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Post by novastar6 on Feb 27, 2021 0:43:00 GMT
I had one of those, the 1995 twirling edition.
By far my favorite of all my Barbie dolls because she could actually MOVE, her legs actually BENT, and true to the ads, you could spin her just by the crown on her head. I had a huge wooden dresser with a flat top and a full mirror on the back and in the dark I'd use it as her stage. At least you weren't deprived like Debbie Jellinsky. You might have turned into a psycho too nova, if you were given a Malibu Barbie...
I have actually never even seen a Malibu Barbie before, I never understood what the big deal was.
I could definitely see how that would be disappointing. As a kid, you hear Malibu and something more...vibrant, comes to mind. That is some real lackluster shit.
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Post by petrolino on Feb 27, 2021 1:22:11 GMT
Marbles. I was obsessed with marbles, still remember some of the names. Played in the playground, on the street, at home. Played for pennies, or to win other players' marbles, though the real joy was chipping, or even smashing, another player's marble.
I also liked playing that game where you throw pennies at the wall, closest person's penny wins them all. Then as you get older, you increase coin, it just happens, recklessly.
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Post by Power Ranger on Feb 27, 2021 3:08:43 GMT
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 27, 2021 9:40:14 GMT
Great memories. I had some of those cavalry horses, but I was the youngest, and had the previous gen 'Yellow' castle to build and rebuild. Epic battles! The Yellow Castle of Legoland is one I actually had never seen or knew of, until much later on that is. It looks really neat, and sure do stands out of the rest of the classic Lego castles, of that period. I guess being the youngest, often can be quite nice, as I got a whole lot of Lego from an older cousin of mine, and then one of the older kids in the neighbourhood also gave me a lot of his Lego sets/figures, and most of them were 80s Lego Knights, so I had a bit of a big mix of different types of Knights, which kind of made it more fun to play with, as they just fitted so well into the 1991-92 Knights series. The build and rebuild part also were a lot of fun, sometimes, way more, than just reading the instructions, but let ones fantasy and imagination see where it might take you on. I think my kid brother ended up with all of my Lego, and who knows, somewhere in a basement, the Lego toys might still be around. There are times, when I am almost tempted to check upon it, as the most fun part was the building and setting up the Knights to go out for battle, or as you mentioned, the epic battles. I also had the "perfect" soundtrack to go with it, as well. As my mum's old cassette tape, of Alan Parsons Project and their Turn of a Friendly Card (1980), and that album (just looking at the striking album cover) was for me, the right sound to go with all of of these nostalgic, medieval Knights and fantasy battles, and I must have worn out that tape, until my mum re-purchased it on CD, as everytime I played with Lego Knights, Turn of a Friendly Card would be on the stereo, in the background, setting up a motivational and catchy mood or atmosphere. The music was huge, mysterious, romantic, catchy, pompous and just went so well with how I envisioned how it would be to be Knight back in those days.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 27, 2021 9:57:25 GMT
I was all across the board. I loved Barbie and friend because of all the accessories. I loved Jurassic Park toys as they were the best dinosaurs. I also loved the Alien and Predator toys because they were so cool. So many great options. My dad got me the Jurassic Park Velociraptor action figure back in 1993, and I remember I sat with the figure (still not taken out from the package it came with) and the drive home, felt like a small lifetime, and all I could think of, was how cool this figure would be, to play with. A kid in the neighbourhood got the T-Rex action figure, that was like that "Holy grail" of the dinosaur action figures/toys back then, as every kid wanted the T-Rex, and nobody wanted the human action figures, they just looked so dull, compared to the dinos. Sadly, the Jurassic Park action figure toyline, seemed to fade away, pretty fast, and I guess it never seemed to reach the same popularity as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bikermice from Mars or Power Rangers, which really were the big guns among most kids, or so it seemed during 1992-1994.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 27, 2021 10:01:11 GMT
Snake Eyes looks very familiar, to at least a few of the GI Joe action figure rip-offs that had a very siliar build/apperance, but were not really an official GI Joe product. Still, I did end up with a few of those, and well, they went well with a few of the GI Joe trucks, cars, action sets, as they had pretty much the same height/build.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 27, 2021 10:07:17 GMT
During the early 90s, and of course surely something to do with the whole Turtle-mania which had strucken kids, all over the world, everyone wanted one of the small bottles of green goo/slime, which was supposed to be based on the mutagen which transformed the Turtles into Teenage Mutants, and where you also got a small sized turtle, which held under the light for a while, it would glow in the dark. Sure, fun for a while, but the slime usually either dried up or you lost in on the floor, carpet or outdoor, and that was it, then it was pretty much useless. Also, it kind of smelled "funny", specially when touching it with your hands, sometimes even washing them did not make the smell go away. Hell, one kid at school actually tried to eat some of it, not sure what the hell he thought it would taste like, but yeah, kids do the strangest things I guess.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 27, 2021 10:54:10 GMT
I guess it is kind of hard, to leave out, maybe the biggest toy franchise/name during my childhood, which of course were the Teenage Mutant Ninja (Hero in most of the Scandinavian and some European countries) Turtles original toyline, which I guess started around 1987-1990, but looking back, I believe we did not get the action figures until around 1990, and I re-purchased a few of the earliest Turtles comics, and found out the very first one, arrived also in 1990, so a few years later, but still, the impact and legacy that franchise had on most kids back then, there was nothing like it. And the Turtles name would still stand strong, for several years, even managing to hold its own, against both similar themed shows like Bikermice from Mars and Power Rangers. The earliest Turtles action figure toy memory I have, is when I was really sick, laid in bed for days, and my dad suddenly brought me this incredible cool looking action figure, and sure, I knew of Turtles, as I had already gotten a free comic in the local toystore (a smart way of making sure they got the kids attention, but of course, the next comic were surely not a freebie) and the original 1987 cartoon had already arrived on tv, but something about owning one of the action figures, it was just an incredible feeling at the time. I even remember how these plastic figures smelled, and Master Splinter were the one I first got my hands on. The figure itself, I almost lost, just a couple of days after I was feeling better and could be outdoor, among friends. I felt so horrible and could not sleep, all I thought about was this plastic toy, that I surely would never see or play with again. Then an old man in the neighbourhood found it, and returned it to me, and it was an greater feeling, than when I actually got it the first time. While I would end up getting lots of other Turtles figures, the first one, Splinter were really a special one, and it got a lot of beating and damage over the years, but super-glue and a bit of imagination, made sure that it survived. Sadly, the weapons which were included with him, were really poorly/cheaply made, the longbow did not last for long, but that was not unusual for action figures. For those interested, or just were kids during that period 1990-1994, I would urge you to check out the TMNT Toys museum, which seems to be a great place of either visting or re-visiting your favorite childhood Turtles figures and playsets, as the site covers everything from the original lineup, towards the much later ones. I guess the days when we kids kind of knew the whole Turtle mania were about to end, was not just because we got the poorly made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) movie, but when the toy manufactors, began to hand out all these god awful and terrible, lame and dull overpriced action figures, that no kid ever wanted in their collection. Some of those toys were just, what the hell? Who in their right mind, would want a figure of April's fat, greasy Channel 6 boss, Burne as an action figure? To make it even more silly, they had toilet paper stuck on one of his boots, and a big slice of pizza or food in one of his hands? Was is a weapon or just to make him look even more pathetic? I guess the toy company knew where it would go, that Turtles heydey of (1987-1992) began to loose its grip, and the competition from other popular and far more action filled shows like Bikermice from Mars and Power Rangers had taken a hold on kids attention, and they just could not care any less of what they made or put out as new Turtles figures, as long as they could try and sell them, to some poor schmuck, who collected everything with a Turtles logo on it. In the meantime, The original Archies Adventures comic series (1987-1996), which had started up, being based upon the goofier cartoon tv-show, soon took on a very different route, and included lots of new exciting and very cool heroic figures, but also some incredible villains, that was far more badass than the one on television, where even Shredder himself became more evil and ruthless, as the series went on. I mean, the television version, was more of a ridiculous sitcom sidekick, to Lord Krang, and they fought out, like an old married couple, with the bumbling idiots Bebop and Rocksteady screwing things up, the only thing missing were the constant sitcom laughter-box, every other 5 seconds or less. But in the later Adventures comics, around 1992-93, we got to meet up with the future versions of Turtles, along with future villains, such as Armaggon, Verminator-X and then of course Shredder, and where New York City had changed into a gritty looking, post-apocalyptic wasteland, dominated by water and rats, collapsed buildings and I loved this new side of Turtles, and every kid I knew, hoped that the toy franchise would soon include villains like the one mentioned, or the female warrior and frend of the Turtles, Ninjara, who also ended up as Raphael's girlfriend. But what did we get instead? We got Vernon, Burne along with toilet paper on his shoes, we got basketball Turtles, hip-hop Turtles, farmer Turtles, monster Turtles, one lamer and duller than the other, but where was all these new cool figures from the comics? Those were the one we looked forward to see, everytime we visited a toystore, but no, we got one terrible looking new toy, after another. No wonder Turtles lost out, to Bikermice from Mars and then soon Power Rangers. Still, they had a impressive run, and dominated for years, but when they stopped making new Turtles Adventures comic in Norway, (around 1993 or winter of 94) I kind of felt I was done with Turtles, at least for that period. Still, thankfully one could pick up new editions of Turtles Adventures in both Denmark and Sweden, at least until summer of 1995, but after that, it seemed gone for good. I am glad I have re-collected most of the editions later on, as it really was a thrill to see how far away the later editions got, from the more goofy and cartoon themed comics during the late 80s. The last image/memory I have of these legendary comic franchise, was the badass image of future Shredder, holding Donatello in a death grip, and what looked like the ultimate ending to the whole Future series, that had been going on for a while. Sadly, that never happened, as later on, the original Archie Adventures franchise, closed and we never got to the last chapter:
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Post by lenlenlen1 on Feb 27, 2021 15:53:50 GMT
My favorite toys as a child were mostly Star Wars. I had a bunch of action figures and I got a Millennium Falcon and a Death Star play set.
I also had these large toys called Shogun Warriors. One of them was Raideen and the other was Godzilla. They had shooting hands. Didn't make any sense but they were cool.
Of those my mother threw out all but the Millenium Falcon, which I actually still have in the attic somewhere, but which is worthless since they've reissued it so many times and it doesn't have the original box.
...Ye gods, the money I've spent on Star Wars...
EDIT: I already posted this long ago! LOL!
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Post by lenlenlen1 on Feb 27, 2021 15:55:45 GMT
When a wee kitten, Catman liked teddy bears and firetrucks. Later, he liked girder building sets, Lincoln logs, and model trains. And still later, he went back to teddy bears. Catman is old. Fire trucks and Lincoln logs. No further proof is needed. lol Ah, Len makes the jokes.
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Post by Power Ranger on Feb 27, 2021 16:56:40 GMT
Snake Eyes looks very familiar, to at least a few of the GI Joe action figure rip-offs that had a very siliar build/apperance, but were not really an official GI Joe product. Still, I did end up with a few of those, and well, they went well with a few of the GI Joe trucks, cars, action sets, as they had pretty much the same height/build. I had this GI Joe knock off, his name is actually Whispering Willie. And believe it or not, The Corps, the company who made him, are bringing him back. www.amazon.com/Whispering-Willie-Action-Figure-Lanard/dp/B01JO6G0R2I wonder if the updated one wears trousers?
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Post by Power Ranger on Feb 27, 2021 17:05:02 GMT
I have actually never even seen a Malibu Barbie before, I never understood what the big deal was.
I could definitely see how that would be disappointing. As a kid, you hear Malibu and something more...vibrant, comes to mind. That is some real lackluster shit.
The most bland and mundane Barbie by the looks of it. No wonder Debbie turned. I was watching a 1970s Johnny Carson episode just yesterday, and he had a segment where he looked and joked about the newly released toys. One was a Malibu Barbie. It has tan lines. Here it is at 1.50
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Post by marianne48 on Feb 27, 2021 17:13:56 GMT
My favorites: the Agatha Christie Mix-Your-Own-Poison Lab, and the "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" Little Miss Axe Murderer Hatchet.
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autumn
Junior Member
@autumn
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Post by autumn on Feb 27, 2021 17:15:06 GMT
Books. As long as I had plenty of books and stuffed animals I was happy. I never cared for dolls. I did inherit some of my grandfather's metal trucks and trains though.
We had a couple of the old plastic/metal jeeps, BIG jeeps to push around, one was black, one was dark pink with I think a floral design, both with the long antennas, I tried finding some pictures but I couldn't come up with anything.
The ones I inherited would now be considered collectible items.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 28, 2021 8:22:17 GMT
Looking back, sure, I felt lucky that I had my favorite toys, which brought so much joy and fun, but I guess another interesting side of the whole nostalgia and childhood retro trip, especially when discussing toys, is what where the kind of toys, that you always dreamed of owning or getting a hold of, but never ended up with? For me, I guess these were the ones that always slipped away, and I wanted them so badly, I would dream of them at night, that I got them and played with all the time. And to make it worse, you always had that one kid, either at school or in the neighbourhood, who always got whatever he pointed at, or wanted, but when he did, he rarely bother to play with his new toys, and would not let any of the kids do so either. Thankfully, I had a similar kid in my class, but not the bratty and spoilt version, but the more kind one, who let other kids play with his toys, play the latest video games and read the latest comics. Still, I did notice that he never seemed surprised or thrilled, as the other kids, but I guess he was kind of getting used to having his parents go out and buy all these expensive toys, so for him it was not "christmas" every day, but damn, his room looked more like some giant toystore, rather than a children's room. Anyway, here is a few of those "lost" childhood toys, that it felt like just were not meant to be, and that "every" other kid in the world would get them, before I did: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sewer Lair Playset (1989)I would probably have a big smiling grin on my face, as most of the kids used in pictures and tv commercials during that time, if I were the one playing with that mean looking Turtles Sewer playset, but, I could never find the damn thing, as none of the toystores in my area or nearby cities seemed to have it. But I ended up trying, or at least a "desperate" attempt in making me own Turtles sewer base, but yeah, that did not end up all that well. Still, looking at some videos and reading several nostalgic reviews of previous owner of this classic Turtles set, I did notice that many complained about the poor quality, and that a lot of thing would either be easily (too easily) damaged, break off or yeah, I guess these things were not meant to be made to outlast a bunch of overexcited kids, going "berserk", every day of the week. But who am I trying to kid? I would loved to have this thing in my toy collection, even if it might have been damaged, super-glue always were a nice friend in need. The Technodrome (1990)Well, the bad guys need a home too, right? And this beast of a toyset, just looked way more impressive and cool, than the Turtles homebase, I mean look at that thing, it is huge and just as menacing as the one from the original show, and most kids I knew, did prefer to own this playset, over the Turtles one. Yeah, one of the kids in my class had this, and it were really neat, but he had damaged it (on purpose) and he also had a similar toyset of The Technodrome, but one that was released a year or so, after, and much smaller and in different color, I believe it was blue. Well, I guess I will have to return later on, as writing about toys and nostalgia is sure fun, but could take up a while, as there is just so many of those memories and all kind of toys to go with them as well.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 28, 2021 14:28:43 GMT
I guess with the whole Turtles Ninja and mutant trend or craze of the late 80s and early 90s, there were a time when many business men, most likely saw the huge dollar signs and potential of cashing in on handing out similar toy franchises. While the original story and character of Toxie and Tromaville, had already seen the light of day in same year as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arrived in comic book format, Troma Entertainment delivered the hyper violent and extremely gory, yet hilarious splatter-cult-classic of The Toxic Avenger, which later on, incredibly got turned into a kiddie show, during the early 90s. The Toxic Crusaders (1991)However, this show did not last for very long. Kind of sad, as I remember a classmate of mine, picked up the fist comic from a toystore for free (a similar way of promoting, like with the first Norwegian Turtles comic, which also were handed out as freebies) and it really was quite something, funny and had so much potential. Then not long after, I noticed some other in my class, had suddenly gotten their hands on a few neat new action figures, and at first, I thought they were part of the Turtles universe, but instead it was a complete new brand, but I guess before the animated tv show could arrive at the tv screens, it was all over. Someone pulled the plug, and Troma lost out a lot of money, as I remember kids seemed to really like these new mutant figures and toys, as they worked well along with the Turtles figures as well, so it was kind of like a double dose of greatness all together. But looking back, I guess it is no surprise the whole Turtles link up, as producers Walter Kubiak and Fred Wolf were involved with both animated shows during that time, but where Turtles lasted for almost 9 whole years and served as one of the longsest running animated tv-shows, The Toxic Crusaders left us only with 13 episodes, and 1 season. Have never seen any of it, still I kind of feel like we missed out on something back then, I wonder how many other cancelled and similar themed animated series got the same treatment around that period. I remember someone tried to hit big with Street Sharks, again, never remember if any of the episodes actually made it to tv, but some of the toys sure did hit the toystores, but it did not last for long, until they too were gone. I guess Bikermice from Mars and Power Rangers were the one who came closest, in re-capturing a bit of the same Turtles mania feel, while many other surely failed or did not stand a chance.
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