Toltoys Kid » Batman

1981 Corgi Batman, Bond and Buck Rogers Australian TV Ad

tol11toys — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:10:45 +0000

Check out this awesomely low-tech 1981 Aussie TV spot for Corgi’s Batmobile, Bond and Buck Rogers range. This voice-over guy must have made a fortune in the early 80′s, he seemed to read almost every ad.

1981 Corgi Batman, Bond and Buck Rogers Australian TV Ad is a post from: Toltoys Kid

Detective Comics Banned in Australia!

tol11toys — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:07:36 +0000

My chances of finding a Detective Comics #27 at a garage sale in Melbourne just got slimmer.

From The Argus, Wednesday 14 September 1938…

TWO ‘COMICS’ BANNED

SYDNEY, Tuesday. – Magazine distributors were notified to-day that seven publications had been added to the banned list, including, for the first time, two classified in the trade as “comics.”

These comics are publications for boys, and sell at fourpence. They are entitled “Keen Detective Funnies” and “Detective Comics.” Both come from America, where the price is 10 cents. Copies inspected to-night contained principally a series of crime and adventure stories in picture form crudely printed in colours. Some of the titles of the stories were “Dictator of the Pope Dynasty,” “Too Many Crooks,” “Bayfront Cowboy.” “Captain Jim and the Chinese Pirates.”

The names of the other magazines banned were “Black Mask,” “Clues,” “Yellow Book,” “Top – Notch Detective,” and ”Gang Detective Fiction.”

How lucky my grandparents were to live in a country protected from the social evils of these new-fangled American “Comics”!

Detective Comics Banned in Australia! is a post from: Toltoys Kid

Australia’s Newest Comic Store Experience – All Star Comics Melbourne

tol11toys — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:03:37 +0000

Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend the opening of our latest pop culture destination, All Star Comics Melbourne.

The brainchild of a couple of old mates of mine – Mitch and Troy – ASCM has been lovingly crafted using the combined wisdom of 28 years in the comics-trade.

Ascending in an ultra-modern lift from the inconspicuos Lonsdale St entrance, your smile will be unhidable when the doors open up onto a red, black and white themed fit-out designed (and mostly built) by the guys themselves, with cool fixtures influenced by comic book staples including a gothic-tower bookstand and a huge art-deco counter. Apart from the latest weekly new-release comics, the guys pride themselves on their huge range of graphic novels and trade paperbacks, as well as three glass cabinets filled with vintage toys for sale including Star Wars, MEGO, Hot Wheels and LEGO, some from your author *insert hard sell here*

Like happy Mitch above, All Star is friendly, clean, fresh and welcoming so drop in next time you’re in town and tell’em the Toltoys Kid sent you.

All Star update on facebook, twitter & blogger daily.

Australia’s Newest Comic Store Experience – All Star Comics Melbourne is a post from: Toltoys Kid

More from the Toyworld 1975 Catalogue

tol11toys — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:36:43 +0000

A few more pages from the 1975 Toyworld Christmas catalogue…

Croner Toys had an eclectic mix of international brands including the popular Janex talking alarm clocks, I’m still looking for a mint boxed Batman version! The Holly Hobbie sewing machines seemed to grace every girl’s dresser for a time, including my sister’s. I can’t recall seeing the Sesame Street radios, but that Bugs Bunny camera is very familiar. Digging the LEGO knock-off Pedlo bricks, rubbish name though.

Intertoy landed some of the biggest names in international toys, including Hornby trains, Sindy dolls, Scalextric slot cars and the highly detailed Lone Ranger line of action figures by Gabriel. Combex kept mums and kids happy with a great line of inexpensive plastic toys.

No prizes for guessing the stand-out item on this page, the legendary Corgi Batmobile is one of the most successful and iconic toys of all time. Interesting to note that the loose triple pack illustrated above still includes the earlier issue tin-fin Batboat. The Rustler Ace 100-shot cap rifle would have been a lot of fun, 1975 seems quite late for a western style toy rifle but I’m sure I would have been happy holding up the local stage-coach with it! I also note that the Electrolux Battery Operated Toy Vacuum cleaner is “for girls” aged 3-8. It has “real suction” too, a refreshingly honest statement for a toy that really did suck.

Bat Vehicles in the 1977 Waltons Wish Book

tol11toys — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Bat Vehicles in the 1977 Waltons Wish Book

Some Bat-goodness from the cover of the ’77 Waltons Wish Book. It mentions that the Bat Cycle was a Cyclops (Australia) exclusive for Waltons, there are some passionate Cyclops collectors out there that might be have an example in their collection, I’d love a pic if you’d care to share.

I can recall seeing the pedal car, in fact I vaguely remember my younger brother sitting in one. What a beauty! The pedal car brigade are some of the most serious collectors out there, someone must have preserved one of these, send a pic if you have.

The costume is ultra-goofy but probably sold like hot donuts at the footy, but the Mr Tenuous Link award today goes to the Mic and Amp, for young Batman / Batgirl to “Hail their friends”. You can still tell today who got one of these in ’77, you pass them everyday in the city as you walk by discount jewellery stores…

Will

Bat Vehicles in the 1977 Waltons Wish Book is a post from: Toltoys Kid

1967 Lincoln International Toy Catalogue

tol11toys — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:56:00 +0000

Treasures from the 1967 Lincoln International Toy Catalogue

The New Zealand toy company Lincoln International were responsible for some of the coolest licensed (and unlicensed) toys of the 60′s and 70′s. Best known for their 1966 licensed Batman range of ray guns, water pistols, friction toys and battery operated plastic vehicles, or perhaps for their goofy but highly desirable 1970′s range of Mego-Like 8″ Monster action figures, Lincoln went in hard with Gerry Anderson licences in 1967.

Captain Scarlet promised great things for those toy companies hoping to match the success of Dinky and their Thunderbird die-cast vehicles, unfortunately whilst popular the Captain never had the impact of his Anderson stable-mates.

Lincoln released three friction vehicles for Scarlet; The Angel Interceptor, Spectrum Patrol Car and Maximum Security Vehicle. Each was blister carded to a colourful but fairly flimsy card along with a plastic Spectrum Badge. The vehicles were packed flat on the cards, and the blisters were attached to the cards with staples. They are a tough find today loose or carded, I’ve never seen an Angel Interceptor in person but thanks to the diligent work of the Australian Powerhouse Museum there is at least one example stored away in perpetuity.

Much more common to find today are examples of Lincoln’s Thunderbirds motorized kits. These must have been big sellers since they turn up quite regularly on eBay and at auction houses such as Vectis. The vehicles are OK, but it is the box art that steals the show on these, nicely rendered images with the designated number on the right front of the box.

There would be many Anderson Thunderbird collectors out there who would dream of finding a full counter display pack like the one above, to my knowledge though none have ever surfaced.

Cheers!

Will

PS – This catalogue is actually undated, I have surmised the 1967 date from the the lack of Batman items combined with the inclusion of Capt Scarlet and the Thunderbird kits, so it could be 1968. I’d love to hear about any other Lincoln material that may be out there, I’ll post some of the toys mentioned above in a future post here at Toltoys.com

1967 Lincoln International Toy Catalogue is a post from: Toltoys Kid