TOP TOYS: PART ONE

By @hmsbeefnuts

I loved toys when I was a kid, that may not be a shocking statement, but it is a true one. I love toys now if I’m honest, I just don’t buy them any more, but that doesn’t stop me looking. The recent Avengers buzz I was experiencing made me want to check out some of the toys that tie in with the movie. Off I went to Toys R Us, and other toy shops, and bizarrely supermarkets, to check out the toys that today’s kids are into. It was a massively fun exercise. Toys R Us was always my favourite shop when I was little, that and Forbidden Planet, and to be honest, that hasn’t changed. Toy shops sell fun, and there aren’t many more noble causes than fun, even if toys seem to be selling at extortionate prices these days. I thought I would look back at some of my favourite toys from my childhood, and hopefully Google Image Search will be able to provide some great pictures, for unfortunately, I don’t own any of these any more. Lets see what I decide to pick shall we?

WWF

The wrestling figures of my youth are a pale comparison to the amazing fully articulated representation of modern WWE Superstars. But I loved them never the less. I have talked about my Macho Man Figure before, and he was my favourite of the figures I owned. I had the ring, and spent many happy hours bashing them together, reliving Wrestlemanias and Summerslams. These were great toys.

TEENAGE MUTANT HERO TURTLES

To say I was obsessed with TMHT, is something of an understatement. Of course, the toys were worth their weight in pizza. My Dad valiantly waited outside of Woolworths and Toys R Us at some ungodly hour of the morning to secure my Brother and I the fab foursome. I also remember having some very cheap knock offs for a time, before finally getting my hands on them. My favourite, Michelangelo of course. I also was lucky enough to get the sewer play-set, and the blimp, which was simply one of the greatest things I ever owned.

DINO-RIDERS

Every kid loves Dinosaurs. What could be better? How about Dinosaurs that have gigantic guns and other weapons strapped to them, so that two alien species could battle it out on planet Earth? Yeah I thought so. Dino-riders were so cool. They were really nice sculpts of the Dinosaurs, and also the bigger ones could walk!! I remember my Grandmother being quite freaked out by them on Christmas morning. My favourite was the massive T-Rex, or the Dienonychus (a much better Raptor). I wish I had these in mint condition. The video that came with the toys had the greatest toy adverts ever, I could watch them constantly. How come toy adverts always make the toys look amazing? Why couldn’t I have a scale model jungle for my Dino-Riders? Sometimes, life ain’t fair.

TRANSFORMERS

It still amazes me that the cars, planes, trucks and Dinosaurs, turned into robots! What a great idea. My first transformer was Optimus Prime, the G1 original with trailer. So cool. My favourite was Grimlock, a robot that turned into a T-Rex!! Oh hell yeah, best thing ever? Close. I also owned Transformer knock offs, The Go-Bots, and Rock Lords. I don’t see why a robot turning into a rock was so cool, but I thought they were, and had quite a few of them for some reason. They were nothing compared to Transformers though.

GHOSTBUSTERS

Who ya gona call? The Ghostbuster cartoon was the source of the toys for this next entry. The toys were not very well articulated, but they were decent sculpts of the cartoon forms of Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston. The ghosts were the cool things in this series of toys, with transforming figures that turned into ghosts, and amazing cups of slime that came with many figures. The coolest toys, however, were the replica proton packs and traps. I can remember running around a friends house with his pack strapped to my back pretending to bust some heads, in a spiritual sense. Awesome. Busting literally made me feel good.

Here our nostalgic look back must end, but look out for part two, coming real soon, where we will look at a mild mannered Prince, who becomes a barbarian super man, a toy that can be literally anything, more transforming vehicles, and many more. Catch you next time, I’m off to Toys R Us, for research purposes only you understand…

STICKERS, CARDS AND COLLECTABLES

By @hmsbeefnuts

As a kid I think most of us had collections. Peer pressure alone must have driven us to collect all sorts of cards, stickers and other pieces of tat, that were at the time, THE most important thing we had to do. Who didn’t spend play times saying ‘got, got, need, need, NEED DESPERATLEY!!’, and swapping their doubles, trying to get shinies, or silvers and attempting to get the best deal possible? Three months later of course, the collection didn’t mean very much, as there was something new to collect. But that was the fate of sticker and card collections, they were only ever temporary, a passing fad, that would be replaced by the next craze. There was a smell to stickers, an exciting few seconds before you could rip the packet open, then that smell hit you, as you rifled through them, seeing if you have a silver, or a need. Brilliant fun, and an absolutely genius marketing ploy. Below then are the stickers, cards and collectables that I umm, collected, lets see how many I can remember…

TRANSFORMER STICKERS

This was the collection that kicked them all off. I used to love Transformers, still do really, and what better way to express my love of giant robots kicking oil and energon out of each other, than collecting 300 odd stickers and sticking them in the correct order in an album? Well, I can’t think of a better way anyway, and I’ve been trying now for at least 30 seconds. My favourite and most prized stickers were my Starscream silver, and my Grimlock shiny, because, well, they both rocked the spot didn’t they. Fond memories indeed. I have lots of money now, well, more than £2 a week pocket money anyway, think how many packs of stickers I could buy… so many, so, so many. Shame I’m too old…or am I? Yes I am.

WWF CARDS/STICKERS

I have a horrible confession to make. When I was at the height of my WWF Card mania, I stole 2 packs of cards from my local shop. It was the only thing I ever stole, and I am ashamed of it to this day. So ashamed in fact, that I have just donated £5 to the WWF (the panda one). I’m sorry for my crime. Anyway, these cards were my true induction into the crazy world of the WWF. Everyone in school was collecting them, for seemingly ages. Then the stickers came out. My quest for shinies and silvers was renewed once more, and I’m pretty sure I managed to complete the whole sticker collection. My most prized possession? Ultimate Warrior Logo silver, so cool.

TEENAGE MUTANT HERO TURTLES STICKERS

Oh TMHT, in the UK, we weren’t allowed Ninjas, but Heroes were fine. I loved those heroes in a half shell so much. The sticker collection was a must, but I also collected the silver coins, and was obsessed with the toys. I can remember my Dad lining up outside Woolworths at 6am in order to get me and my Brother some Turtle toys, what a hero. The stickers were once again everywhere, and where at one point banned from school as they would cause arguments. The stickers were based on the cartoon show and as usual, the silver and shiny stickers were worth their weight in gold, and then some. Sunday mornings went something like this. Go to the shop, buy some Turtle stickers, open the packs on the way home, decide what I needed and what would be swapped Monday, stick them in the album, and play Turtles the rest of the day. Times were simpler then, simpler and better.

BATMAN THE MOVIE CARDS

Batman The Movie cards were responsible for me being grounded, the first time I was allowed out on my own, but I don’t blame them, they were too awesome. The story goes I had to be in at 7pm, yet so obsessed with swapping these cards with a friend at a local park was I, that I totally forgot the time, and my Mum came to find me. Oh dear. At least I could console myself with a fuller collection of cards. By the time the Batman craze ended, I had a huge, towering pile of cards, and had spent more than a few weeks pocket money on them, gone now of course, shame really.

MUSCLE MEN

I don’t really know that much about these little pink figures. All I know is that a few friends and I were absolutely obsessed with them for a few months in Junior School. I used to buy them in Woolworths (RIP), and they came in a clear plastic bin with about 10 figures in them. I’m not really sure what they were all about now, but I know that some of the Muscle Men were bizarre monsters and freaks, and we would furiously guard our rare ones, even though, I can’t recall how we worked out which ones were rare… Anyway, these were a bizarre curio that many of my friends would forget a few months later, such is the way with crazes.

THE X-FILES CARDS

I was a lot older when I became obsessed with The X-Files. It was a heady mix of monsters and sexual tension, that connected big time with my teenage self, oh, and Gillian Anderson was smoking hot too. I got into The X-Files in a huge way. I collected the magazine, I had a very stupid X-Files baseball cap, that I actually wore out once (I looked a right idiot), and I collected the cards. These were beautifully produced, high quality cards representing the TV show. The best cards however were really nice art works of individual episodes, really stunning looking. I have them somewhere, I will really have to dig them out sometime.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

80’s Cartoons: My Childhood Top 10

By Geeky Gem

 

As many of you know, I love cartoons, some of my favourite cartoons are from the decades where I was a child. It is at this point I should point out that yes, I still watch cartoons and why shouldn’t I? Some of them are truly awesome. Anyway, here I thought I would share with you just some of 1980’s fair. Maybe if you’re very good at some point I will do one for the 1990’s. So with out further ado, here are just some of my favourites in no real order.

 

Dungeons and Dragons

 

I thought I would start with this as it has dragons in, and I love dragons. Now for those of you not in know, Dungeons and Dragons was a American fantasy series based losely on the role playing game of the same name.The show originally ran from 1983 through 1985 for three seasons, for a total of twenty-seven episodes. It was about a group of six friends who are transported into the titular realm and followed their adventures as they tried to find a way home with the help of their guide ‘Dungeon Master’.

 

Gummi Bears

Gummi Bears will be one of the strange ones on this list, as I am not sure why I liked it. I just know I did and I didn’t move from my television when it was on. Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears, to give it its full title, aired in the 1980’s through the early 1990’s. Now, yes they are based on a sweet which is an odd concepte but hey it works. It was a bright funny show which was always good for giggle.

 

Jem

 

I am not going to lie to you, this was one of my all time favourtie cartoons as a kid, and it has nothing to do with the fact her name is Jem, this is also the most girly cartoon you will find on this list. I loved this show. Jem and the Holograms ran from 1985 to 1988. The show is about music company owner Jerrica Benton, her singer alter-ego Jem, her band the Holograms, and their adventures. Each week Jem and the Holograms would perfrom a number of songs as would their rival band the Misfits who were always trying to stir up trouble. It was just one of those shows I loved.

 

She-Ra

 

Now for a different type of girl on my list the fantastic, ass kicking She-Ra. As much as I wanted to be Jem when I was little I wanted to be She-Ra more, manily becasue she kicked butt. Plus I thought if I was She-Ra, I could kick the Hulk’s butt and not be afarid of him any more. Silly I know, but I was a kid so that was my logic. She-Ra’s alter ego was Princess Adora who happened to be the twin sister of He-Man. She-Ra is introduced in the animated movie The Secret of the Sword (Which I have on DVD, as well as some of the other shows on this list) as Force Captain Adora, an agent of the evil Horde that rules the planet Etheria. She discovers that she is the long-lost sister of Prince Adam of Ethernia, having been stolen by the Horde’s leader, Hordak as a baby. She is granted the Sword of Protection, which parallels He-Man’s Sword of Power, gaining the power to transform into She-Ra, her secret identity. Come on what’s not to love?

 

Danger Mouse

 

I thought I havent really picked any UK made cartoons so far on this list so here I bring you Danger Mouse. Oh Danger Mouse what can I say, well it features the eponymous Danger Mouse, an English Mouse, who works as a Superhero/ Secret Agent. The show is a loose prady of British spy fiction, particularly James Bond. The show originally ran in the September 1981 to March 1992. Danger Mouse was voiced by the fantastic David Jason. It was everything you wanted from a secret agent and more.

 

Superted

 

Superted will always hold a special place in my heart, as he is Welsh. He also taught plenty of children in Wales in the 1980’s how to cross the road safely in Cardiff. Anyway Superted was in fact a show about a Teddy Bear with Super powers. He was rejected as a normal Teddy bear and bought to life by Spotty his best friend, with a magic dust that gave him super powers. This is more than likely where my love for Super heroes came from.

 

The Raccoons

 

No list would be compelte without The Raccoons, I can still watch this cartoon today. It was fantastic.The series revolves around a trio of raccoons called the Evergreen Raccoons – Bert and Melissa, and their friend Ralph. The show would see them mostly fighting against the industrialist forces of the greedy Aardvark, millionarie Cyril Sneer, who would always try to destroy the forest for a quick buck. However, the Raccoons would always save their forest from Cyril’s schemes, with help from their forest friends including Schaeffer, a gentle sheepdog, Cedric, Cyril’s college graduate son, and Sophia Tutu, Cedric’s girlfriend.

 

Tranformers

 

If you were born in the 1980’s and never watched this cartoon, what the hell were you doing, it was awesome. The show depicted a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan snd South Koera The entire series was based upon the line of transforming toys originally created by Japanese toy manufacturer Takara, which were developed into the Transformers line by American company Hasbro. The Hasbro did what it did best and had it turned into a cartoon to reach the mass market. I for one am very glad they did.

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

  

The clever ones among you may notice I called the show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I always hated the fact that in the UK the show was called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, because people thought it was a violent name. So that is why I call it TMNT and not TMHT which just looks silly any way. This was one show I could watch with my little brother that didn’t end with us having a fight over the remote. We even had some episodes on VHS. The series featured the TMNT characters created in comic book form by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The show was always lighter in tone than the darker comics in order to appeal to a family audiance. This also spawned a toy line as was the thing with most 80’s cartoons and it was massive. I loved TMNT and still do. There were a great many things I wanted to be when I was younger, and a ninja was one in a long list. It was that bad I even started to take martial arts classes.

 

Thundercats

  

You didn’t think I would leave Thundercats out did you? Come on do you not know me but at all. Thundercats follows the adventures of the eponymous team of heroes, cat-like humanoid aliens from a planet called Thundera. The series pilot begins with the dying planet Thundera meeting its end, forcing the ThunderCats to flee their homeworld. The fleet is attacked by the Thundereans’ enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, who destroy most of the starships in the “ThunderFleet,” but spare the flagship hoping to capture the legendary mystic Sword of Omens they believe is on board. The sword holds the Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats’ power, which is embedded in the hilt. The flagship contains the young Lord of the ThunderCats, Lion-O, as well as the ThunderCats Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat, and Snarf. I again loved this show and even had the toy sword that lit up, which meant I ran around alot shouting Thundercats HO!

 

There we have it folks my Top 10 1980’s cartoons. I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and will join me again soon as I may travel to the 1990’s and see what I can dig up.