For the third installment of this occasional feature (you can read entries from
2017 here and
2019 here), here's another selection of print ads for the toys, sweets, books and games of my youth.
As always, there's a certain amount of charm on display here - the ads are often hand-drawn and with muted hyperbole - as well as a lovely sense of wistful innocence, though that might just be the reminder of
stamped, addressed envelopes,
postal orders and things costing pennies.
Here, then, are a few more ads of our childhood, I hope they spark some memories for you...
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| 1976 |
I remember these, though I seem to recall that it was difficult to make a proportionate face because everything quickly got out line (perhaps making it more fun). And look at that competition - a movie projector and a full-length horror film (I wonder what it was?)
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| 1976 |
I remember the ad, I don't remember the sweets at all though
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| 1978 |
I was always a sucker for product that gave away stickers (this was clearly Golden Wonder jumping on the
Star Wars bandwagon). In a nice twist, ten years after this ad was first published, I was working for Golden Wonder...
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| 1978 |
My sister Tracy had the Corgi Juniors version but this, with it's detailed interior, is clearly the Superkings version. And look at that ad, everything is by hand except the brand logo!
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| 1978 |
Sometime after this ad, I became a huge fan of Brian Bolland (look at that intricate artwork!) and Forbidden Planet quickly became a shop I was desperate to get to (though it would be the mid-80s before I actually got there). To my delight, 34 years after this ad appeared, I was signing a book at the Shaftesbury Avenue shop -
see my post here.
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| 1978 |
I don't remember David Prowse's little blond mate at all.
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| 1978 |
That design of toy gun was very popular when I was a kid - you cracked the chamber like a normal revolver and inserted those ring caps that made a lot of noise, sparks and smoke. Great stuff!
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| 1979 |
From Cheeky comic (which seemed to do a lot of half-page ads like this), the Whizz Kids books were great fun. I had 'How To Be A Detective', my horse-mad sister had the 'Ponies & Riding' one.
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| 1980 |
Not a huge fan of the cheese spread but, hey, action transfers (
which I wrote about here)!
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| 1980 |
Well, with the Hulk and Black Hole lollies (look at those terrific colour/flavour schemes!), Wall's were certainly trying, weren't they?
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| 1980 |
Smurfing sports....
"Dad, if you need to get petrol, can we find..."
"Hold it, I know what you're going to say, there's a new Smurf out isn't there?"
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| 1982 |
I was perhaps a bit too old for the concept then but I used to daydream about winning a competition like this, wondering just how many goodies (be they Action Man, Star Wars or whatever else I liked at the time) I could load into a trolley in a hurry. In fact, sometimes, I do still wonder the same thing (and my arms are a lot longer now, to reach further onto the shelves...)
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| 1982 |
A chocolate bar, for 10p. I'll just let that sink in...
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| 1983 |
I remember having one of these games (mine was a monkey, in a tree, chucking bananas) - we truly were living in extraordinary times in the early 80s!
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| 1983 |
Not the best
Superman film but certainly the most fun. I remember these cards because sometimes you'd accidentally brush the surface with your arm and have to start again...
If you're interested, more of my Nostalgic For My Childhood posts can be found here
I remember every ad as though they appeared only yesterday for the first time. I've said it a million times, but I say it again - just where does the time go?
ReplyDeleteWhere indeed?
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