Category Archives: Toys from 1970s

Classic Slinky Toy still made in the USA

Original Slinky

Slinky is another favourite with kids of many generations, simply falling or slinking down the stairs still keeps the kids entertained, for a while at least just dont get it it tangled up. Just place it at the top of the stairs and then move one end partly down to the next step and watch it move down with that memorable swoosh noise.

The Slinky began in 1945 as part of an antivibration device by Richard James an American naval engineer. He thought the spring might be useful as a toy because of its comical walking behaviour. During his work one of the springs fell to the floor and seemed to ‘walk’. continue reading>>

White version Easy Bake Oven

Easy Bake Oven

Launched in 1963 and one of Hasbro’s top-selling items in the following decades and still respectable sales in current times. Easy-Bake ovens continue to be used some 50 years later. Over 30 million ovens have been sold and over 150 million mix refills used and counting.

Invented by designers from Kenner Products now owned by Hasbro the first oven was turquoise and included a fake stove top and included a carrying handle. 500,000 were sold @ $15.95 in the first five years.

Many children’s first baking experience was using an Easy-Bake oven. They allowed kids to pretend to be grown up by having their own cooking set and with the ingredients allowed them to experience the awe of mixing and then a short time later tasting their creations… and if they had some left decorating them. continue reading>>

Downfall think ahead so you do not get trapped and lose

Downfall

Downfall was initially made in 1970 by MB games. It is a 2 player game that promotes forward thinking and planning.

Each player sits either side of a vertical board and both players have ten discs, either red or green with numbers on them.  The aim of the game is to get all of your discs to the bottom of the board first by turning the cogs, however the other player is not allowed to turn the other players last cogs.

Downfall think ahead so you do not get trapped and lose

Players have to plan ahead to ensure that they do not become trapped by the other player or their own discs are not taken out of order by the other players move.  It has recently been relaunched by toy giant Hasbro under the name of New Downfall with yellow and red discs. continue reading>>

How many marbles can your Hungry Hippo eat

Hungry Hungry Hippos

Hungry Hungry Hippos was released in 1978 by MB Games.  A game for 2 to 4 players where the aim of the game is to get their individual hippo that they are in control of to eat as many marbles as possible.
How many marbles can your Hungry Hippo eat

The hippos are controlled by a lever on their back and when the player pushes the lever the hippo opens the mouth and extends the neck to Gobble up the marbles.  They are situated on each side of a game board and are all brightly coloured.   The names and the colours of the hippos have changed over the years with the last changes being made in 2009, however the game play and rules have all stayed the same.
In 1991 an arcade version of the game was built with tickets given for the amount of marbles eaten. A live action version has been   talked about by film studio Emmett/Furla. continue reading>>