Monster Trolls

A lot of people find trolls unappealing, even rather creepy.  If you are one of those people, you should probably skip this post.

Still here? Okay then:

During the 1960s troll craze, competing toy manufacturers were constantly striving to outdo each other, coming up with trolls of ever increasing novelty or ever cheaper production: whatever they could do to get a market edge. Well, someone in Hong Kong, observing both the 1960s troll fad and the concurrent monster craze, combined the two, creating what is now one of the most disturbing, and most-sought, trolls out there: the Frankenstein's Monster Troll. He proved so popular, two other monsters were added about a decade later: the Wolfman and King Kong.

 "We promise not to come alive at night and terrorize 
your other toys. Really."

What Did We Do With Our Tax Refund?

Bought:      * an original 1963 Easy Bake Oven
                       in stunning turquoise plastic,
                       with its box & accessories

                   * a huge set of 1930s Strombecker dollhouse furniture

                   * a rare 1960s troll doll

                   * a bunch of 1930s - 40s radio premiums
                      (toy rings and badges from shows like  
                       The Lone Ranger and Captain Midnight)

                   * a prize badge for the winner of the 1914
                      Galveston, Texas, annual Oyster-Eating Contest
                      (it was Bob Frey, and he ate 928!)

                   * a bag full of vintage celluloid dice

                   * a new book about the history of garden gnomes

I've done my part to stimulate the economy... 
           

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...

The Fashionable Ladies

The three little trolls below are some of my favorites. They look like fashionable "society" ladies, heading off for an afternoon of lunch, shopping, and ogling the pool boy. The girl on the left was made by one of the many unknown 1960s troll makers, while her two friends on the right are by Scandia House.

Troll Fashionistas.

Rooted Hair Troll

Most 1960s trolls had their hair affixed with glue: it was quick, which meant it was cheap to do. Time-consuming and thus more costly was the rarely seen alternative method of individually rooting each hair (just like a doll's hair). Trolls with rooted hair are hard to come by. I have only one, this 3 inch girl below with long salt & pepper locks. If you look closely, you'll see a little ridge above her brows, where the hairs have been individually rooted.

 She's special, and she knows it!