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What's your favorite obscure kids toy from when you were little?

Apr 24, 2012 8:10 PM

We all know there were the popular toys from when you were little, and then there were the random, one off toys you had that nobody has even heard of, but still love.

For me, it was the SuperCruiser scooter, which was a cross between a normal scooter and a skateboard. This thing was heavy and clunky, but really fun to ride.

http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/forum/longboard-hybrids/105657-supercruiser-skateboard-scooter.html

I was also really into Construx toy line, similar to Lego, but with an alien feel to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmKJyPviEA

What are some of the obscure toys you played with as a kid that some of us may not have heard of?

woothulhu woothulhu

19 Answers answer

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girder and panel.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM5925548707P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM5925548707

stretch armstrong...
I got stretch and the lizard-man guy one christmas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretch_Armstrong

Always wanted a Honda kick-n-go scooter too

one of my all-time favorites was the death star for your action figures with exploding laser cannon and working elevator, trash compactor, and the luke/leia canyon swing. Friggin awesome, and my friends loved coming over to play with it

kamikazeken kamikazeken
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sorry, link for death star: https://www.thetoytrove.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=1347

One kid next door had the millennium falcon, and the kid across the street had an xwing, and I had the land speeder and the tie fighter with exploding panels. We could go an entire saturday just playing with star wars action figs and toys.

Yeah, I know the star wars stuff isn't "obscure", but it had to be mentioned.

kamikazeken kamikazeken
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My parents bought us a saddle at a garage sale and fastened it to the crossbar of our swingset. I rode that fantasy horse to many an adventure. My kid brother had a Stretch Armstrong. He got in a fight with some kids on our street and they stole it, mutilated it, and left the gory remains stretched out over our front porch. It was filled with this red jelly that had oozed out of the wounds that my mom could never get completely cleaned up. That butchered Stretch Armstrong was the most hilarious and sinister death threat I have ever seen.

moondrake moondrake
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Freakin kids.
I had the Fireball XL5 rocket ship.

gidgaf gidgaf
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Anyone else love the He-Man toy line growing up, from the "action damage" and "kung-fu grip" versions, to the hugely awesome Castle Greyskull set with mic?

We fought over who got to talk into the mic on a regular basis, to the point where we broke it.

woothulhu woothulhu
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Speak'n'spell.
Seriously, why doesn't that exist today?

thormj thormj
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@thormj: This is just for YOU! http://www.speaknspell.co.uk/speaknspell.html

lavikinga lavikinga
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Don't know about obscure, but I had Big Jim and accessories as a kid. I think my parents may still have them somewhere...

jsimsace jsimsace
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Oh and one more thing I've never been able to find (you guys are resourceful!):
Giant tinker toys. The ”green sticks” were around 3 feet long, and the hubs were 6” dia.

I hooked them up to the exercise bike to make a pedal-powered helicopter, etc (too bad fire the wall that the hub wouldn't hold green pegs in above 30 rpm!)

thormj thormj
vote-for3vote-against

This stuff: http://www.amazon.com/Bloonies-Plastic-Balloons-Variety-Assorted/dp/B000YXWSAS/ref=pd_sim_t_1

These (launched from the top of the giant metal death slides of my childhood playgrounds): http://www.amazon.com/Guillow-Jetfire-Twin-Pack/dp/B0006FHAXO/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1335321500&sr=1-6

And a Care Bears play-doh set with bear molds and molds for the tummy symbols. My mom "helped" me bake and paint my own bear figurines.

elandria elandria
vote-for4vote-against

remember those little scale model working steam engines that were available at toy stores until the 80's?
http://compare.ebay.com/like/350353763797?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar
my friend had one that was attached to a 2x6 table in the garage, and belts would go from the steam engine to little scaled down power tools.... drill press, band saw, lathe, table saw, etc. We used to cut up popsicle sticks on the little table saw. That steam engine was dangerous but we loved it.

I also got this one birthday in the 70's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPNIau7nIis
(Tin Can Alley)

kamikazeken kamikazeken
vote-for4vote-against

i remember wanting a roller racer when i was a kid:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-Roller-Racer-5000a/dp/B002617HFM

kfujita kfujita
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I loved this toy. I'm glad it is still around -- Magnetic Gyro Wheel

http://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Gyro-Wheel-by-Schylling/dp/B000H66204

mellielou mellielou
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That one toy where there was a spinning disc with magnetic ends that attached to two curved metal rods held together by a handle.

I don't know if it has a name.

curtisuxor curtisuxor
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The VerTbird:

I loved that thing (when my dad wasn't playing with it)

martmann4 martmann4
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@curtisuxor: Gyro Wheel.

martmann4 martmann4
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@martmann4: lol, thanks!

curtisuxor curtisuxor
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My TMNT transformer. Never was able to find more of them, but it was AWESOME! http://www.ebay.com/itm/TMNT-TRANSFORMER-LEONARDO-THE-FIREMAN-/170607988352#ht_500wt_969

tossthedice tossthedice
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I got a Nickelodeon slime gun when I was a kid for Christmas. Apparently it was promptly confiscated because it made way too much mess for my mom to ignore.

cmaxelson cmaxelson

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Apr 24, 2012 8:10 PM
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