Make the Phoenix fly

Phoenix, JEM - SRJJ, France, 1979

This toy was heavily promoted in the "Bataille des Planètes" magazine of the same period.

The "gun" inserts in the lower part of the craft, then it's just a matter of pressing the trigger and off it flies !

Leia Slave "original" Kenner-style figurine

Slave Girl Figurine with weapon, 
Stan Solo Creations, 2022

This one is a recreation of a figurine that should have been but never was. Kenner did not feel it was right to put a "slave" figurine out on the market for kids to play with in 1983... even though the Jabba playset had the slave collar ready to be used ! Of course, the Geek fan-base did not let this one go... and here you have it, in all her beauty and naïve sculpting, just like the other figurines of that time...

Top notch detailing !

It's hot on Tatooine !

 

En garde mousquetaire !

Dogtanian /Dartacão, ?, Portugal,
1983-1984 ? 

No markings, but a lovely 
feather on his hat !

The Tudor Rose Atomic Space Gun

box in need of TLC...

Marketing in the 1950's : yeah... just put "atomic" in
the name and it will sell !

Atomic Space Gun, Tudor Rose, UK, 1950's

Green rubber

Spaceman / Superhero ?
No markings - 1970's

This one got a string through his head, a shield and a gun. Not exactly sure where it came from or what it is supposed to represent, but I can remember these as prizes you could get as kids at the village fair duck fishing stands...

Bonne Nuit Les Petits !

Nicolas and Pimprenelle, blown plastic dolls, ?,
1960's, France

One of the first shows on Fench TV specifically designed for the younger kids, it ran first between 1962 and 1973. Read more about it here.

ORTF - 31 cm.

but no markings, ...

Smaller versions of both characters,
 maybe part of a rattle / todler's toy ?

Piforak with his Herculopoing

Piforak Robot, PIF Gadget Magazine
France, 1979

Goldorak being such a success story in France, it was not long before everyone wanted to surf the Super Robot wave. This one here is a build-yourself kit that was given with the purchase of the PIF Gadget magazine, a publication for kids that saw daylight in 1969, but got a lot of hype during the 70ies and 80ies, especially because they were one of the first magazines that came with a "gadget" (little plastic toy or other gizmo) that kids could build themselfves and put in a backpack to bring to school and show their friends during recess.

PIF Gadget nº554, Sep.1979

Announcement in PIF nº553

 The relationship with Goldorak (=PiforaK) and his detachable fists, the Fulgoropoing (here "Herculopoing") cannot be more obvious.

Yatterman - a robot dog with a kepi !

This one is again from an obscure Japanese cartoon that did not air in the French speaking side of the world. But it sure looks interesting !

Yatter Bull Gokin, Takatoku, Japan, 1977, Japan

Put some paper clothes on girl !

Heidi, the girl of the Alps,
 wood and paper, 1970's, ?

Buzzer

Swirl the plane and hear it buzz... that's how kid's kept busy... with a red plane / spaceship with pink wings. Groovy !

Airplane Buzzer, Hong Kong, 1950's-60's

The Sound of Music !

Japan, 1980's

Musical ROBOMARU, Popy, 

 

Just pop 2 batteries and hear the tune of the serie !

Before the Rolex...

Robot 8-chan (Hacchan) kid's watch, ?, Japan, 1981

I would have been the most popular kid on the block if i had a watch like this one back then...

Just thinking that only a few years later, Japan would enter the digital age and sell LCD screened Casio's and Seiko's watches that were as accurate as anything Switzerland could offer...

Marv, Marv...

Marvin the Martian, 1996 Warner Bros., China ?

The war to end all wars

 

Poilu, ? France ?

For me, soldiers of the first WW will always link me to Tardi, one of the great cartoonists that wrote a number of books on the subject... all of them showing there is no one victorious at the end.

Read more about Jacques Tardi here.

Tell me the truth

Princes Diana of Themiscyra,
Burger King, China, 2020

Wooden rocket ?

1960 CAA "rocket"

wood w/metal fins

No idea where this thing came from - (found at the flea market) - seller said it might be linked to Angola ? If so not so much a rocket then some type of artillery shell ?

All I know is these would make excellent futuristic bowling pins !

A Skye Terrier with an accent ?

Pollux (Dougal) Delacoste, France, 1965

In Portugal, the series was known as "Carrossel Mágico" (spelled as "Carrocel Mágico"), and aired on RTP in 1966. The dub was based on the original French version (with the characters having their own voices), and several of the characters were renamed, with Pollux/Dougal being called "Franjinhas". It was also the first foreign children's series to be dubbed into European Portuguese. 

Freedom !!!

Here is a strange rubber toy found at the feira...  made in Czechoslovakia. It is strange how babies in these countries are completely strapped down before being put in their craddles. The word cocoon comes to mind, but is there really a scientific reason to do this ?

Wrapped baby, Czechoslovakia, 1970's ?

Astro, you're full of air...

A bootleg, of course. But I found this one at the "loja do Chinês" for under 5 EUR. And it works ! B/O with spinning fan on top and light in head. Since you don't see a lot of Astroboys in Portugal, this one was a no brainer...

Astroboy, fan, China, 2010's

Why the black nose ?

Anyone has seen these around on Hoth ?

No idea who made these figurines but they are pretty detailed for monochrome plastic ... Maybe part of a board game ?

Snowtrooper and Snowspeeder pilot ?

When all you have is a piece of a moviestill...

Alien Trash Monster (Dianoga), Kenner, USA, 1977

This baby came from the US-version of the (vintage) Death Star Space Station (not the UK / Palitoy cardboard one, but the plastic version by Kenner.

You have to admit Kenner product-designers did a great job when all the source-material they had were some movie stills of only the eye-part of the beast...

Computacar, the amazing car with the memory you control ! or Amaze-A-Matics, The Car with a Brain ?

Computers were all the rage in 1970. Well, a year earlier it helped us land a man on the moon.

So no wonder that the toy business hooked in on that wave. Anything futuristic had to be run by computers, with computers... right ? This red sleek car had a programable chassis based on pre-cut cards and was sold with a bunch of cones to organize wild slalom competitions !

Computacar, Mettoy, Hong Kong, 1970

Chevrolet Astrovette !

To be relevant with the real world, most of the astronauts were seen driving Corvettes too - read more of it here...