Dimension X

The best time to be a kid had to be the 1960's. No offense to those born in the last 30 years, but the toys produced then have to be the most imaginative. Just like everything else that was produced at the time, ideas were exploding & experimental. Companies & their designers were pushing themselves to be more colorful, original, & from an artist point of view,...exciting! But you don't have to be an artist to appreciate the beautiful graphics & design sense. Nothing since has been so fresh, & the talents behind the scenes should be applauded for inspiring our generation of "Baby Boomers".

Licensing was a prime ingredient, just like it is today. But when a company designer plastered an image of your favorite Television Character on a Cardboard Box, you could see that baby scream to you from a good distance away. The paper & cardboard items are the most valuable today, as most of it was disposable & was eventually destroyed or thrown away. Toy store chains did not exist like today. Instead the shopping was done at the local department store. In the New York area we had KORVETTES, TSS, MAYS, ALEXANDERS,...even the neighborhood pharmacy had a spinner rack of stuff, & the Grocery Stores had Machines that dispensed everything from Rings, Figures, & PEZ. Well, you might say, "What's he talkin about, we got those now"...The only difference is, the items may have been cheaply made, but they were damn cool! Much cooler than the unimaginative crap of today.

Here are examples of cardboard boxes, yes,...just boxes. But because of the awesome packaging designs & Licensing appeal, these disposable items are practically non-existant today & fetch insane prices. The whole idea of something having real value, is because they were thrown away & not many, if any, survived...

Hanna Barbera's "SPACE GHOST" & "FRANKENSTEIN JR." undoubtably coerced many kids to take their baths. Just something as simple as a colorful image of a favorite character will save distress on the parents part. A child will feel comfortable & excited to take their bath with their heroes staring at them from the soap-scum edge of the tub. This 1967 "Purex Bubble Club" Box also features mail away offers on the back. T-Shirts, Towels, & Wash Cloth Sets, to custom order with Hanna Barbera icons, like SECRET SQUIRREL, ATOM ANT, PRECIOUS PUP, & THE IMPOSSIBLES. I remember my grandparents had a box of this Bubble Bath in their upstairs bathroom cabinet in the early 70's. I have only seen 1 other example of this box in the last 30 years. There is also a SECRET SQUIRREL Bubble Club Box, & The FLINTSTONES too...

Like Cardboard dipped in Gold. That's what you'd think if you heard what these damn things sell for. The "BATMAN" Television Series of 1966 was a merchandising explosion. Many companies did extremely well, due to the unique appeal & quality of the show. The gorgeous graphics plastered on the Toy Boxes didn't hurt none either. But by 1967-68, the fad was dying out. Everyone had had enough & it's because of the overkill, that the few items produced in 67 are now the rarest & most valuable items. Especially a disposable Cardboard Box. The "Phoenix Candy Company" of Brooklyn, NY, made it's riches from their "Coney Island Salt Water Taffy" & it's "Now & Later" candies. By the late-60's, they were producing tons of these generic "Candy & Toy" products, marketed with many different Licensed Characters on the boxes. This 1967 "JOKER & HIS PALS" Box is extremely desirable among "BATMAN" Collectors. They are rarely seen & there are about 8 different examples, each side with a TV Villian as a playing card. The sides read, "Joker Poker" & exclaims, "Collect the complete deck"! Another reason they are scarce,...they were cut up to make a deck. Good luck finding one of these,...you can pay yer rent if you sold one in good condition...

Now we move on to a plastic battery-operated device. All this company had to do, was produce & paste a different Character, or Property Image Sticker in the center, & BAM!,...another Best-Seller. These were some of my favorite toys. Very simply a tiny bulbed "Wrist Flashlite". But what makes it more cool, is the 1968 property it's connected with. All the "Irwin Allen" Shows were successful & I watched them all. "LAND OF THE GIANTS" was an expensive & imaginative series. Inspired by "Gullivers Travels", "Dr. Cyclops", & other films where people are either shrunken down, or enlarged, in a hostile environment. Like all of Allen's shows, "LAND" was greatly merchandised. "Bantamlite" of NY produced different styles of flashlights for children to play with. This is one style that wrapped around your wrist like a watch, with 3 colors to beam your light with. "Bantamlite" Licensed practically every Fantasy show, like THE MUNSTERS, ZORRO, THE GREEN HORNET, & so many more. But by the 70's, "Bantamlite" seemed to flicker out into toy history.

NY's "Multiple Toymakers" produced some of the shlockiest & poorly sculpted Figure Sets & Toys. But because of the type of characters they Licensed & the poor marketing, some of their merchandise is now valued in the thousands. Mostly spinning rack stuff. This 1967 "SUPERMAN Water Gun" is one of the few beautifully designed & packaged items I've seen by "Multiple". There was a pharmacy on my block that had these, & I went through about 3 of them. The water always leaked out through the seams, or the trigger was too stiff. Great Al Plastino-style artwork on the header card. Another Scarce example of a disposable item that rarely worked when it was new.

Us American kids did not have too much Japanese TV Stars marketed over here as toys. Not like today with the influencial Manga explosion, & the awareness & means to acquire from another country. The 60's had a good many Japanese Anime Imports here on TV, but practically none of the great Licensed toys came with it. So I'll end todays column with a Board Game that I'm sure, would have sold if it was available here. From the genius Anime mind of Osamu Tezuka, comes his most Famous characters, "ASTROBOY", "KIMBA", "THE AMAZING 3", & "BIG X". All rolled together in one huge collection of games to play. From "Koide Shinkosha" of Japan is a beautifully illustrated quality product from the mid-60's. Great minds think alike, & the Japanese Toy market produced sometimes better quality, & equally beautiful designs, in the pop environment of the 1960's...