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The recent posts about the rare Mego Flintstones playset over in the Auctions forum got me thinking about '70s preschool figure and playset lines. Does anyone else here share my nostalgia for many of these? I guess this question would be directed mostly at those of you who (like myself) were born in the early/mid '70s, as we were the appropriate age during much of this era to be playing with these before going over entirely to "older kid" toys.
It's undeniable that the mid/late '70s in particular were a true golden age for this type of toy, as there was a real explosion of new lines and more elaborate items in this previously low-key segment of the market, which then seemed to die back down again within a few years. Most major toy companies had their own line(s) in this category, or at least an individual item or two. The bigger ones were:
Fisher Price - Little People (these really went to a new level with items like the Castle, Sesame Street, etc., before quality began to decline after the early '80s)
Hasbro - Weebles (started off small, but quickly blew up in the mid to late '70s, kind of defining the whole era)
Playskool - Play Friends & Puzzletown
Kenner - Tree Tots
Mattell - Hub-Bubs
And then there were the individual playsets, such as Playskool's Gilligan's Island, Concept 2000's Bugs Bunny Playhouse and the aforementioned Mego Flintstones. Then of course you had minor knock-off lines, like Putt-Putt and Roll-Abouts (I think that's what they were called?) among others. I suppose you could also include other lines which weren't specifically preschool, but seemed to appeal mostly to the younger crowd and existed mainly during this era, such as many of the Adventure People and the early Schaper Playmobil sets.
So, what were your favorites as a child? And are there any others not listed here that you can think of?
It's undeniable that the mid/late '70s in particular were a true golden age for this type of toy, as there was a real explosion of new lines and more elaborate items in this previously low-key segment of the market, which then seemed to die back down again within a few years. Most major toy companies had their own line(s) in this category, or at least an individual item or two. The bigger ones were:
Fisher Price - Little People (these really went to a new level with items like the Castle, Sesame Street, etc., before quality began to decline after the early '80s)
Hasbro - Weebles (started off small, but quickly blew up in the mid to late '70s, kind of defining the whole era)
Playskool - Play Friends & Puzzletown
Kenner - Tree Tots
Mattell - Hub-Bubs
And then there were the individual playsets, such as Playskool's Gilligan's Island, Concept 2000's Bugs Bunny Playhouse and the aforementioned Mego Flintstones. Then of course you had minor knock-off lines, like Putt-Putt and Roll-Abouts (I think that's what they were called?) among others. I suppose you could also include other lines which weren't specifically preschool, but seemed to appeal mostly to the younger crowd and existed mainly during this era, such as many of the Adventure People and the early Schaper Playmobil sets.
So, what were your favorites as a child? And are there any others not listed here that you can think of?
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