I just can’t get off the Christmas Catalog kick. There’s so much cool stuff to pore over. Now I remember why I spent so many hours staring at this stuff as a kid. Tonight we forego the usual toys to check out the miscellaneous items that were released early in the 80s line’s launch. From toothbrushes to ride-ons, there’s something for everyone here. I think the success of Star Wars merchandising is to blame for the sheer amount of non-toy Joe product.
Now we're getting into the catalog years that I surreptitiously followed as a burgeoning adult collector. First off, I'll admit it--I bought 1989 Batman toys. Okay, maybe just Batman and Bob the Goon, but can you blame a kid collector turned teen comic geek? Getting into comics after dumping the…
I realize that I promised another big Joe vehicle for this part of the catalog coverage, but I thought I'd change it up and go with the pages covering Cobra rides and other smaller price point (and flying!) items. First off, I have to admit that the backgrounds in this…
The small and medium vehicles (here dubbed the combat and battle series) get the spotlight in the next page of the 1985 catalog. Like the other sections, there's a mix of old and new, and the Joes and Cobras are again cast about on the surface of a toy planet…
This type of merchandise shows how a powerful brand was a cash cow in more ways than one back in the day. Star Wars certainly pulls that off today. But, Hasbro had to make a lot of money with all this licensed swag. And, they likely reinvested that money into the line to keep it expanding each year.
Absolutely love the tootbrush holder.I have a “power wheels” Joe RAM cycle for little kids in my basement.I wonder how rare some og=f this stuff is. This is my first time seeing alot of it. Great Post Rob!!!
I’m telling everyone: that Cobra Battle Game is FUN! If you spot one for cheap, don’t hesitate to pick it up. And I think I need that toothbrush holder!
Love!!!!
The biggest thing here is that mug and bowl…. I had that back at that time. No idea what happened to the bowl, and the mug ended up in a lot of “non toy” stuff I sold not too long ago.
I should have kept the mug.
Hindsight….
This type of merchandise shows how a powerful brand was a cash cow in more ways than one back in the day. Star Wars certainly pulls that off today. But, Hasbro had to make a lot of money with all this licensed swag. And, they likely reinvested that money into the line to keep it expanding each year.
”Amazing detail of the 3 models in the color catalog photo. They look so real.”
Absolutely love the tootbrush holder.I have a “power wheels” Joe RAM cycle for little kids in my basement.I wonder how rare some og=f this stuff is. This is my first time seeing alot of it. Great Post Rob!!!
I’m telling everyone: that Cobra Battle Game is FUN! If you spot one for cheap, don’t hesitate to pick it up. And I think I need that toothbrush holder!
Love!!!!
The biggest thing here is that mug and bowl…. I had that back at that time. No idea what happened to the bowl, and the mug ended up in a lot of “non toy” stuff I sold not too long ago.
I should have kept the mug.
Hindsight….
I love the ride ons. Drooled over that sled in the catalog.