Weirdo Toys

Archive for the ‘Used & Abused’ Category

“What, Me Worry?”

Monday, November 19th, 2007

So, I’ve been milking the toys I found at the Allentown Antique Toy Show for all they’re worth, but worry no more. This is the last one.

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By now, you all can guess what drew me to this goofball. What’s not to love about a squatty, nappy-headed, balding Alfred E, Neuman lookalike dressed in a generic red and green Batman suit?

Precisely. Absolutely nothing.

As usual, I don’t know what this toy is. I asked the guy I bought it from for some info, but he didn’t really know anything either, but he’d been told it’s the Japanese equivalent to MAD Magazine’s Alfred E Neuman.

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I guess it could be Japanese. Unfortunately, there’re no production markings or legal info anywhere on this guy.

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Well, he does have freckles and a tooth gag (the reverse of the gap-toothed Alfred E. Neuman).

MAD Magazine - Alfred E. Neuman

I scoured the web for any info on this toy, and I found a couple of images, but no real vital info. The only thing that I found that resembled this toy was this caveman doll (it is basically the same toy, just re-decoed as a caveman) referred to as “Happy Chap” and this Effanbee doll, “Happy Boy.”

MAD Magazine - Alfred E. Neuman lookalike -

If anyone has any info about this weird Alfred E. Neuman inspired toy, please share. The handful of people that have even seen one of these really needs to know what it is

Posted in Comics, Funny, Human?, Superhero, Used & Abused | 8 Comments »

“What, Me Worry?”

Monday, November 19th, 2007

So, I’ve been milking the toys I found at the Allentown Antique Toy Show for all they’re worth, but worry no more. This is the last one.

(Click to enlarge)

By now, you all can guess what drew me to this goofball. What’s not to love about a squatty, nappy-headed, balding Alfred E, Neuman lookalike dressed in a generic red and green Batman suit?

Precisely. Absolutely nothing.

(Click to enlarge)

I guess it could be Japanese. Unfortunately, there’re no production markings or legal info anywhere on this guy.

(Click to enlarge)

Well, he does have freckles and a tooth gag (the reverse of the gap-toothed Alfred E. Neuman).

MAD Magazine - Alfred E. Neuman

MAD Magazine - Alfred E. Neuman lookalike -

If anyone has any info about this weird Alfred E. Neuman inspired toy, please share. The handful of people that have even seen one of these really needs to know what it is

Posted in Comics, Funny, Human?, Superhero, Used & Abused | 6 Comments »

Time to Wind Down

Thursday, November 15th, 2007

Here’s a look at even more little toys I picked up at the Allentown Antique Toy Show. They’re old wind-up toys.

This first guy is just a goofy-looking sheriff with rifle-in-hand and an arrow through his head. I love the expression on his face. It’s the “Crap! Did that just go through my head?” look. He has no markings other than “Made in Japan,” so who knows where he comes from? He’s cute (even with his badly painted ammo belt and rifle that looks like a tommy gun).

Also, I think he’s a boozing sheriff. Just look at that red nose

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The next two are marked “©1967 Frankonia” (I haven’t found any reliable info about this company, but I have gathered that they produced various tin and wind-up toys). The keys and walking mechanisms still work for these two, but they are a bit slow. I’m guessing they’re from a series of Nursery Rhyme wind-up toys.

I picked them up, because they’re just really funny looking. I love the genuine expressions of sadness and concern on their faces. They’re not your typical children’s toys emotional states, that’s for sure.

This guy looks like he could be Little Boy Blue.

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Look at the truly sad expression on his face! Poor kid! They must’ve just woken him up (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the original nursery rhyme for clues).

Little boy blue, come blow your horn
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn
Where is that boy who looks after the sheep?
Under the haystack fast asleep
Will you wake him? Oh no, not I
For if I do he will surely cry

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The other is Humpty Dumpty (Wow! The second Humpty Dumpty toy on the blog!). I’m sure you all know his story. Looks like this is the “pre-fall” Humpty. He may even be on his way to a formal. Top Hat? Cane? Cumberbund? C’mon!

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He’s worried he can’t make it over that wall.

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If anyone has any info on Frankonia or any of these wind ups, feel free to share. Thanks!

Posted in Antique, Cute, Nursery Rhymes, Used & Abused, Western, Wind-Ups | 6 Comments »

Super Juniors – Batman and Robin

Monday, November 5th, 2007

“Holy diaper rash, Batman!”

It’s Batman and Robin as you’ve never seen them before. They’re 7″ vinyl squeeze toys… and they’re babies.
These lil’ fellas were my first find at the Allentown Antique Toy Show.

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I found no true origin for these toys, but I have discovered a couple of Super Junior comics that were printed in the 80s. I’m not sure if there’s a direct tie-in with these dolls, but the character designs do seem similar.

So, is anyone else like me in thinking that these toys look a lot like the old Big Boy restaurant character? Only thing Batman and Robin need are hamburger trays in their hands.

Either way, the dynamic duo never looked more precious.

INFO UPDATE:

I recently got my hands on the old Mexican Comic, Los Super-Juniors Edición Especial, previously mentioned in this entry. I was hoping it would provide some good reading or goofy images or something. Well, as it turns out, there really isn’t much good stuff in there. The drawings were mostly bad and the panel layouts and stuff were just badly composed. Here are a few of the most decent images featuring the Super Juniors as a group.

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If I ever get really, really bored, maybe I’ll go through this comic again and find some more pages to post… or I’ll get an intern to do it (I’m looking at you Doddsy-boy).

Posted in Cartoons, Comics, Cute, Human?, Superhero, Used & Abused | 13 Comments »

Allentown Antique Toy Show

Sunday, November 4th, 2007

Last weekend I flew up to Allentown, PA for my first big toy show. It was the Allentown Antique Toy Show at the Allentown Fair.

Here are my impressions:

1. I was the only guy under 50 in that place.
Seriously. I felt like I was surrounded by my grandparents. It wasn’t a big deal, but unfortunately, this meant the collections and the items for sale weren’t really directed toward my generation or my budget… and it smelled kind of weird.

2. I couldn’t afford a damned thing.
Yeah, i know i should expect some price mark-up for old toys, but most of the pieces that caught my eye ended up being between $175-$400. I’m way out of my league here. I’ve been spoiled by finding great stuff at flea markets

3. I felt like I was walking through a toy museum.
The place was huge and filled with history. From original Disney toys to Sambo dolls to old Transformers. It was unbelievable how diverse these items were. These toys were from all over the world and most of it was in tip-top shape.

4. It was freakin’ great!
I did manage to walk away with a handful of good finds, and I’ll post them all soon. All-in-all, I had a good time. Just like any toy show, you can never predict what will be there. You just have to hope for the best.

Here are some random pics from the show. Most of the vendors didn’t like my taking photos of their stuff, but I did manage to get a few toy shots (eat your hearts out Chris and Duane )

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