Archive for the ‘Catalogues’Category

Waltons Special Offer Star Wars

Two more Special Offer mysteries solved…
A couple of years ago on Toltoys.com we presented a feature on all the known Star Wars Special Offer boxed toys that had surfaced in Australia during the 1978 – 85 period. In the post below we were able to confirm that the Attack Base was a Waltons Department Store special offer and also list the contents.
This week I’m happy to reveal the origins and contents of two more mysterious special offer items, the Empire Strikes Back Wampa and Tauntaun. There is only one known example of the Wampa box, and only a cut front of the Tauntaun box.

SO Wampa 754120 Waltons Special Offer Star Wars

Neither were found with contents intact, leaving it open to speculation as to which figures were included.

SO Tauntaun 799495 Waltons Special Offer Star Wars

Now thanks to the discovery of the 1982 Waltons Wish Book we can confirm that these two were also Waltons Special Offers, and narrow down the identity of the figures included.

IMG 0004 2wtmk 796207 Waltons Special Offer Star Wars This is the ad for both items, and while we can confirm the price and the three figures included, I’m not sure we can say which figures came with which! The photo suggests that Han Hoth came with the Wampa and the other two with the Tauntan, but it could just as easily have been the Snowtrooper with the Wampa (Bad guys together?) and the other two with Tauntaun.

Until we find a sealed example let the speculation continue!
More reveals coming soon…
Cheers,
Will
Read the full post on Toltoys.com!

25

02 2009


by tol11toys
posted in 80's, Catalogues, Special Offer, Star Wars, Toltoys, Waltons
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Toltoys Star Wars Special Offer Origins

Toltoys Star Wars Special Offer origins revealed!

IMG 0004 3wtmk 709738 Toltoys Star Wars Special Offer Origins

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough (thanks to the eagle eyes of fellow Toltoys collector Dax) to pick up a very cool Imperial Attack Base featuring a huge “Special Offer” sticker across the front, indicating that four figures were included. As featured in a previous post on Toltoys.com the origin of  this piece was at first a mystery, until a Queensland collector named Paul chipped in with his recollections of seeing it at the Waltons chain of stores.
His recollection was remarkably accurate, as thanks to the recently discovered 1982 Waltons Wishbook above we can confirm that the item was indeed a Walton’s Toltoys exclusive, and that the four figures included were Rebel Commander, Hoth Rebel Soldier and two regular Stormtroopers.
Another part of Paul’s recollection was proved correct with the catalogue appearance of the rare Star Wars Three-Packs, priced at $6.99. What’s very interesting is that the three-packs were being sold new at retail, still in Star Wars livery, just a year before the single cards changed to Jedi packaging. Were they overstock from overseas? It’s hard to believe that they weren’t a popular item wherever they were sold.
The final toy items featured today are Luke’s blaster , presumably in ESB packaging, and the hapless mini-rigs apparently used by the ‘Empire Spy Force’. Not quite the most bone-chilling secret police name I’ve ever heard. And at $2 more than a three-pack, what are you going to buy? Ahhh… yeah.

More Toltoys Star Wars mysteries will be revealed this week…

Read the full post on Toltoys.com!

04

02 2009


by tol11toys
posted in 80's, Catalogues, Special Offer, Star Wars, Toltoys, Waltons
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Waltons Free Spirit BMX

Treasures from the Waltons Wishbook

IMG 0002wtmk 796124 Waltons Free Spirit BMX

IMG 0003wtmk 795193 Waltons Free Spirit BMX

Not to be confused with the American Waltons of Walmart fame, Waltons Department store in Australia was a retail institution during the 70′s and early 80′s, especially at Christmas time.  Over many years they offered a Christmas “Wishbook”, an idea most likely borrowed from Sears in the USA, with whom they had a pre-existing relationship.
Toltoys.com has managed to obtain a handful of these catalogues and will be presenting highlights from them over the next few months.
Kicking us off above is the cover of the 1982 Wishbook, which was included as an insert in the September 19th, 1982 edition of Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
That’s a lot of vintage toys. I can see Toltoys Action Man, Care Bears and Star Wars amongst the loot, so you’ll get a fair Idea of what might be coming in the next few posts.
For our first page, how about some vintage Aussie BMX goodness, a selection of Walton’s own “Free Spirit” range of BMX bikes. Many a young Aussie kid had there first BMX spills on one of these, I never knew where they were from before seeing them again in this catalogue.
Whether you hit the dirt on the Free-Spirit Junior, Deluxe or Maxi you were out amongst it, almost as cool as those lucky little buggers on their Redline, Mongoose or PK Ripper. Admittedly they probably never had to deal with a mean kid who told them that their bike’s name sounded like an incontinence pad.
If you’d like to check out more Aussie BMX culture than you can poke a stick at, head over to vintagebmx.com. The Australia thread in the International section is up to 18,000 posts, I kid you not.
More treasures soon…
Will
Read the full post on Toltoys.com!

06

01 2009


by tol11toys
posted in 80's, BMX, Catalogues, Waltons
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