Plastic Fantasies!

Does anyone remember getting that big box full of plastic? Those little men, the tanks, the Tee Pees, castles and more! Of course we do, they were Play Sets! That wonderful box of plastic that took us to another world. We could fight wars, go to a gas station, plants some crops and become a knight all on a Saturday morning with cartoons booming somewhere off in the distance!
Depicting heroes and villains and much more, these simple boxes of processed oil kept us occupied for hours.

Toy Soldiers were made and collected way back in the time of mummies and the Spinx in ancient Egypt, but were really popularize in the mainstream of everyday children's toys in the USA by the Louis Marx Toy Company. Some of the original sets were that of toys soldiers and the like but in time Marx began to include play sets with everyday themes. Gas stations, Sears, Pet Shops, Doll Houses, construction sites, roman times and much more! In time, Marx began to use officially licensed themes as well including Elliot Ness and The Untouchables, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Walt Disney characters and much more.

Most play sets were sold in a big rectangular box that was packed with mainly plastic parts that were finely detailed. Most had one main structure such as a gas station, pioneers fort, or construction office. They there would be medium sized accessories that would fit into the sets theme such as a group of automobiles, launch pads, store stock and the like. Below I will list some of the harder to find, and therefore more valuable sets that Marx made.

-BEN HUR

The Ben Hur Set's were released in 1959. There were a few different versions of the set. All were packed with action posed figures in the Colosseum and on the streets of ancient Rome.

Released sets:
Series 5000, Marx #4701. Largest set released
Series 2000, Marx #4702. Medium sized set
Series 1000, Marx #4692. Small set, 132 pieces
Blister Card Set Marx #2648. Sold on cardboard backed card on rack


STAY TUNED KIDS, THERE'S MORE TO COME!

(As with all my articles, if you feel I have provided wrong info please email me)

Pivotal Toy Companies

The early days of toys were very basic although there were some exceptions. There are records of pieces found from 4000 BC that were believed to be part of an early checker or chess type game. This was an exception. Most were handmade from wood or scrap metal. They were no moving parts or complicated assemblies. Most were made by the child's parents at home. Toys began to take off a bit more in the 16 and 1700's. The mid to late 1800's saw a change in toys. They started becoming more detailed with some moving parts. Manufacturers started popping up such as Lionel trains in 1901.

MARX TOYS

In 1919 one of THE most influential toy manufacturer's of the 20Th century was started by Louis Marx and his brother David. They had 2 policies the first was "Give the customer more for less" and "Quality is not Negotiable". In the beginning Lou took other peoples toys and marketed them very successfully but within 10 or so years he was a millionaire and began producing some of the world's most memorable toys! Remember those play sets in big boxes full of army men and cowboys and the like? Marx toys! How about Big Loo, the Big Wheel, Rock'em Sock'em Robots, Johnny West, Stoney Smith and countless others! All Marx toys!
To get an idea of how popular a toy company Marx was, in 1955 Marx sold over $50 million dollars in toys and spent $312 in advertising! In contrast Ideal toys sold $6 million dollars and spent $500,000 in advertising. That's unreal! Sadly this began to catch up with Marx with the dawn of television and the baby boom that was looming. Marx Toys managed to stay family owned until 1972 when it was sold to the Quaker Oats Company. Quaker never was able to recreate the magic of Lois Marx and not to mention the beginning of the electronic and video game boom, and in 1982 closed it's doors. In my opinion as well as thousands of others, Marx toys was THE best toy company ever.


IDEAL TOY COMPANY

Back in 1903 Morris and Rose Mitchum had an idea for a simple toy. It was a little stuffed bear. They put them in their store window and sales did OK. Around the same time, then President Theadore Roosevelt went on hunting trip. The President's staff had a Bear tied up for him to shoot. Teddy refused to shoot the bear as he felt, rightfully so, that it was defenseless just sitting there tied to a tree. Word of this spread and eventually made the papers. Morris and Rose had a brainstorm! Why not write the President and ask if they could call there little stuffed Bear's. Teddy's Bears? They did, he said yes, and the rest was history! By 1907 they started Ideal Novelty and Toy Company and eventually would change the name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938. The company was sold in 1982 to CBS Toy Company which ended up closing. Many of Ideal's toys are still made today by various companies.

Marx and Ideal are just 2 of the many influential companies. There would be many more to come such as Deluxe Reading, later changed to Topper Toys, Remco, Mego, Kenner, Hubley and many more. Sadly, most of these are now gone. Today's toys just don't seem the same. So much is expected from modern toys and there's not much room for children to imagine. Ahh the good old days...

Welcome To Toys Of Your Youth!

Hello All! My name is Anthony and I am am vintage toy colletor/buyer/seller! I love collecting vintage toys and love selling people a piece of their past! When your day is going bad and it's been hetic, all it takes to turn it around is to look at a toy that brought you joy when you were a child. DOn't believe me? Take a look at ebay or some of the other vintage toy sites out there. People are spending BIG money on toys that sold for $5 or $10, 40 or so years ago. From Erector sets to cap guns, it's a big hobby.

I am writing this blog for a few reasons. One is to educate people on a toy they had and may want to purchase now, another is to show you some of the toys I have collected through the years. It can act as a guide of sorts, to let you know what a toy is worth. I encourage people to send me a note if they have a specific question about a toy. And last but not least, I am doing this because I LOVE IT!

I will be adding regulary to this blog so be sure to keep checking in. I will include photos, video, prices etc. Be sue to follow my blog and if you like building models, I also have a blog dedicated to that, http://tanksinplastic.blogspot.com/ . Thanks for stopping by and check in soon for my first article!