Automotive (and other) toys from our childhood

[SfanGoch]

The smaller ones were about 4" long. You can find the set on eBay for $50-80.

[unclescott58]

The smaller ones were about 4" long. You can find the set on eBay for $50-80.

Followed up with a search online shows quite a few pictures of these blocks. My memory was correct from what could see. One could build buildings kids could play in with these blocks.

Here is one I can not find anything about online. I remember an ad in early 60's comic books were you got a number of little plastic cars in a set for low price. It was kind of like the 100 Dolls for $1.00. But, with cars instead. I don't remember exactly how many cars you got. Or for how much money. I seem to remember that the cars were modeled after real cars. Regular cars. I beleive there was for example, a 1960 Rambler. An early Valiant. And a '59 Thunderbird. Beyond that, I remember very little. I do know I always wanted a set.

[SfanGoch]

There's this one

[Dave Van]

I remember buying the 'bag of 100', 3 different kinds,   with cars, planes and trains......I have a handful of each around that I have found at shows etc.....what a deal....penny cars, planes and trains!!!

[unclescott58]

There's this one

That's not it. I may have run across the ones I'm thinking of on a toy soldier website. There was a company called MPC. No relationship to the MPC model company we all love and know. This other MPC made plastic toys. Mainly toy soldiers. In 1954 they offered a set of cars based on real 1954 automobiles. They were small and crude, but did represent real cars. All were American models I believe. They did an updated series of cars in 1961. Now including both American and foreign cars. They were offered both through retail. Mainly 5 & 10s. And in ads in comic books. Beside the two series mentioned above, they also did a classic cars series. The '61 cars and classic cars were made and offered until about 1970. I am 99% sure that these are the cars I'm remembering seeing in the comic books.

Looking at the cars online, I may have owned several. Or played with others who owned these cars. The '61 series had the names of the cars molded on the rear decks. From reading online, the '61 Comet may have been listed as an Edsel. Which is what the Comet was originally suppose to be. When I read that, I seem to remember that on their toy. My folks had a real '61 Comet. So that would have stood out to me. They also stated the Alfa Romeo was listed as a Alpha Romeo on its deck lid. That I don't remember.

Looking at the cars, I'd love to own a set of the 61's especially. They look pretty cool. And there are several for sale on eBay. The right set comes up, I may be buy some.

[Snake45]

Never saw the cars, but I had little airplanes that were the same deal. You could buy bags of them at the dime store (or somewhere). Molded in red, yellow, blue, and green. No constant scale, all about the same size. Some were pretty accurate.

[Tom Geiger]

I have a bunch of those little cars!  If you search through boxes of old Matchbox cars at flea markets you may come across a few. That's where I found mine.

The set in the ad were hard plastic, I remember getting those out of the claw machine in arcades.  The rest of the ones I have are all soft plastic. I have some of the 1961s,  but also some 1950s cars that don't have names on the trunk.   Since they still sell bags of the same army men and cowboys, it makes me wonder if the mold for the cars still exists.

Edited May 22, 2016 by Tom Geiger

[Ace-Garageguy]

...Alpha Romeo...

I always wondered why they'd name a car after the number one pool-boy.

[unclescott58]

Got my smoking monkey in the mail today. First time in nearly 50 years since I saw one of these in action. I don't know what the little "cigarettes" really are. Once you light one, they sent a jet of flame that you have immediately put out. Right away, not a good idea for kids. After the flame is blown out, the "cigarette", which is about 1 1/8" long, consume themselves very quickly. Burning themselves all way down in about 1 minute. Then it's done. Now as it was smoking, you do get smoke rings. But it is so fast, it kind of takes the fun out of it.

The monkey only comes with 5 "cigarettes". But more can been ordered on eBay. I think somebody is offering just the cigarettes, for about $10 for 40. Is it worth it? I don't know? But, it does make a great conversation piece.

[Ace-Garageguy]

"Got my smoking monkey in the mail today."

Yup, sounds like a good conversation opener to me. 

 

Edited May 24, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[SfanGoch]

Got my smoking monkey in the mail today. First time in nearly 50 years since I saw one of these in action. I don't know what the little "cigarettes" really are. Once you light one, they sent a jet of flame that you have immediately put out. Right away, not a good idea for kids. After the flame is blown out, the "cigarette", which is about 1 1/8" long, consume themselves very quickly. Burning themselves all way down in about 1 minute. Then it's done. Now as it was smoking, you do get smoke rings. But it is so fast, it kind of takes the fun out of it.

The monkey only comes with 5 "cigarettes". But more can been ordered on eBay. I think somebody is offering just the cigarettes, for about $10 for 40. Is it worth it? I don't know? But, it does make a great conversation piece.

40 for $10? Heck. that's pretty good. Depending on where you buy them here, a pack of smokes costs $14.

The "cigarettes" are tightly rolled paper. A monkey "toothpick joint", if you will.

[peteski]

40 for $10? Heck. that's pretty good. Depending on where you buy them here, a pack of smokes costs $14.

The "cigarettes" are tightly rolled paper. A monkey "toothpick joint", if you will.

I used to have one of those figures with smoke-ring blowing cigarettes when I was growing up in Poland in the '70s.  It wasn't just rolled up paper - the smoke smelled funny (like a burning table-tennis ball). I think that the stuff in them was celluloid.

[SfanGoch]

I used to have one of those figures with smoke-ring blowing cigarettes when I was growing up in Poland in the '70s.  It wasn't just rolled up paper - the smoke smelled funny (like a burning table-tennis ball). I think that the stuff in them was celluloid.

From what I just found, the cigarettes consist of a celluloid rod wrapped in tissue paper:

Smoking Monkey Cigarettes

[peteski]

From what I just found, the cigarettes consist of a celluloid rod wrapped in tissue paper:

Smoking Monkey Cigarettes

Ah, so I remembered it correctly.  Maybe I should pick some of those little cigarettes and relive my childhood . . .

 

BTW, that Google book is an interesting find. It really is amazing how much information is out there and how instant the search results are. No more doing research at the local library - the world's knowledge is at our fingertips, without even having to leave out home (or even on those new-fangled smart-phones).

Edited May 24, 2016 by peteski

[unclescott58]

From what I just found, the cigarettes consist of a celluloid rod wrapped in tissue paper:

Smoking Monkey Cigarettes

Interesting link. The red monkey pictured is exactly the one I got. Right down the 5 "cigarettes". Fun to read a little history on them and how they work.

[unclescott58]

"Got my smoking monkey in the mail today."

Yup, sounds like a good conversation opener to me. 

 

It got some interesting comments at dinner last night. The question came up if I keep the monkey with my candy cigarettes? I said, "Or course. You know I really do still have candy cigarettes." My friends thought that was both funny and interesting. But, were not overly surprised hear that I owned these items.

Edited May 24, 2016 by unclescott58

[unclescott58]

Ah, so I remembered it correctly.  Maybe I should pick some of those little cigarettes and relive my childhood . . .

 

BTW, that Google book is an interesting find. It really is amazing how much information is out there and how instant the search results are. No more doing research at the local library - the world's knowledge is at our fingertips, without even having to leave out home (or even on those new-fangled smart-phones).

Watch, because of this conversation, there is going to be a run on smoking monkeys. Making them popular again. ?

[Mike_G]

I have some candycane shotglasses that say "not intended for use under age 21".

 

[SfanGoch]

I have some candycane shotglasses that say "not intended for use under age 21".

 

Boy, those days when the legal drunking age in NY was 18 were sure fun. I was 18 since I was 14. Care to shotgun a coke?

[Mike_G]

Boy, those days when the legal drunking age in NY was 18 were sure fun. I was 18 since I was 14. Care to shotgun a coke?

My family is French, so I was allowed to drink wine at family get-togethers since I was about 12

[unclescott58]

It took a lot of searching to find this one... all I could remember was German windup cars.

This is a German "tin toy" road layout made by Technofix. The cars were wound up with a silver key, and each car would come to a stop when it came to the colored spot on the road. You would control the traffic, avoid collisions, and make each car go again by pressing the correct color tab at the front of the layout.

I had this exact toy as a kid, and again... wish I still had it, as I would assume it would bring a pretty good price on the collector market today.

The above set was still be sold new in the mid 1980's when I bought one. Long after most metal toys like it had disappeared. I found mine at the time at one those fancy boutique, non-chain toy stores. They had many other odd old fashion toys at that store. By the way, I believe the above set was made in Germany if I remember correctly. I kept it only about a year or two, then sold it. I wonder if they're still available?

[unclescott58]

Oh yeah...a chemistry set. First thing I made was amorphous sulfur. What a stench. 

Bill had to mention chemistry sets. As a kid I always wanted one. But, my mother always told Me couldn't have one because of what my cousin Phillip had done with his. What Phillip did do? 

I was never told. A few years back at a family reunion I saw Phillip and told him this story. Then I asked him to tell me what he did. We're sitting at picnic table. I on one side of him, and his small 80 something year old Japanese mother on the other. He looked at her, and turned back to me, and told me he still couldn't tell me. One of his younger brothers sitting across the table just laughed. It was obviously he knew what Phillip did, but wasn't going to spill the beans either. There were some hints over the years that it something with either fire or explosion. Possibly setting the road on fire in front of his house. Or blowing up, or burning a work bench in the basement. I don't know which.

So, because of cousin Phillip I never got my chemistry set. And I never invented the new fuels needed to alleviate the gas crisis to come. Or invent the miracle drug to save all of humanity. Or the fuel to gotten us to Mars and beyond. And of course making me rich in the process. So we can all blame Phillip for the problem the world has today, and the fact that I'm not rich!

By the way. Two important things. My mother was probably right not getting a chemistry set. And most important, not telling me what Phillip did. Because I kind of like both fire and explosions both. And I had a chemistry set, and knew what Phillip did, I would have probably tried to duplicate his results. Even without Philli's inspiration I probably would have trouble with those chemicals on my own.

[afx]

Remember playing this as a kid.

Edited May 24, 2016 by afx

[unclescott58]

By the way, my last line, in the last post I made here, should have read, "I probably would have found trouble with those chemicals on my own."

I don't know why, but if I quote someone else. Then post with my comments. And then try to edit my part. I run in to trouble were I can not get at my lower lines at a certain point to correct them. With the way I write, I seem to forget words and need to always re-edit after posting. No matter how many times I read it before posting it. But, on my long winded replies using others peoples quotes, I run into this editing problem.

So if you read something I wrote, that does make exact sense, feel free to ask me what I ment by what I wrote. Normally it will be only one missing word that makes all the diffence in what I'm really trying to say. I'm not the crazy idiot jerk my writing sometimes makes me out to be. Well... Then again. Maybe I am. ?

I sometime will look at things I posted months ago or longer, and find that need to edit them.

[unclescott58]

 

Wow! Does that look like one boring game. ? I remember seeing those sticks as a kid. But, I never remember playing that game with them. Give me a chemistry set! I can cause more excitement with that. ?