Toys tagged with 60s

Air Blaster Gun

When a toy is yanked from store shelves after a relatively short run, it is usually for one of two reasons – it is either unpopular or unsafe. And perhaps not surprising to anyone, the unsafe ones are often pretty popular at the time they are pulled. Such was the case with the Wham-O Air Blaster, a toy with endless possibilities, some of them relatively dangerous. Let’s take a look back at this fondly-remembered toy that came and went with a bang.

Ants in the Pants

Army Men

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Some say it’s hard to keep a good man down. Nothing more true could be said about Army Men: green plastic soldiers fixed to a molded base, which stand defiant in the face of oppression, tyranny, and latent childhood aggression - as they have for over fifty years. Let's take a look back at these valiant toy servicemen from yesteryear.

Barbie

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Perhaps the best word to describe the iconic children’s toy, known simply as Barbie, is “invincible.” In the battle waged to win the hearts and minds of little girls (and more than a few boys) everywhere, the toy battleground is littered with thousands of battered beauties, all whom failed to knock this iconic princess from her lofty pedestal. In name recognition alone, real people like Princess Diana and Mother Theresa don’t hold a candle to Barbie, a doll that, for over the past five decades, always seems to emerge unscathed and ready to show the world why she is the queen of style, the princess of fashion, and the most beloved toy that perhaps the world has ever known.

Barrel of Monkeys

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All games would like you to believe that they are oodles of fun to play, but only one can boast that it is as fun as a barrel of monkeys? In fact, it is a Barrel of Monkeys! And for over four decades, kids have played with these interlocking primates for hours on end in this endearing and enduring game that tests one’s patience and coordination like no other.

Baseball Games

Battleship

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Strategically place your fleet out of harms way and pray that your number (and letter) doesn’t come up. In the seas of war, torpedoes are flying and coordinates barked at an ever-increasing pace. It’s going to take a little logic and a lot of luck to win this battle, all fought within the confines of dueling plastic L-shaped game boards. This is Milton Bradley's Battleship, “the classic naval combat game!”

Bozo’s Grand Prize Game

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While working on the Chicago-based Bozo the Clown show in 1962, producer Don Sandburg had a great idea for a contest. Called the Grand Prize Game, it soon became apparent that seemingly every kid in the area wanted in on the action. The stakes were high – a silver dollar and a Schwinn bicycle for any kid that had the ability meet the challenge. Today, we take a look at this memorable game, both on television, and in the arcade game that followed.

Candyland

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Not since the days of the historical chocolate and peanut butter merge has there ever been a pairing so heavenly as that of board game and candy. Images of gooey confections, locales that would bring a diabetic to their knees, all wrapped in an easy-to-play board game – is it any wonder that it caught on with the little ones?