites, it was such a joy to have him be our first collector feature.

Tony Roberts– I’m a big fan of Tony’s YouTube channel Analog Toys and I’m happy to call him a friend, his article about Captain Zargon inspired the issue’s artistic theme, so along with being highly informative, I’m grateful to him for that incredible inspiration.

Tim Baron– Tim is a brilliant artist who donated his valuable time to this issue and created one of the most striking covers we’ll ever have and was also totally down with our Iron-On promotion. Tim’s contribution to this issue set us on a whole new level.

Please take a look at the amazing stuff in his Etsy store:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/timbaronart

Chris Franklin– Chris not only delivered a fantastic article about the Mego Superheroes but he laid the whole thing out himself and according to my wife, he did a better job than me! It’s truly a milestone for our fledging publication.

Please check out Chris’s many fun podcast efforts:
http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/tag/chris-franklin/

Rob Chatlin– Rob is an extraordinary editor and his insight elevates every issue. He generously gives his time to each article and points out my passive voice a whole bunch!

Steve Moore– Steve is a brother from another mother and always catches stuff no one else does.

Murphi Cook– Not being a collector is an advantage, especially when you are this smart, her perspective changed many things this issue.

My Monster pals– Ray, Shannon, Andrew, Seth, Dave, Ian, Trenton, Devlin, Will, thank you for sharing your toys and your knowledge, you’re awesome people and have helped out others with your generosity.

Marty Abrams, Paul Clarke and Joel Rosenzweig of Mego Corp. It’s great to be able to “go to the source” for information and I’m grateful that they always have time for us.

And lastly, my wonderful wife, Michelle who packed every issue in the last 48 hours, is my rock, without her amazing support (and trust me, she’s a patient woman) I could never pull this off.

You can get Toy-Ventures issue 3 at our Ebay Store  or at the Odeon Toys Online Store.

GET Issue 3 of Toy-Ventures here!

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook.

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

The post A Toy-Ventures Thank you! appeared first on PS.