I Heart Colorforms!

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If your childhood was anything like mine, then you spent many a quiet hour being entertained by Colorforms play sets. I collect colorform sets as an adult and still buy them for my kids, it's a concept that never lost it's appeal to me.

That's why I can do nothing but rave about Mel Birnkrant's new website "The Colorforms Years" which is a wonderfully detailed insight into his year's working at Colorforms.


Mel takes the time to discuss each year with great detail, showing catalog and prototype images and even goes as far to identify the artists he worked with . As a person who spent years trying to track down people in the toy industry, it really is a treasure to have a person such as Mel, A fellow collector, sharing this wonderful information.

Whether you grew up in the 60s, 70s or 80s this site is so full of information and vibrant imagery you will be lulled into it for hours. Writing this blog entry took me all morning, it's just that good.

Click Here to visit the Colorforms Years and spread the word!

For more Fashion Mockery and 70's toy love visit us at Plaid Stallions.com


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[Bruce Banner]

Ah, Colorforms.
Such good memories.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I was WAY into Colorforms as a kid. The Superman and Batman sets shown in particular were favorites of mine. I still have most of my pieces and backgrounds.

I'll look forward to checking this out!

Chris

[The Toyroom]

That's a fabulous site!

[HardyGirl]

OMG! I've been dressing a GIRL!! I have the David Cassidy dress-up set! That's an interesting piece of trivia about that set! But I still love it! I had 2 Barbie sets and the Hulk as a kid. Now I have David Cassidy, Michael Jackson, GIJoe Adventure Team, Action Jackson, CHiPs, Mork & Mindy, Star Trek, Barbie Deluxe set, Planet Of The Apes, Sesame Street Magic Show and Spidey & Hulk Puzzleforms. I also have newer ones for my pre-schoolers, like Toy Story, Rugrats, Winnie The Pooh, Play House, Play set , Play Castle.

I Colorforms too!

[ScottA]

Wicked cool. Must check it out.

[MEL BIRNKRANT]

Question for hardy Girl

OMG! I've been dressing a GIRL!! I have the David Cassidy dress-up set! That's an interesting piece of trivia about that set! But I still love it! I had 2 Barbie sets and the Hulk as a kid. Now I have David Cassidy, Michael Jackson, GIJoe Adventure Team, Action Jackson, CHiPs, Mork & Mindy, Star Trek, Barbie Deluxe set, Planet Of The Apes, Sesame Street Magic Show and Spidey & Hulk Puzzleforms. I also have newer ones for my pre-schoolers, like Toy Story, Rugrats, Winnie The Pooh, Play House, Play set , Play Castle.

I Colorforms too!

Hi Hardy Girl, And, I guess, according to instructions I ought to say Hello to Everybody, as this is my first post. So Hello! But, alas, it will also, most likely, be my last, as I’m really not a Mego guy.

I guess I never quite forgave them for coming along, a few years later, and doing what I wanted to do, and would have if the OSM had survived. Ha!

Anyway here I am complete with “avatar” just to ask Hardy Girl a question, then, “Me go!”

My website is still a work in progress. I did it, more or less, to try to jump-start my fading memory, and reconstruct a missing gap in my quickly dimming past. The Colorforms catalogues were my guide.

Hardy Girl, reading over the list of Colorforms “you have”, one caught my eye. By the “Sesame Street Magic Show” do you mean the “Amazing Mumford and His magic Colorforms”? I don’t know why I found the comp here, but because it was so attractive, I photographed it and included it in 1978. As it didn’t appear in the catalogues, I, somewhat, leapt to the conclusion that it was never made. If you do, in fact, have one, please let me know and I’ll alter that page.

I’m kinda freaking out and feeling good today. Thanks to Brian’s generous mention of my sleepy little website, it has been flying off the charts, 1500 hits already and, as they say, the night is young. That is the Power and popularity of Plaid Stallions, and the Mego Museum.

Many Thanks, and best Regards Mel Birnkrant

[HardyGirl]

Hi Mel!

Welcome to Mego Museum!

Actually, I don't have the Amazing Mumford playset. The one I have is called the Sesame Street Magic Show in a red box. I think it has Big Bird and Cookie Monster on the box.

Hi Hardy Girl, And, I guess, according to instructions I ought to say Hello to Everybody, as this is my first post. So Hello! But, alas, it will also, most likely, be my last, as I’m really not a Mego guy.

I guess I never quite forgave them for coming along, a few years later, and doing what I wanted to do, and would have if the OSM had survived. Ha!

Anyway here I am complete with “avatar” just to ask Hardy Girl a question, then, “Me go!”

My website is still a work in progress. I did it, more or less, to try to jump-start my fading memory, and reconstruct a missing gap in my quickly dimming past. The Colorforms catalogues were my guide.

Hardy Girl, reading over the list of Colorforms “you have”, one caught my eye. By the “Sesame Street Magic Show” do you mean the “Amazing Mumford and His magic Colorforms”? I don’t know why I found the comp here, but because it was so attractive, I photographed it and included it in 1978. As it didn’t appear in the catalogues, I, somewhat, leapt to the conclusion that it was never made. If you do, in fact, have one, please let me know and I’ll alter that page.

I’m kinda freaking out and feeling good today. Thanks to Brian’s generous mention of my sleepy little website, it has been flying off the charts, 1500 hits already and, as they say, the night is young. That is the Power and popularity of Plaid Stallions, and the Mego Museum.

Many Thanks, and best Regards Mel Birnkrant

[MEL BIRNKRANT]

Hi Mel!

Welcome to Mego Museum!

Actually, I don't have the Amazing Mumford playset. The one I have is called the Sesame Street Magic Show in a red box. I think it has Big Bird and Cookie Monster on the box.

Thanks Hardy Girl. Phew, that saves me having to redo a page. It must have been something that was done after my time. Best Regards Mel

[Marvelmania]

Had those Batman Colorforms as a kid and it kept me busy for hours! Good times!

[UnderdogDJLSW]

I have the Snoopy pop-up and the Batman colorforms. Cool stuff!

[sauce]

OKAY, I completely shluffed off ALL WORK and spent an hour on the COLORFORMS website!!! WHOAAAAAAAA!!!!

So many memories. :-)

[SUP-Ronin]

I almost started one of those "similar but different" threads called
I heart choloroform. But I got it out my my system here.

I don't remember those, but I must have had them.

[Wee67]

This site is awesome!!!

As one the many people who want tons of background info for the things they grew up with, but are just too darned lazy or unmotivated to do anything about it- thanks!! I know where I'm going to be for the nect few hours.

[TheDoLittle]

I too have to give out a hearty welcome to Mr. Birnkrant. Many of our family trips consisted of a backseat filled with a variety of the toys featured in the Coloforms catalog, intermixed with burger wrappers and soda bottles, dancing about in a clockwise motion as my Dad misses our exit once again while he u-turns across four lanes of traffic, startling the snowbirds in the beige Winnebago. Laughing at the look of my younger brother as pieces of brightly colored plastic Spider-Man, Batman, and He-Man along with a half eaten french fry complete with ketchup smear stuck to his face made up for the sudden thrill of coming so close to our mortality. I'm sure I was equally as decorated as he, but it didn't matter... I didn't have a mirror and he looked funny.

I'm a graphic designer by trade, and although I hardly ever get to do it professionally, I love package design. Other than your comps, I don't know how much of your work actually went into the final package, but I have always loved their packaging and displays. Even the Colorform logo itself is a wonderful piece of work.

I also had a couple of those "Tru-Dimension" kits when I was a kid, both "Superman" and the "Star Trek" one. I also think "Space Art" would have been a better choice of names, but then I grew up less than 10 miles from Johnson Space Center and was an incurable sci-fi nut!

Okay, who are we kidding... I still *AM* and incurable sci-fi nut!!

And thank you for clearing up the mystery of "Astro Jerk"! I had one as a young kid, that I think I got at the 5 and Dime, and kept ahold of it well into my teen years. I completely forgot what his name was and seeing his package complete with that awesome Basso art made my day.