Toy Stories Archives : Page 5 of 6 : The Retro Network

Sit‑N‑Spin: The Classic Toy That Made Us All Dizzy With Joy

Carnival rides were one of the coolest things about being a kid. Getting strapped into a Tilt-A-Whirl or Tea Cups and then being spun around was the next best thing to an out-of-body experience. Of

The Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure: How a TV Icon Became a Toy‑Aisle Legend

Mickey Yarber

If there was ever a television series that demanded a toy line for its merchandise, it was The Six Million Dollar Man. This classic series chronicling the adventures of a half-man, half-robot government agent named Steve

Lazer Tag: High‑Tech Hits and Pure 80s Power

Mickey Yarber

If you were a kid in 1986, you probably remember the hype. For months before Worlds of Wonder finally released Lazer Tag, the company built up suspense to unbelievable levels with a series of teasing

Etch A Sketch: The Mechanical Marvel Behind a Generational Favorite

Mickey Yarber

It’s a nice feeling to finish an Etch-A-Sketch picture you’re semi-proud of. “It actually looks like a tree this time!” you tell yourself. But then that brainy cousin of yours shows you the portrait he’s Etch-A-Sketched and

Just Add Water: The Magical Story of Sea Monkeys

Mickey Yarber

There have been plenty of toys that allowed children to put their natural creative energies to work. Legos, Erector sets, and countless other similar items let kids build elaborate kingdoms and complex machines to satisfy the need

The Cultural Legacy of Milton Bradley’s Mystery Date

Mickey Yarber

Oh, the anticipation! Any minute, that door was going to open, and your destiny would take its form. Would it be the hunky bowler, that adorable ski boy, the beachgoing dreamboat, that dapper young dancer

Electric Football: The Buzzing Gridiron of Our Childhoods

Mickey Yarber

Ever since enterprising toymakers hit on the gimmick of combining electricity and sports, many a fan has whiled his rainy-day hours away over miniaturized electric versions of his favorite outdoor games. Few U.S. sports are

The LED Revolution: How Mattel Electronics Football Invented Mobile Gaming

Mickey Yarber

For a lot of people, their first experience with any kind of video game football was the classic Mattel Electronics Football.

Looking Back at Creepy Crawlers

Mickey Yarber

Before flowers from the neighbor’s yard and boxes of melty chocolate, little boys were known to give Creepy Crawlers to the girls they had crushes on. Oh, don’t wrinkle your nose…nothing says “maybe we can

Battle Beasts: Small Figures and Big Battles

Mickey Yarber

“Fire burns Wood! Wood floats on Water! Water puts out Fire!” Battle Beasts finally gave us the answer to a question that has plagued mankind since the dawn of time: If animals were bred into

Shrinky Dinks: The Oven‑Baked Toy We’ll Never Forget

Mickey Yarber

Gather ye ‘round, gather ye ‘round! Shoulder yourself in amongst the crowd that’s growing around the oven and take a gander through that glass…magic baked goods are transforming before your very eyes! We’re not talking

View‑Master: How a Simple Viewer Became a Window to the World

Mickey Yarber

If you took any pride at all in your toy chest—and we hope you did—it surely contained a View-Master. When the action figure war simulation wound down and you needed a short intermission before you

The Big Fun That Came From the Little GUTS Action Figures

Mickey Yarber

Toy soldiers have allowed kids all over the world to be the generals of their own armies for many decades. These enduringly popular toys have seen many variations from the basic green plastic soldiers that

M.U.S.C.L.E: The Pink Wrestler Army That Took Over the 80s

Mickey Yarber

You thought the WWF had some bizarre characters? Please. Anybody who wanted to see some real oddball wrestling action in the mid-80s took a visit down to the M.U.S.C.L.E. arena. Those brawny battlers on television may have

Big Trak: The Programmable Tank That Drove Our Childhoods

Mickey Yarber

November of 1979 was the moment the future finally arrived in the American living room. When the holidays arrived a month later, many American children (mostly boys) were treated to the toy of their dreams,

Toy Stories: The Skip-It

Jeff Sheldon

One toy that any kid from the 90s is likely to remember is the Skip it! Don’t remember it? Well, I’m sure you’ll remember the catchy theme song from the commercials that repeatedly played while