Sunday, April 22, 2018
Kenner 16-Page Fun Catalog (1973)
Found an old 70's issue of Whitman's Wacky Witch recently, and though it's full of cute art and silly stories, none of that comes close to the awesomeness of the Kenner 16-Page Fun Catalog inserted right in the middle of the whole thing! Yes, brilliant toy advertising in the guise of a comic book itself-- inside a kids comic??!! And 1973 was a big year for me (I turned 6), as this was the year that I think I really began to take notice of toys and toy commercials and most importantly the fact that I could actually choose what I wanted to get for my birthday or xmas! Every kid had a Spirograph, and I'm pretty sure I had some of the Chip-Away Sculptor sets, though I don't think it was Flintstones-- but I absolutely, and with utmost certainty had the SSP Racers (cars and motorcycles), the incredible Smash-Up Derby, and the Snoopy Toothbrush! What did you have?
I had a TTP set with the pump ramp action. I remember motorcycles instead of cars, and I had ramps and junk to jump over--but that stuff never worked very well. (While we're at it, I also had the Ideal Evel Knieval stunt bike set. It was very similar, only one turned a crank instead of pumping.) I always wanted the demolition derby cars, but never got them. So I just busted up what I did have! Of course, I had a lot of SSP cars, too. They were way better because they looked "real". Also, they could endure a ton of childlike cruelty. I had the Snoopy toothbrush too. I didn't even have a sister to hog it half the time.
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of the Chip Away sculpture sets. That's really interesting. Collectible minifigs could be blind packed that way. Just buy the cube and start chipping right there in the parking lot. It's time to get that idea back off the shelf again.
I love the art on the Snoopy and Flintstones pages. It looks like the same artist to me (probably the same guy did the airplane model page, too). It's great stuff. My favorite page here is the Baby Alive Doll ad, though. Man, I love the way the friend just loses her damn mind over watching someone squirt non-toxic "doll food" into that toy's face hole. "Comes out the other side!" Oh boy!