# Old Toy Ads in Comic Books



## joeslotcar (Mar 12, 2003)

Here is a cool link to some old toy ads from 60's comic books. I remember these like it was yesterday.

http://www.tomheroes.com/Comic Ads/toy ads/toyads.htm


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## pool207 (May 24, 2009)

I can't help but wonder why current HO manufacturers won't do ANYTHING to promote the hobby.


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

Rumor has it when we grew up there was less Lawyers. That Slot cars were a toy you can sell them at "Toys are us" They are less stringent on what can be sold at hobby stores. Like erector sets did they turn into plastic? Give you kid some gas for his teather car. 
Slot cars get hot alot little parts electric, Gas cars enough said, Metal erector sets.
Expensive ads :freak:cant sell all over to pay for ads
I guess there a differant world out there.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

pool207 said:


> I can't help but wonder why current HO manufacturers won't do ANYTHING to promote the hobby.


Why do you say that? Back then HO slot cars were something new and interesting and captured a young audience. Today there is much more technology to dazzle little minds. High performance HO stuff is more of a niche market but mainstream players like Autoworld and LifeLike are certainly still promoting HO scale slot cars. I was at Hobby Lobby recently and saw the new LifeLike slot cars sets and quite a few cars on hooks. Target has a number of 1/43 sets and accy's. There may not be the same saturation as the 60's and 70's but slot cars are still thriving in retail some 40+ years later.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Toys-R-Us? I remember dad buying my slot cars there when it was called "Bargain Town."


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Slott V said:


> Toys-R-Us? I remember dad buying my slot cars there when it was called "Bargain Town."


LOL Bargain Town was a magical place back then! Thanks for the memory!


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Thanks for the link Joe!! That link leads to others on the site and I found this!!

http://www.tomheroes.com/Comic Ads/misc/wubble_bubble.htm

This little bubble toy was my dad's baby!! His contribution to the toy world. I can remember being about 7 years old, and there being 100's of cases of these in the garage. He never could get the marketing problems solved and while it was a cool toy, the advertising dollars weren't there to get widespread sales. Most sales were in CT. From what I've been told, there is one at the Smithsonian Institution. Anyone ever get one of these?? Just curious...


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

This toy is the oldest memory of a toy for me. I've collected old toys for nearly 25 years but I spent some 10 years trying to figure out what it was before the internet became a resource. I had this Trik Trak set when i was 2 1/2 years old and my mom didn't believe I could remember back that far. When I did find out the name I was thrilled and immediately went to eBay to find one. I ended up buying 2 different sets. When I got the package it was amazing to refresh my memory. All the little accessories had been at the bottom of my toy box for years and I never knew what they were for before this. The funny thing is I remember the car being pretty big when holding it. When I opened the box some 40 years later the car was tiny. Funny how the scale of life was so different at 2 1/2.


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## bobwoodly (Aug 25, 2008)

I had one toy that was similar to an ad listed in the link. An Aircraft Carrier "The Mighty Matilda" that would creep on the floor had working plane elevators, and launched planes with some sort of slingshot action. I can still remember the TV ad with the song Waltzing Matilda. I'm guessing circa 1965 or so.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Holy carp!!! I had one of those Trik Traks too!!! I believe I was about 4 or maybe 5. Same here with being unable to recall the name, but then I never did any research to figure it out!! Thanks for the flashback SlottV!!


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

I had the trik track too! I can remember being a little bitty guy too, but I couldn't remember what that track was called! I do remember taping it down to the wood floor because the car hitting the track would kick it out of line, and then the car would miss a turn and promptly disappear under some large piece of furniture.


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## charleshudgen (May 13, 2012)

Good to know that I have same with me that collecting Trik Traks too. I had one toy that was similar to an ad listed in the link. Thanks for sharing this thread and remind us this too.


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## aurora1 (Oct 6, 2008)

THanks for posting the link. There is a toy ad on the bottom of the page for a Wreckmobile. I had one as a kid and have been trying for years to remember the name. They were metal and we loved crashing them into everything. They would explode (come apart) and you reassemble and go again. Messed up many a furniture leg with those.


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## eastside johnny (May 13, 2008)

Pretty cool stuff


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

lol...when I saw this post I thought it was gonna be about spud guns, x ray glasses and sea monkeys 

Cool ads though!


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

I like the Vac-U-Form. Always wanted to have one. God, making your own toys. It sounded to me being the master of creation. Didn't know how it worked 'cause I never saw one for real. None of my friends had one, although it have been available in Germany as Mattel had placed ads in Disney magazines.

I was also after those little sodiers ads we saw in american comic books which from time to time popped up with friends. Luckily I never saw them in the flesh as they must have been really tiny and would have proved disapointing to us. But as our english was more or less none existend we only read so many figures, vehicles or ships for such a small amount. Although at the time the exchange rate was not in our favour.

Comparing the ads from the states with the ones we had it is interesting to note that on your side of the pond they wehe more relying on drawings where as over here more real pics were the norm.

Nayway those were the days. 
Gosh I'm getting sentimantle. Is it a sign of getting old???

Mario


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Mario, nah not getting old. we call it seasoned! like a good hickory or oak! redwoods too! LOL


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

Hi Al,

seasoned sounds good. From my addiction to old m/c's another term comes to mind. "authentic & unrestored".

Mario


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