Remembering Those Great Toys Of The Baby Boomer Era

Discussion in 'Other Reminiscences' started by Joe Riley, Jan 13, 2021.

  1. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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  2. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Mattel's Dream Car
    Dates: 1953

    Creator: Mattel Inc.

    "Mattel made this "Dream Car" in the 1950s. According to the Mattel catalog of 1953, the car was available in four futuristic colors of Red Blaze (pictured), Chartruese Dreamliner, Black Diamond and Blue Bullet".

    "It was described as "The only car of its kind in the world of toys. Low slung, impact resistant plastic body. Permanent, high gloss chrome trim. BOMBER BUBBLE transparent convertible top. SPEED STREAK friction motor. 4 furturistic colors. Individually packed in eye catching 3 color box."
    [​IMG]
     
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  3. Peter Renfro

    Peter Renfro Veteran Member
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    My "rich" Aunt got me one similar to this one Christmas,
     
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  4. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    [​IMG]
    Steam-driven boat.

    puttputtputtputt.......
     
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  5. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    [​IMG]
    You assemble the multiple-part body on the chassis and then run it into a wall or a chair leg. The spring-loaded front bumper/plunger pushes in and the body parts go flying all over the place.
     
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  6. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I have never seen one of those.

    It reminded me of the candle-powered steam boat I posted a pic of above.

    Did you use "alternate" fuels for it?
     
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    Last edited: Jan 27, 2021
  7. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I had one of these:
    [​IMG]

    ...and I had one of these:

    [​IMG]
     
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  8. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    It wasn't a toy, but I remember when I got my Daisy Pump B-B Rifle for Christmas. Look out Sparrows, here I come! Why Sparrows? Because Sparrows crapped all over our farm equipment.
     
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  9. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    ...and house sparrows are not Federally protected, because they are an invasive species. Feral pigeons and European starlings are also fair game. Anything else carries the risk of jail time.
     
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  10. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    My favorite was an electric train and maccano set
     
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  11. Mary Robi

    Mary Robi Veteran Member
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    I always wanted a chemistry set. Every Christmas, I asked for one and got a nurse's kit instead because, as I was told, "chemistry sets are for boys."

    Now, that surprises me, because my mother was very "liberated" for the day. I think she just didn't want me blowing up the house.

    I wanted an erector set, too, and got Tinker Toys instead. Once again, erector sets were "for boys". I suspect it was because Tinker Toys were cheaper......
     
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  12. Peter Renfro

    Peter Renfro Veteran Member
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    Alcohol cubes
     
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  13. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    That stinks, although the erector set I had was a hand-me-down. I really enjoyed my chemistry sets. The ChemLab came with a small hydroponics set. I recall sprouting beans in the windowsill in between making invisible ink and burning sulfur in the kitchen.

    There was a lab supply place in town I would frequent to get beakers & such. The guy had a shop in the back where he would prep deceased animals for college biology classes. He injected red and blue dye in their circulatory systems. It was a funny thing to have in that small town, over by the tracks and the defunct railroad station. We were not a university town. The place always smelled of formaldehyde.
     
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    Last edited: Jan 29, 2021
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  14. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I don’t really remember having any special favorite toys, although I had a good variety of them. I was an only child, and my mom taught me to take care of everything, so my toys all lasted almost forever.
    I think what I would choose would have been my cowboy gun and holster sets, and I was always getting new ones of those. I had an allowance of 50 cents a week, and if I saved it up for something like a new holster set, then my mom would go half with me, so I only had to save up enough for half of the price.
    I remember having those little rolls of caps that went in the capguns, so that they sounds more realistic when we were playing cowboys and shooting our guns.

    49C45DCA-48DC-4016-8187-CE68516B4A55.jpeg
     
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  15. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Dale Evans cap gun with leather holster
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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    Last edited: Jan 31, 2021
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