Archives

Pod Stallions Episode 23: Monster Movies

As we are both lovers of Monster Cinema or some call it “Creature Features” it makes sense for J and B to count down their top ten favourite Monster movies. By favourite, we do not mean “best” or greatest, just our personal favourites. Our top tens vary wildly which makes for an interesting discussion, Jason […]

Jaws like

  The one window of opportunity of a blockbuster like Jaws is you can’t copyright a Shark! Every rack toy maker (like Justen here) cranked out a Great White for years and made a ton of legitimate money as a result. And there wasn’t a thing Steven Spielberg could do about it….. Rack Toys: Cheap, […]

Jaws Game: Start to Finish

I found these images in a shareholders report and it gives a very rare look into the toy manufacturing world in 1977. Above is the Ideal assembly plant in Newark New Jersey, sure the plastic parts were made in Hong Kong but back then everything was assembled states side and the box was also printed […]

Toy Sharks

My buddy Julian sent this in, total love at first sight for me (the toy, not Julian although I’m sure he’s swell too). Jaws was of course, a massive pop culture phenomenon the likes of which we rarely see. The greatest thing to toy makers is, you can’t copyright a shark! So even though there […]

1976 Imperial Toys Catalog

Halloween is always the best time to talk about rack toys, specifically ones made by Imperial Toy Corporation, who  had a year round  selection of rubber bats, bugs and skeletons. 1976 also had the distinction of being the year that Imperial wisely got the “Jaws” license and marketed a series of cool inflatable toys. Check out […]

Colouring Book Theatre: Jaws 2

Jaws 2″ by Treasure Books (1978)  If there ever was a horror film phenom in the 1970s, it was the original Jaws, a movie that made a generation scared of going out in the water. I did not see the film when it first came out but reputation alone carried it to the schoolyard. While merchandise for the original […]

1982 Ideal UK Catalog

Even though the company’s name is “Ideal” you won’t find a great amount of Ideal toys in this catalog, that’s this is the UK branch of the company which also distributed toys for US based companies with no UK offices. That means this catalog is loaded with some of the best toys 1980 has to offer […]

Jaws Goodies

I think one of the scariest things in the 1970s had to be the notion of a giant shark eating you. I’m slightly ashamed to admit this kept me out of lakes and occasionally pools as a pup. It’s kind of hard to merchandise a shark seeing as he doesn’t have any cool accessories or […]

Trading Cards Part 2

Card #34- Raydeen Shogun Warriors were pretty epic toys and I hope to celebrate each one individually, unlike other things I’ve featured this weekend, I do have a Raydeen. He’s beat to hell but I love him anyway. Mattel Shogun Warriors Catalog Card #35- Ideal Jaws Game Honestly I had like ten minutes to decide […]