Vintage Australian Toys & Ephemera
One green, one red. Indy might need to seek medical advice. There wasn’t a lot of merchandise available for Temple of Doom, a small run of LJN action figures, some food tie-ins, soundtracks and such, but Lucasfilm were really scraping the bottom of the barrel with the licensed Blaster Balls shown above. I have vague … Read More “LJN Indiana Jones Blaster Balls” »
Kenner / Toltoys Indiana Jones Figures Nothing screams “Buy Me!” more than a sticker telling you about a fabulous free toy you can’t get. While those lucky little sods stateside were sending off three POPs (Proof of Purchase) by the truck-load for their “Free Belloq”, little Aussie kids were only allowed to dream about ever … Read More “Toltoys Indiana Jones Figures” »
Just like a chocolate milkshake only Indy! In 1984 Kelloggs thought they were on to a sure-fire winner with their Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom cereal tie-in. Unfortunately there was an outcry from parents and family groups over the horror and occult themes featured in the film. Squeaky clean Kelloggs was of course already committed … Read More “1984 Kelloggs Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” »
Plaid Stallions turns Two! It’s hard to believe that it has only been two years since Plaid Stallions – the web’s greatest repository of 70’s toy legends and fashion implosions – first graced the world’s monitors. To celebrate the milestone Stallion-in-Chief Brian has remodeled his conversation pit in flame-resistant Dupont shag-pile, giving the whole site a lovely … Read More “Plaid Stallions” »
The Toltoys ESB Vader Large Size Action Figure Thanks to the great detective work of Bill McBride over at the Darth Vader Toy Museum we now have conclusive proof that persistent rumors of ESB boxed characters (other than Boba Fett and IG-88) being released at retail in Australia were true! Ever since I started collecting I’ve … Read More “Toltoys 12″ Empire Stikes Back Darth Vader” »
The White Rocket Mazinga Australia is a big country, with lots of storage space. A big country demands a big toy. A really big toy. In 1979 that demand was meet by the good folks at Mattel when they unleashed 24 inches of the biggest arse-kicking missile-packing robot that the kids of Australia had ever … Read More “Mattel Shogun Warriors Mazinga with White Rockets” »
Reversing the Toltoys diaspora – The Hulk returns! Thanks to the marvelous network that is the Mego Museum I was recently able to bring this Australian released Mego Hulk back home. He had somehow found himself in the unfamiliar climes of Italy, no doubt taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of Roma. But like … Read More “Toltoys MEGO Hulk” »
Big Bubbles, Some Troubles. You’ve got to wonder what WHAM-O were thinking when they decided to market a toy to children that was designed to be inflated by mouth, yet was not safe enough to come in to contact with painted surfaces or furniture. (Re-)Introducing SuperElasticBubblePlastic. Basically you squeezed out a blob of this toothpaste-like … Read More “SuperElasticBubblePlastic” »
There they are, blast ’em! One of the coolest toys produced for the Star Wars license was Han Solo’s blaster, sold as the “Star Wars Laser Pistol” by Kenner in the US and Toltoys here in Australia. This was a top toy, fun sound effects and great feel in the hand. I still recall my … Read More “Toltoys Star Wars Laser Pistol” »
Ewok Adventure Kelloggs Tie-In Hot on the heels of the TV spot for the Kelloggs Return of the Jedi competition I posted last week comes another lost Aussie Star Wars TV spot; an ad for the Kelloggs promotional tie-in with the Ewok Adventure movie in the mid 80’s. Enjoy! Will Read the full post on … Read More “Ewok Adventure Kelloggs Tie-In” »