Toy Show Finds

Just got home from one of my favorite vintage toy shows. It's an annual event that happens each January, which really seems like a lousy month for a toy show, coming as it does right after Christmas. This year I planned strategically: when my family asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I said "money for the toy show please!" Here's what I spent it on:

There were all kinds of toy treasures, including a tin litho grocery store playset made in the 1950s by Wolverine; a scarce (and creepy) Hugo, Man of 1,000 Faces from the 1970s; a two-headed Doublenik troll from 1965 along with a tiny vending machine troll; a Weinermobile whistle; a bunch of 1950s space guys; Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon newspaper comics from the 1930s-1940s; a 1960s Batman puzzle; Barbie's original convertible; and a 1950s tin wind-up robot. I'll post properly about them later, but here are some quick pics and sneak peeks.

The robot has some rust, but he also has lots of character.

1950s space guys.

A Doublenik two-headed troll from 1965,
with its gumball prize friend.

Hugo, Man of 1,000 Faces, was a bizarre toy made in the 1970s. It's essentially a creepy looking guy's torso and head, along with a package of "disguise" accessories, including false chins, fake scars and warts, various noses, glasses, an eye patch, and hair pieces. I'm guessing it was inspired by spy films, but who knows. It's weird and now rather rare.

Hugo, Man of 1,000 Faces with some of his original accessory pieces.

Barbie's convertible, made by Irwin in the 1960s, was her first car.

The two shelf units on either side of this tin litho grocery store fold inward to close up the playset. Originally it would also have had a separate counter with accessories like a scale, but these are usually missing. The center span features great imagery of a 1950s supermarket.

The iconic weenie whistle.

The 1930s Buck Rogers newspaper comic above is complete, while the Flash Gordon strips below are only portions (but they feature a fantastic alien giant squiddy monster) :

These two mechanical bears were made in Japan in the 1950s. When wound, the bear on the left turns the pages of his book, while the one on the right wipes his glasses before holding them up to his eyes.

Vintage Batman Board Game, Puzzle, and Colorforms

I was besotted with Batman as a child in the 1970s, and really, I guess, it hasn't abated much. Some recent Batman finds:

Batman puzzle, made by Watkins Strathmore and printed by Western Printing and Lithography Company, USA, 1966. Features the Batmobile, Batplane, and an unusual view of the Batcave:

Batman Colorforms, 1966, complete with original booklet. Although the box is pretty tatty, the contents were minty:

Batman board game, 1966:

Comes with itty bitty Batmobiles and villians: 
















The cover art is fantastic on the Batman game:

Vintage Charlie's Angels Doll

Rooting around in a box full of manky 1990s Barbies a few weeks ago, I found this treasure: a vintage Charlie's Angels doll, made by Hasbro in 1977, in its complete original outfit, and priced at just $5.99! This particular Angel is Kelly, originally played in the TV show by Jaclyn Smith, and the likeness is quite remarkable, I think (although I don't expect Jaclyn's head was quite this disproportionately large in real life...)

When I got her home, a happy discovery was made: she's just about the same scale as my vintage Mego Batman doll!

Batman was clearly happy about it, too: he's callously tossed Robin aside for Kelly. Poor Robin...I hope those menacing robots don't get him. He may be okay, though, as they appear to be looking the other way.

1966 Batman Rings

Some of my favorite vintage toy rings are these, made in 1966 to promote the Batman TV show starring Adam West. There were three different styles, and they seem to have been available in a variety of ways, including as gumball machine prizes and dime store toys.

 (Incidentally, I have several lots of these, so if anyone would like one, or a set, send me a Batmail...)

1966 Batman Button

After finding this vintage 1966 button, guess who is now a 

Charter Member of the Batman & Robin Society?

I wear it proudly every day.

As an aside: I've often thought that Adam West's Batman 

would be the best 

President of the United States ever. 

Don't you think so, too?

You Know You Have Too Many Toys When...

You know you have too many toys when...you buy something you already have, because you didn't realize you already had it.

I recently was thrilled to win this vintage 1960s Batman Viewmaster reel set, complete with original package and story booklet, on ebay:

When it arrived, I gleefully headed to my "toy storage room", aka, my second bedroom, in search of my Viewmaster, where I discovered this:

a box FULL of vintage Viewmaster reels I didn't even remember I owned, with, resting prominently on the top, the 1960s Batman set.

So, if anyone needs a 1960s Batman Viewmaster reel set, complete with original package and booklet, drop me a line, and I can hook you up...

Batman Trolls

In the mid-1960s, Batmania swept the nation as a result of the hit TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Batman iconography was extended to every product imaginable, including the contemporaneous fad toys, the troll dolls. Below are a few Batman related troll items from my collection.

First up is this large 5 1/2 inch Uneeda Wishnik Batman troll in his colorfully silkscreened costume. He retains his original, and unusual, bulging plastic eyes, but has lost his cowl and cape, which is typical for this troll.

Next we have a rather uncommon 3 inch troll wearing a one-piece winged cape and cowl. This troll is seldom seen, and it was really exciting to find one.

Conversely, here's the most commonly encountered Batman troll: a 3 incher wearing an odd red costume, perhaps to avoid licensing issues (some people call this a Robin troll, Batman's sidekick, but I don't think it looks like Robin's costume at all):

Lastly, here's my greatest Batman troll find: the Batnik Club Official Emblem, a sticky badge in the shape of a Bat Troll. Check out the highly detailed instructions for use on the back of its package! I haven't removed him yet, but it's awfully tempting...

 

 

"Holy Hat, Batman!"

I was glued to the TV as a kid in the 1970s whenever the campy Batman show starring Adam West and Burt Ward would come on. After a long, Batman-less dry spell, two fantabulous things happened: our local station started airing Batman reruns last week, AND today I found this ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE VINTAGE BATMAN POW! HAT!!!
I'm going to wear it every evening when I watch the show...and possibly to work.

Mego Batmobile

I grew up in the 1970s, which means I grew up with Mego toys. I had Spiderman (who went everywhere with me and had to have his arms reattached on a weekly basis), the Planet of the Apes guys, Captain America, and a few Star Trek figures. But I never had this beauty: the Mego Batmobile with Batman and Robin. 30 years later: oh, what a happy day it was when I brought this home and installed it in a place of honor on my dining room table. (Visible in the background is a Mars Attacks theater banner and an original Ideal Robert the Robot from the 1950s.)

A great Mego information site can be found here:
www.megomuseum.com