The Rat Patrol Flying Spotter Plane (Remco)

Board Game of the Week: The Mod Squad (Remco)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Seaview Submarine Set (Remco)

Playset of the Week: I Dream of Jeannie Dream Bottle (Remco)

Action Figures of the Week: The Creature from the Black Lagoon (Remco Edition)

Board Game of the Week: A Family Affair (Remco Edition)

Playsets of the Week: The Karate Kid (Remco)

Action Figures of the Week: The Karate Kid (Remco)

Action Figure of the Week: Energized Spider-Man (Remco)

Action Figures of the Week: McDonaldland (Remco)

Playset of the Week #2: McDonaldland (Remco)

Star Trek 50th Anniversary Blogging: Official Star Trek Electronic Phaser Gun (Remco)

The Partridge Family Bus (Remco)

At Flashbak: Remco Energized Superheroes (1978)

This week at Flashbak, I also remembered Remco’s Energized Super Hero action figures of the 1970s.

Here’s a snippet and the url: (http://flashbak.com/remembering-remcos-energized-super-heroes-of-1978-362258/)

“Here’s another great toy from my childhood in the disco decade that I have never forgotten. Beginning in 1978, Remco released a number of foot-high superhero figures that were, in a word, “energized.”

I only had Spider-Man, but Remco released Batman, Superman, and the Incredible Hulk in this format as well, splitting their line between Marvel and DC.

This version of Spidey that I remember stood a whopping twelve-inches high, and though he lacked meaningful  articulation,  he came equipped with a variety of gadgets, such as a "Spider Sense Activator," a kind of movie viewer, and a "Spider Light."  Spider-man also came with a web so you could snare the bad guys.  

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man couldn't actually swing from a web, but he could at least hang from a web, which was just as neat.  You could activate the web gadget and watch Spider-Man climb by activating a switch on his belt.

The ads described Peter Parker’s alter-ego as being energized “to climb,” “to pull,” “to lift,” “to throw light” and to “power his Spidercopter.” 

As I recall, Spider-Man seemed to the fulcrum of publicity and toys, because Remco also sold the aforementioned Spider-Copter, a Spider-Man HQ, and even a figure of his “worst enemy,” the Energized Green Goblin…”

Please continue reading at Flashbak.

At Flashbak: Remco's Earthquake an Tower Rescue Playset (1976)

This week at Flashbak, I remembered an absolutely crazy toy from the 1970s, Remco’s Earthquake Tower and Rescue Playset (1976).

Here’s a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/save-many-people-can-remembering-remcos-earthquake-tower-rescue-playset-1976-56726/ )

“Now here is a disco-decade toy that Irwin Allen -- the cinematic master of disaster -- would have likely approved of.

Billed as “the world’s largest playset” and standing a whopping five feet tall, the Remco Earthquake Tower was a mash-up of the biggest Hollywood hits of 1974: The Towering Inferno and Earthquake.

You had, essentially, the high-rise building from the former and the colossal threat from the latter.

Basically, it was a kid’s job to save everyone in the giant playset from a massive earthquake (presumably innocent civilians…), using a plastic rescue squad consisting of 2 rescue trucks and a copter.

The authenticity of the make-believe earthquake was enhanced by a “disaster sound record” a “3 minute, 55 second” vinyl recording accentuating “realism...”

Please continue reading at Flashbak!

At Flashbak: A Gallery of Toy Utility Belts

This week at Flashbak, I remember the toy utility belts of the 1970s, particularly those manufactured by Remco.

Here's a snippet, and the url (http://flashbak.com/gallery-toy-utility-belts-1970s-36441/ ).

"In the disco decade, before video games changed the way kids play, a good make-believe game -- played on the fields, park or trails near your back-yard -- absolutely required a utility belt. 

If you were an officer on the starship Enterprise, an astronaut on Moonbase Alpha, or a superhero defending your city, for example, you absolutely required the right accouterments to get the job done.

Remco was the undisputed king of genre-themed utility belt sets.

That dominance doesn’t suggest that the utility belts made by the company were always high-quality, merely that Remco owned a lot of licenses.  Other companies, including Kenner, also got into the utility belt business while merchandising Star Wars (1977).

The typical Remco utility belt play-set included the actual belt itself: a plastic affair with a large belt-buckle. The buckle would often feature either an engraved or sticker logo of the franchise in question.

Then, depending on the set, a weapon was also included, and also a communicator. The communicator, alas, was not always show-accurate.

For the Remco Star Trek utility belt (which came with a phaser II, tricorder, and a communicator), the communicator was indeed the famous flip-up Starfleet issue from the original series. That same communicator, however, was molded in different colors and also featured as the walkie-talkie in the Hulk utility belt and the Superman variation..."

Continue reading at Flashbak.

The Incredible Hulk Utility Belt (Remco)

Lost in Space 3-D Action Fun Game (Remco)

Lost in Space Helmet (Remco)

Lost in Space Robot (Remco)