Retro Toy Flashback Thursday # 4: Colorforms!

Y'all remember Colorforms, don't you? Way back in the disco era of the 1970s (before Atari 2600 came along in '78) and before Kenner introduced its great Star Wars action-figure line, Colorforms were THE place to go for hours of playtime and excitement. What did you say? You don't recall 'em?

All righty then, here's a quick refesher course: Colorform toys originated with a business called Colorforms that was located in Norwood, New Jersey, and each set came in a long, rectangular box. Colorforms were printed in the United States. Each Colorform "adventure set" consisted of four components: a box cover featuring appropriate (and often very beautiful...) art, a little adventure booklet, a long rectangular "playboard" featuring some interesting backdrops, and, finally, approximately thirty-or-so plastic pieces on a backer board (usually these pieces consisted of heroic figures, neat vehicles and even laser beams...). You would then fit together the pieces, position 'em on the playboard and thus create various action set-pieces. When you were done positioning the flat pieces, you'd clean up the board and start all over, fresh. Cool huh? As late as 1992, I saw Power Ranger Colorforms in stores like Toys 'R Us and Wal-Mart. Does anyone know if they're still being made today? And more importantly, do kids play with 'em?

Anyway, an important part of my toy and memorabilia collection in my office includes a selection of classic Colorform adventures sets. I own the original Star Trek Colorforms set (interior and box

art featured at top), a great set from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, one from my personal favorite, Space: 1999 (interior and figure board pictured above, slightly right, and below left ) and even one from the cartoon Flash Gordon (pictured above, left). The general merchandising idea was - much like model kits or lunch-boxes - to successfully tie-in Colorforms to popular TV series and movies of the day.

As a kid, I also remember seeing Holly Hobbie Colorforms, and many, many other sets as well. The only problem with Colorforms is that it was easy to lose the little pieces you stick on the board, and after some-time playing with the sets, the figure pieces would tend to lose their adhesive properties, meaning that pieces would fall out of place and off the playboard. But that's another story.

Go ahead and enjoy my selection of Colorform pictures - both exteriors and interiors - on this Retro Thursday Toy Flashback, and revel in a fun and inventive toy that kept many of us X'ers entertained for hours (and sometimes days...) as tykes.