Archives

1975 Mattel Heroes in Action Catalog

 During a time when many toy companies were shying aware from realistic military toys thanks mostly to the Vietnam conflict, Mattel toys launched Heroes in Action.  Heroes in Action was a very early attempt at the 3 3/4″ figure market made popular by the Fisher Price Adventure people and later Star Wars, it’s crew comprised […]

Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 12

It’s time once again to be whisked back to a simplier time, one that was dominated by “Mom and Pop” toy chains and the wonderful, almost chaotic way toys were distributed. Plaidstallions Vintage Toy Store Photos volume twelve is different from previous entries in that it features images from a photo album of a former Mattel employee, who […]

Sea Devils 71

The Mattel Sea Devils made so few catalog appearances in their all too brief run in the early 1970s that it’s important to point them out. I never had a Sea Devil growing up as I wasn’t two by the time the line was cancelled, I would have been ALL OVER this line though. My […]

Mattel’s The Archies

Click the link to see a larger picture After Marx introduced a series of Archie Action figures in 1975, Mattel took a kick at it in 1978 with these been bag versions that used the same construction as their then popular ‘Honey Hill Bunch” line of toys. I have to say that the Mattel sculpts […]

Mattel Sunshine Family for 1978

The Sunshine Family were a series of (In my opinion, creepy) dolls marketed by Mattel beginning in 1974. At the time, the line was marketed with the family being very into the burgening “post hippie” early 70s craft movement. By 1978, the line’s look had begun to look dated so it was rebranded the “Sunshine […]

1978 Mattel Electronic Games Catalog

Electronic games have come an incredible way since 1978 but it’s hard not to fondly remember the simple pleasure of these awesome hand helds by Mattel. Without the sophistication available today, these games were not only fun to play but affordable as well. 1978 was a year of modest but popular offerings including a game […]

1978 Mattel Tarzan and Friends Catalog

Big Jim may have been long gone but his body got a lot work in 1978 when Mattel launched a series of action figures based on TV properties like Tarzan, How the West was Won and Grizzly Adams. Many of these items were made utilitzing items from the European Big Jim offerings at the time […]

1978 Mattel Codename: Galactica Catalog

Several months before it’s TV Debut Mattel Toys debuted their merchandise based on the upcoming series titled “Code Name: Galactica” which we all would come to know as “Battlestar Galactica”. 20th Century Fox would promptly ligitate the makers of Galactica for copyright infringement but the one thing that Galactica had over Star Wars was the […]

1978 Mattel Pulsar Catalog

1978 saw the return of Mattel’s Pulsar the Ultimate Man of Adventure returned to I guess, fight crime with his non descript powers. This year he would be joined by his new foe Hypnos. While Pulsar sold well for a toy with no publicity other than his TV commercials, things were starting to fall flat for […]