Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Yard Sale Find: Vintage Hasbro Inchworm

My favorite yard sale find of this summer was a vintage 1970s Hasbro Inchworm ride-on toy. I had one of these as a child, and it was one of my most loved toys. As the rider propels it along, the Inchworm bounces up and down on its accordion-style body...eventually producing the sort of damage seen in this example.

(Click here to watch the original Inchworm TV commercial: it's adorable, and you'll get to see the Inchworm in action.)




Their fragility makes vintage Inchworms scarce, and they are much sought after. I've seen them reach prices of $300+ on eBay during particularly desperate bidding wars. Glad I held out: this one was just $5 at a Yard Sale Trail flea market!


 How cute is he? Super-cute.


Speaking of cute things: here's a picture of me with my brand-new Inchworm, on a Christmas morning sometime in the 1970s. (I'm also holding a just-opened Viewmaster, effectively multi-tasking as I motor around the living room.)



Coming up tomorrow: my final, and oldest, yard sale toy find of the summer... 


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7 comments:

  1. The Wild FairyTuesday, August 30, 2011

    Oh my - the Inchworm! What a lovely post! The best bit is the picture of you! There's nothing like vintage Christmas photos to put a smile on your face! ~Siobhan

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  2. PamVTuesday, August 30, 2011

    How entirely adorable, I'm singing the inch-worm theme song and I didn't even watch the commercial yet. Wow! What a great find.

    You might try sugru to mend (or stabilize) that split. It's an air-dry silicone rubber clay for mending and altering stuff and it's supposed to stick to pretty much any material. I read about it on the craftzine blog -- get it at sugru.com

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  3. TracyTuesday, August 30, 2011

    Thanks for all the Inchworm love: glad you liked him (and my pic!)

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  4. GadgetSponge.comWednesday, August 31, 2011

    I loved that toy! Who knows where mine went. Thanks for the memories!

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  5. MichelleFriday, September 02, 2011

    I remember wanting one soooo bad! You're so lucky to find one in such great shape and for such a low price! Congratulations! Darren wants to know if you rode it yet?! hahahaha.
    Michelle:)

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  6. polarbearpattiWednesday, December 28, 2011

    I still have one but am missing the yellow cone like handles :( It was mine when I was a kid. I did love my inch worm

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  7. UnknownThursday, August 21, 2014

    I have one of these inch worms on the top shelf in my garage. Maybe I should get it down and offer it up on eBay.

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