Vintage Toys & Games

Following the success of UNO, International Games Inc. (IGI) released another family-friendly card game, Grabitz, in 1979. Inspired by Spoons, Grabitz is also a last-person-standing game for 2 – 6 players.

Released in 1978 by Lakeside, Intercept: The Electronic Search and Destroy Game is a classic Cold War-era battle game for two players.

In the early 1970s, Kenner released a series of Presto-Molder playsets for children to make a variety of shapes and objects from Play-Stone molding compound.

Released in 1967 by Transogram, the Bizzzy Bee Knitter replicated a vintage sewing machine from the 1920s.

Released by Marx in 1963, the Sooper Snooper 4-Way Scope was a worthy addition to any junior secret agent’s collection of spy gear.

The Razz-Ma-Tazz Player Piano was one of Hubley Manufacturing Company’s efforts in the 1960s to diversify into toys made of plastic.

Sean Jacquemain – a lifelong game enthusiast and gaming-focused writer – shares his fondness for analog play and the connections it forges.

If the thought of a toothache gives you anxiety about an emergency trip to the dentist’s office, the game Toothache will give you a different perspective. Launched in the early 1970s by Kohner Bros., the mechanical puzzle put an upbeat spin on dental malady.

Tony Temple – arcade game historian, collector, and writer – divulges the ups and downs of arcade collecting and restoring.

Milton Bradley’s Battleship game pits two players against each other in an effort to decimate the opponent’s navy fleet before losing their own.

While Mego can easily be considered the Holy Grail of superhero action figures, there is another beloved toy line featuring the “World’s Greatest Super-Heroes” – Kenner’s Super Powers Collection.

In 1971, Mattel released Instant Replay Record Player, offering sports fans a new way to re-live the “agony and ecstasy” of famous play-by-play moments in sports.

On Star Wars Day, Toy Tales takes a look back at the LEGO Star Wars theme with Graham Hancock, toy collector and deputy editor of Blocks magazine.

In 1962, Kenner released a toy musical instrument called the Banjo-Matic that allowed a child to “play real banjo music.”

After the massive sales success of its Nerf Ball, Milton Bradley released the Nerf Disk in 1970.

Released by Schaper in 1969, Ants in the Pants is a classic game that still endures with the preschool set, thanks to its simplicity and the fact that a parent can legitimately be beaten at the game by a three-year-old.

Nicolas Ricketts, Curator at the National Museum of Play at The Strong, details Scrabble’s route to success and game-night domination.

In 1982, Remco introduced the Official Sgt. Rock action figure toy line, based on the fictional DC Comics character of the same name.