Toys & Games by Variety Product Sales

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I had an epic day last Wednesday, what I thought would be a boring trip to a storage unit turned out to be an amazing discovery! When I found the records and remnants of my father's 1970s toy distribution business including these funky signs he used to use. I have been looking for one of these for years.
My dad's company provided toys and novelties to smaller chain stores (especially Mac's Milk locations) across Ontario and provided them with mostly rack toys and closeouts. While I haven't unearthed any physical toys (yet), I sure have some groovy artifacts in the many invoices and pay ables he had, VPS dealt with all the big names and carried all the Brands, Mego, AHI, Larami, Barton, Aurora, Parker Brothers, it's pretty extensive, here are a couple of examples:


This cool invoice from Grand Toys (distributor for Azrak Hamway and later Mego) shows an order of 576 Batman parachute figure figures, I'm salivating, I don't own one now! Looking at how much AHI Superhero stuff VPS carried, it's not surprising I'm totally obsessed with it now.


This invoice from Aurora shows a big order for the classic comic scenes kits, these are really happy memories for me. I remember putting every single one of these together as a kid and playing with them as if they were action figures.
I've gots tons of this stuff and I've never been happier to go through a pile of boring old company records before!

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


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[kryptosmaster]

Sometimes the most pedestrian of items are the most rewarding.
Rich

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

You are so lucky your Dad was involved with toy distribution when you were a kid!

[Sowth]

Wow congrats Brian, geat treasure hunting!

Funnily enough the main toy wholesaler in Melbourne that supplies all the comic stores etc with their figures is called... Variety Toys

Cheers!
Will

[ScottA]

That is so cool.

[toys2cool]

what a cool find

[Earth 2 Chris]

That's quite a find Brian! I like the sign up above, definitely says "70s". I hope you come across some AHI toys!

Chris

[UnderdogDJLSW]

I would just love to go back in time to see the box of Batman parachutes as it was opened. And then take the box forward in time with me

[Wee67]

That is one amazing, nostalgia-dripping find! You can enjoy your dad and your childhood in one great discovery.

[vulcan2074]

Thats a very nice discovery
Sammy

[palitoy]

I would just love to go back in time to see the box of Batman parachutes as it was opened. And then take the box forward in time with me

I do remember the skid of General Urko dolls, I ripped open almost every case looking for Virdon or Burke. I remember my dad mumbling "I don't think there is anyone else in those" and he just walked away figuring that I wasn't going to be satisfied with that...

That is one amazing, nostalgia-dripping find! You can enjoy your dad and your childhood in one great discovery.

That's just it, this is my childhood, my parents worked a lot so I spent many an afternoon in my dad's warehouse reading Toys Magazine under his shipping desk.

[EmergencyIan]

That's really great and probably an invaluable find, Brian.

- Ian