Vintage Toys & Games

In 1975, Ideal controversially released The Sinking of the Titanic, a board game that re-framed the real-world disaster as a roll-and-move fight for survival between players.

In the 1960s, Willmar, Minnesota-based Molenaar Inc., released Ringa-Majigs, a construction toy for children ages 3 and up.

For almost 75 years, Wham-O has been a ubiquitous guest at family barbecues and outdoor playtime. This Sports Are Fun! mini-catalogue from the 1960s showcases the breadth of the company’s sporting and outdoor product lines at the time.

The roll-and-move game was positioned as a hipper version of Clue and a reflection of the TV series’ swinging, martini-drinking, sports car-driving style.

Magic tricks, secret writing, invisible inks, testing foods, and making blueprints were some activities available in the Chemistry Experiment Lab from Gilbert Toys.

Twelve years after the Steve Canyon comic strip debuted in newspapers, Lowell Toy Mfg. released the eponymous board game, allowing players to take on the role of the globe-trotting adventurer.

Skil-Craft Corporation’s Handy Andy Tool Sets gave children access to small-scale, working versions of adult tools.

Released in 1973, the Scooby-Doo Where Are You! board game from Milton Bradley invited players to adventure through a haunted castle and be the first to discover the hidden treasure.

In 1979, Mattel released the Master Caster electric toy set that let children create their own Formula 1-inspired toy cars from melted wax.

In the Barbie’s Keys to Fame Game from Mattel, players explored career aspirations.

In 1979, Hasbro released Skedoodle, a drawing and design machine that combined features from Spirograph and Etch A Sketch.

The Toy Manufacturers of the U.S.A. was founded in 1916, resulting from a meeting of more than 45 American toy makers in New York City.

The Bargain Hunter board game from Milton Bradley offered players as young as 9 the chance to recreate the experience of furnishing a home, hunting for deal, using credit cards, and managing debt.

In the mid-1970s, Schaper released a series of sports action games called Super Jocks.

Released in 1963 by Lowell Toy Mfg. of Long Island City, New York, the Candid Camera Game was based on the popular hidden camera reality TV show of the same name.

In 1953, shortly after Dwight Eisenhower was elected the 34th president of the United States, the Marx toy company released a series of precision molded presidential figures in miniature.

The Mickey Mouse Club theme song set the tone for the 1976 Mickey Mouse Game from Parker Brothers.

In 1967, Lakeside Toys released a children’s painting set that used cotton to “magically” create a mess-free colouring activity.