|
A nice follow-on to the recent "Bad Santa" site, this feature from Radar magazine includes the sort of toys a Bad Santa might bring. This time, they're real toys, things you can hardly believe toy companies thought were a great idea for kids (how about an Atomic Energy Lab with a real cloud chamber?! The A.C. Gilbert company thought it was a wonderful idea in 1951!) Yes, it's a look back to, as the Premium subscriber who submitted this site says, "When Christmas was fun." From This is True for 31 December 2006 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Tom Tierney List Price: $6.95 Amazon Price: $6.95 Editorial Review: 8 actresses of the 1950s appear here in paper doll form, each with 3 dazzling costumes from some of her most memorable screen roles. This fun-filled collection features Doris Day, Ava Gardner, Susan Hayward, Jane Russell, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, and Elizabeth Taylor. 8 dolls, 24 costumes. Introduction. Notes.  List Price: $19.95 Amazon Price: $14.96 Editorial Review: In the days before everyone shopped at the local mall, young girls poured over the Sears, Roebuck and company's "Wishbook" to carefully pick the new toys they would ask Santa to bring. And during the Fifties and Sixties, a boom period for doll marketing, the choices were not easy. Dolls and teddy bears sold by Sears during this time were some of the most popular ever made and have become highly collectible today. This big book (192 pages) has selected Sears Christmas catalog pages from 1950 through 1969, divided by year. Featured are Barbie's introduction and such collectible dolls as Mme. Alexander, Tiny Tears, Miss Revlon, Chatty Cathy and hundreds more. A "Must Have" for anyone interested in dolls.  By: Andrew Ralston List Price: $39.95 Amazon Price: $31.56 Editorial Review: The history of Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys and other makers of diecast metal cars has been covered in great detail in many books and magazine articles; by contrast, information on plastic toy cars is much harder to come by. Yet collectors are taking an increasing interest in plastic cars, particularly as the rise in the value of early diecast and tinplate models has put many of these out of reach of the average enthusiast. For the first time, this book aims to provide a systematic introduction to the vast number of plastic cars made during the 1950s and 1960s. Years of research have enabled the author to uncover many fascinating facts about the companies who made these toys. Some were major players in the toy industry, like Tri-ang and Brimtoy in the UK, Norev and Minialuxe in France, Gama and Siku in Germany and Ingap in Italy. Many others, though, were more obscure, and some only modeled one car before disappearing without trace. More than 250 photographs of these toys are included, with the emphasis being on the most colorful and realistic examples, all of them based on real vehicles of the period. In many cases, the toy is pictured alongside its original box, the presence of which can often double the value of the item to a collector. Readers will also find a handy glossary listing the names of many of the companies who were active in this field in the 1950s and 1960s, together with some evocative period advertisements and catalogue illustrations. If you thought that a model car had to be made of diecast metal to be worth collecting, this book might change your mind . . . With 250 color photos, extensive appendices and identification aids this is a must have for any collector or dealer.Recent auction results indicate a growing interest among collectors in plastic toy cars made during the 1950's and 1960's in Britain, mainland Europe, the USA and Hong Kong. This book is the first to take a systematic approach to a neglected area of toy collecting, providing valuable background information on the companies that made these toys and enabling collectors to identify many previously unknown items. Among the many famous toy companies examined are Tri-ang and Brimtoy (Great Britain); Norev and Minialuxe (France); Gama and Siku (Germany); Ingap and Politoys (Italy); Rico and Paya (Spain). In addition, light is shed for the first time on the history of many smaller and more obscure brands. More than 250 photographs of rare and unusual plastic toy cars are included, together with an indication of the prices these items are currently fetching on the antique toy market.  By: Andrew Ralston List Price: $49.95 Amazon Price: $32.97 Editorial Review: Tin toys had been made in Japan before the second World War but they reached new heights of realism in the 1950s. The post-war American occupation of Japan gave Japanese toymakers ready access to the lucrative American toy market and as a result most of the tin toy cars made in this period were based on American vehicles like Cadillacs, Chevrolets, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Packards. Like the real things, these tin toys were big. A small one would be around eight inches long, with some of the largest stretching to eighteen inches. As such, tinplate was the ideal medium to capture the look of American styling of the 1950s, a period when size mattered and car manufacturers tried to outdo each other with the extravagance of their designs, the size of their tailfins and the amount of chrome. During this era of consumerism, Japanese toy production was at its peak, with exotically-named manufacturers like Marusan, Bandai, Yonezawa and Alps turning out vast quantities of tin toys. It proved to be a short-lived phase in the history of toy production. By the early 1960s, tin toys were falling out of fashion for various reasons: their sharp edges gave rise to safety concerns; die-cast models were becoming increasingly realistic and sophisticated, with many action features that appealed to children; the development of plastics in the toy industry made tin toys look increasingly old-fashioned. Half a century later, there are very few surviving examples of these magnificent play things. Bruce Sterling of New York has devoted years to seeking out the very best examples of Japanese tinplate cars and has built up what is probably the world's finest collection of these toys, every one of them in pristine condition, complete with their original boxes which are works of art in themselves. This book showcases 150 examples of the very rarest tin toy cars, many of them never having been pictured in books or magazines until now. Almost every major American motor manufacturer is represented here, together with a selection of commercial vehicles and a significant number of European cars too. All are illustrated in full color and described in detail, and fascinating insights are provided into both the real vehicles and the companies who modelled them, together with a guide to rarity and current values. This is a book that will be treasured, not only by specialist collectors, but by all who are passionate about vintage toys and classic vehicles.  By: Dian Zillner List Price: $29.95 Amazon Price: $26.96 Editorial Review: Dolls and Accessories of the 1950s contains over 590 color photographs of dolls made of hard plastic and vinyl, and accessories produced for these dolls during the 1950s. Company products pictured include those made by Alexander, American Character, Artisan, Cosmopolitan, Effanbee, Horsman, Ideal, Mary Hoyer, Nancy Ann, Richwood, Terri Lee, Vogue, and many other miscellaneous companies. In addition special sections feature personality, comic, cartoon, and advertising dolls. This book provides a more comprehensive overview of the doll products of the 1950s than any one book has ever done. Baby dolls, little girl dolls, teen dolls, and fashion dolls are all pictured. A price guide is also included. |
About the Site
About This is True About the Authors
Prev: Castle Coalition Next: Astrophotography |