“Suddenly a mild mannered street machine changes into nearly a foot of road gobbling racing machine.” They were kind of like Transformers… before Transformers!

“K’NEX — the new snap-together color-coded construction set.”

In 1963 Mattel released the V-RROOM! series of vehicles with a common attribute: the sound of a roaring engine.

“Now you can make your own fun by making your own crayons.”

This 1966 in-store advertisement promotes the Green Hornet Signal Ray from Colorforms.

“Purrfect getaway.”

Released in 1974 from Mattel, the Big Jim U.S. Olympic Ski Run brought “scarifying ski jumps and downhill runs” to the 10-inch action figure line.

“I want a snack — I’m a hungry bear!”

Released in 1980 from Hasbro, the Electronic Snoopy Playmate was an electronic activity center for children ages 3 and up.

“Hey, Mr. Potato Head! What do you got for us?”

In 1987, Matchbox released the Pee-Wee Herman Talking Doll, part of a line of products based on the Emmy Award winning TV show, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.

“Ever since I got my new Snoopy Pencil Sharpener, life just hasn’t been the same.”