Zippity Speedway from Kenner (1968)

Company: Kenner | Release date: 1968 | Where to purchase: eBay

Perhaps foretelling of an eco-friendly future, Kenner released the Zippity Speedway in 1968. The game’s toy cars were propelled by air!

Designed with young children and portability in mind, the one-piece race track measured 19” x 10” and weighed less than 2lbs. An enclosed fan mounted underneath used 3 D-sized batteries to push air through hundreds of tiny holes in the track. This cushion of air allowed the 12 Styrofoam cars included in the package to operate at the same time.

For additional racing thrills, the numbers on all the cars glowed in the dark. Young speed racers could also control the action using a variable-speed control lever by increasing or decreasing the amount of air flowing to track.

The Zippity Speedway enjoyed a four-year run for Kenner before disappearing from store shelves in 1972.

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