Company: Ideal | Release date: 1963 | Where to purchase: eBay
Clancy the Great was one of the more peculiar entries in the annals of Ideal Toy Company’s product lines. Released in 1963, the roller-skating monkey was designed by Marvin Glass & Associates of Chicago.
Standing a shade under two-feet tall, Clancy was made entirely of plastic and vinyl and came decked out with a stylish yellow chapeau with a red feather accent. Three D-batteries located in his right shoe provided his power to perform two primary functions:
- By holding his left hand and pressing the red button on it, you could walk beside Clancy as he skated and moved his head slightly from side to side.
- If you attached the hat in Clancy’s left hand with the feather facing forward, you could throw loose change into the hat, which would cause Clancy to skate towards you. The toy came with two metal “coins” to help you if you’d run out of allowance money.
Clancy stayed on store shelves for several years before skating off into the sunset.
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