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I find it strange (and sad) that many of the pastimes of childhood are now almost exclusively the pursuits of adult collectors. Take Corgi Toys as an example. Back in the '60s and '70s, Corgi (and Dinky, and Matchbox) were regularly churning out dozens of diecast models for kids to buy with their pocket-money (or Birthday and Christmas money for the more pricey items). However, nowadays it seems that such things (like Airfix model kits, etc.,) are primarily produced for the more 'mature' buyer.
Action Man, who, perhaps surprisingly, is still available, even has an advisory on the box saying that it's not for children, but for adult collectors. Eh? Did ol' AM suddenly become a health risk to kids after several decades of being perfectly safe and acceptable? Strike a light! Maybe it's just a manufacturer's ploy to charge more for things.
Anyway, I have a couple of official reproductions of Corgi catalogues (available from the Corgi Model Club) for 1966 and '69, so I thought I'd take you on a short journey back into the past to remind you of some of the great diecast toys that were once available to kids the length and breadth of Britain (and beyond). If only more toyshops still sold such playthings, perhaps children would be allowed to remain children for just a little bit longer than they do today.
Childhood - a time of enchantment that seems to get shorter with each new generation. Sad, isn't it? I'm glad that I'm still a big kid. Anyway, enjoy the pretty piccies and feel free to gleefully reminisce in the comments section about the toys that you once owned.
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| Strictly speaking, the D.B.5 ejector seat isn't operated by 'remote control' |
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| Loads of TV and movie tie-ins featured in this catalogue |
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Love this stuff! In the U.S. it was the Sears Wishbook which we'd be staring at around this time of year. It was loaded with scuds of toys and whatnots I knew I'd never get, but it was so very cool to look at.
ReplyDeleteI agree it's a great shame that kids today aren't interested in collecting (and/or aren't encouraged to collect) the modern-day equivalent of diecast cars, Airfix models or Action Men, all of which played an important part in my childhood. I don't just mean playing with them as toys but (looking back in hindsight) as great educational aids too. All the things I just mentioned were accurately detailed and proportioned, so you got a very good mental picture of what different vehicles looked like (from Dinky and Corgi toys), how aircraft evolved in size and shape from WW1 to the 1960s (from Airfix models) and how, say, the equipment of WW2 soldiers of different nations differed (from the Action Man Soldiers of the Century series, for example). Most toys today seem to relate to media franchises rather than the real world, so the educational side is completely missing.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both, RJ. There's now a Corgi online store in the US, so you might want to consider picking up some of the items you missed as a lad. They have loads of replica models with replica boxes.
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I can't help but feel that today's childhoods are impoverished compared to how we had things, AM. (Just noticed you have the same initials as Action Man.) Everything you say in your comment is true and there's not really anything I can add to it. That usually doesn't stop me of course, but this time I'm stumped for words.
Great choices. I used to love poring over both the Corgi catalogs you show, Kid, as well as the Tri-ang/Hornby catalogs of the sixties and seventies. The run-up to Christmas was a magical time to read those catalogs from cover to cover. Did you ever get Meccano magazine? I used to get it each month just to read the review of the latest Dinky Toy when I was aged around ten.
ReplyDeleteDie-cast cars are still a thing here in the US for kids, easily purchased as impulse buys for $5 or so from drug stores like Walgreens and CVS, although the manufacturers are generally somewhere in China. New Hot Wheels abound for prices around $1, amazingly.
Actually, I don't recall ever seeing any Corgi, Dinky/Meccano, Tri-ang/Hornby catalogues when I was a kid, B, though I may've seen ads for them somewhere. I've got various reproduction catalogues given away with Model Collector and similar magazines, though they're relatively recent productions. I love the two Corgi ones, so well done Corgi Model Club for those.
ReplyDeleteI think really young kids may still buy diecast cars these days, but I was still buying them when I was around 12 or 13, which I don't think happens much with that age range any longer. Not in the UK anyway. I hope I'm mistaken on that though.
Blimey, this post has resurrected an old memory.
ReplyDeleteBack in the '70s, when it was your birthday, you had to bring into school one of your presents to show your classmates. On the day, I proudly brought in my newly-acquired Corgi Basil Brush car whilst someone else in the class brought in...their infinitely cooler Corgi James Bond Moon Buggy.
Zero interest in the Basil Brush car from the class, universal admiration and awe about the Moon Buggy.
I was crushed. Took Basil home, stuck it in the back of my toy cupboard and never played with it again.
Poor Basil. I've got that car - acquired it as an adult many years ago. Got the Moon Buggy too, but it's the reissued model in the correct movie colours, not the 1971 Corgi colour scheme (which looked better for a toy actually).
ReplyDeleteI didn't know those catalogues existed until today! The only catalogues I looked at were the ones containing clothes, furniture, household goods etc. In our house we got a catalogue called Burlington's and later Grattan's. Anyway I always looked forward to the arrival of the Autumn/Winter catalogue because it contained toys and annuals at the back.
ReplyDeleteMy mother used to get Littlewoods catalogues when I was younger, CJ. I used to look at the toys and annuals as well, and also the women's underwear pages. (Though not necessarily in that order.)
ReplyDeleteI remember picking up a few of these catalouges in the toy depots of places like Lewis's, Goldbergs and local toy stores. I loved looking at all the cars , great times.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember ever seeing them in any shops when I was a kid, McS, but it's possible that I just didn't notice them, not that they weren't there. Ah, Lewis's and Goldbergs, now there's a blast from the past.
ReplyDeleteI have a few Dinky/Corgi originals which I bought about 15 years ago, I've also started collecting the Corgi reproduction models although I'm now almost retirement age.
ReplyDeleteOne of my other hobbies is a PC based Flight Simulator but with large screen TV & monitors, and some real panels/switches/knobs. I like the tactile feel from these panels but today there is a drive towards VR with a headset and a couple of hand controls, immersive but not tactile enough for me!
I've got all the Corgi reproductions so far since I joined the Corgi Model Club, and for the most part they're excellent, though sometimes I receive one with defects. They replace them quickly though, with no quibbling. I'd like a flight simulator with Fireball XL5 controls, plus a real-life Venus to sit alongside me. Not asking for much, is it?
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