Category:
Toys
Toys
Gobbles the Crazy Eating Goat
Kenner released Gobbles The Crazy Eating Goat toy in 1978, but they soon discontinued it. There may have been concerns that children would eat the plastic bits of fake garbage (designed for Gobbles to eat) that came with the toy. But also, the toy was branded one of the worst toys of the year by the Consumer Affairs Committee of the Americans for Democratic Action organization. They objected to the "concept of paying for garbage," and also didn't think Gobbles taught kids a good message about how to treat animals.
Washington Post — Dec 8, 1979
However, the toy made an impression on filmmaker John Waters. He shared his thoughts about it in his essay "Why I Love Christmas":
For years friends have treated me to the toy annually selected by the Consumer Affairs Committee of Americans for Democratic Action as the "worst toy" to give your child at Christmastime. "Gobbles, the Garbage-Eating Goat" started my collection.
"That crazy eating goat" reads the delightful package, and in small print, "Contains: One realistic goat with head that goes up and down. Comes complete with seven pieces of pretend garbage."
This Kenner Discovery Time toy's instructions are priceless. "Gobbles loves to eat garbage when he's hungry, and he's ALWAYS hungry. (1) Hold Gobbles mouth open by the beard. Stuff a piece of pretend garbage straight into his mouth and (2) pump the tail until the garbage disappears."
It ends with an ominous warning, "Feed Gobbles only the garbage that comes with the toy," and in even smaller print "If you need additional garbage, we will, as a service, send it to you direct. For 14 pieces of garbage send $1 (check or money order; sorry, no C.O.D.) to . . . . "
I can't tell you the hours of fun I've had with Gobbles. Sometimes when I'm very bored, Gobbles and I get naked and play-play.
"That crazy eating goat" reads the delightful package, and in small print, "Contains: One realistic goat with head that goes up and down. Comes complete with seven pieces of pretend garbage."
This Kenner Discovery Time toy's instructions are priceless. "Gobbles loves to eat garbage when he's hungry, and he's ALWAYS hungry. (1) Hold Gobbles mouth open by the beard. Stuff a piece of pretend garbage straight into his mouth and (2) pump the tail until the garbage disappears."
It ends with an ominous warning, "Feed Gobbles only the garbage that comes with the toy," and in even smaller print "If you need additional garbage, we will, as a service, send it to you direct. For 14 pieces of garbage send $1 (check or money order; sorry, no C.O.D.) to . . . . "
I can't tell you the hours of fun I've had with Gobbles. Sometimes when I'm very bored, Gobbles and I get naked and play-play.
Here's some video of Gobbles doing his thing:
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 23, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Toys
Chicken Croquet
Coolest. Games. Ever. from Athena G on Vimeo.
I'm willing to bet that this is one of a very limited number of toys whose genesis can be traced directly to someone making a bad pun.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 07, 2016 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Toys, 1990s, Jokes
Anchor Stone Building Blocks
Another weird old playtoy for building stuff. Very pricey on Ebay.
Wikipedia entry here.
A blog post here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jun 23, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Toys, Europe, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Johnny Horizon
"Mom, Dad--I want to grow up to be an EPA field-worker like Johnny Horizon!"
Such were the words probably never actually spoken in the early 1970s, when the icon of Johnny Horizon was launched by the BLM. But if any lad or lassie did utter such a wish, then they could have been placated with the Johnny Horizon Environmental Test Kit. Parker Brothers showed a little poindexter hard at work in their ads for the kit.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 15, 2016 -
Comments (5)
Category: Geeks, Nerds and Pointdexters, Government, Nature, Toys, 1970s
Miniature Grand Prix
This is what we did before video games.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 02, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Games, Toys, 1960s, Cars
Action Man
For what started as a GI Joe ripoff, this toy seems to have evolved its own complex mythology. Not sure about propriety of "Bulletman," since that was and is a DC Comics character.
Full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 16, 2016 -
Comments (5)
Category: Toys, 1960s, Europe
Newest Must Have Trend
These creepy so called "God dolls" are a new popular trend coming out of Thailand. Not all of them have the disturbing third eye markings but all are supposed to be inhabited by a child's spirit. They are purported to bring good luck when loved and cared for. Because, yeah, that's where I hope kids spirits go, into a creepy doll to bring good luck to some yuppie jerk.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 29, 2016 -
Comments (5)
Category: Gods, Toys, Myths and Fairytales
Little Brother
In 1967, Creative Playthings began selling the French-made "Little Brother" doll in America. It was an anatomically correct baby boy doll designed to encourage "acceptance of body differences."However, some American mothers regarded the thing as an abomination and protested to have it removed from the market. Said one protester, "We believe children should not relate sex organs with play. We think this is carrying 'educational' playthings too far."
Cincinnati Enquirer - Nov 7, 1967
Frank Caplan, founder of Creative Playthings, with "Little Brother"
Newsweek - May 29, 1967
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 19, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Toys, 1960s
Atom Bomb Toys
Italian toy maker Brumm normally makes miniature models of fancy sports cars (Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, etc.). But in 2006, the company decided to release models of the "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They sold, at the time, for around $10 — but now go for around $36, if you can find any in stock.When the company debuted them at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, the bomb models generated a lot of controversy. The media described them as "Atomic bombs for the children's bedroom," and critics said they were in poor taste.
The company defended itself, insisting that its intent was to "provide a small historical contribution so as not to forget what generated the worst catastrophe of the twentieth century” and that the bomb models were actually a protest "against the insanity of nuclear war."
Of course, these weren't the first atomic-weapon toys ever produced. See this earlier post: Make nuclear war in your own home.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Dec 09, 2015 -
Comments (6)
Category: Toys, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, Weapons
“Life-sized” Alien Facehugger & Egg
Too bad this won't be available until April 2016. Imagine the screams of terror, as depicted, when your lucky first-grader opens this under the Xmas tree.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 20, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Aliens, Death, Toys, Children, Eggs
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |