Summer Toy Thread!!!

[ddgaff1132]

Call them what you will. Summer, Seasonal, Outdoor or as we used to call them, Beach toys. These were the cheapo toys especially made for vacation fun. And usually they never lasted til Fall. I'm talking about Vinyl toys like the Pale and Shovel, Sand molds and boats and vehicles that pop up on toy shelves around Spring.


This is one for example. Though this particular one was aimed at the Barbie color scheme. The dune buggy was suspiciously scaled to fit the GI Joe, Big Jim and Mego scales.
In my experience. We spent our Summers at a PA lake named Canadohta. Soon after arriving at our rental cottage. We would head out for supplies. That's when it was imperative to get the Beach toy to make Summer Great!!!

[HardyGirl]

As a child, the only "beach" or summer toys I owned were:

a Malibu Barbie
a lorg green plastic shovel w/ a face (I called him Mr. Shovel)
a beach ball
an orange Astro Squirt gun

When I was in Target last weekend, I was in the dollar section when I happened to see a 3-pack of cheap Astro Style squirt guns, similar to my old beloved one (as seen on the cover of this catalog):

Superfriends Toys: 1974: HG Toys

I loved this thing. It was the only squirt gun I ever owned. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the cheapies in Target. Even though I'm not a proponent of guns, I had to buy these. As a kid, all I ever did w/ it was squirt it out of my bedroom window through the fire escape, 3 stories up. I'm sure anyone below who get hit w/ stray drops either thought it was raining, or some kid was spitting out the window.

[mazinz]

Do they even still make those vinyl vehicles anymore?

[4NDR01D]

One of my grails is a large beach inflatable I had as a kid that was in the shape of a hand. It was huge and when you put it around your body it looks like you were being held by a giant monster hand ALA Faye Ray and King Kong.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I never touched a beach until 2 years ago. I spent many a summer in a kiddie pool though, so I had plenty of inflatable pool toys. A local drugstore had Ideal Super Hero beach balls and swim rings for years. I think I still have a Superman beach ball in the package somewhere around here. I also had a beach ball with Supes, Batman and Wonder Woman. It was pink!

Oh, and (Brian will love this) a Love Boat beach ball covered in hearts!

Chris

[ddgaff1132]

Yep. Companies like American Plastics Co. Are still producing seasonal toys like the pale and shovel sets. I miss the water wheel's though. You remember??? They had a funnel at the top and you poured the water in and it trickled down over several or one wheel. They still offer the sand sifter. But after all those beach comers with metal detectors. I imagine the kids today as mini prospectors rather than playing. LOL

[samurainoir]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Batman-Inflatable-Ideal-Swim-Ring-Pool-Toy-MIP-1974-/180907077331?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item2a1ee6eed3

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Love that Infantino-esque face on Batman, but looks like Ben Cooper may have designed it, with "BATMAN" emblazoned on this chest like that!

Chris