Vintage Construction Toys: Blasts From The Past

"QUANTUM SHOT" #639 Link - article by Simon Rose In the age of LEGO, this reads like a blasphemy We all have our own vivid memories from our childhood – family vacations, friends long gone from our social circle, siblings we now see only once or twice a year, TV shows and movies we followed avidly and of course, toys. For many boys growing up in the era before the advent of video games, construction toys were always popular. Here’s a look back at those far away days. (1954 Meccano set, image via) The Erector Set was first manufactured in 1913 and remained in production until 1967. Similar to the older British product Meccano, the set had a collection of small metal beams, with holes for screws, nuts and bolts and for attaching devices such as pulleys, gears and even small electric motors. Here’s an early version from the early 1920’s: (images via 1, 2) These are from the decades following World War Two: (images via 1, 2, 3) Ideal’s Klikit products date from the late 1960’s, with Super City appearing in 1967: (images via Jon Knutson) Kenner Products was a founded in 1947 in Cincinnati, and introduced its popular Girder and Panel building sets in 1957. Kenner was one of the first companies to recognize the potential of TV for advertising their toy products in the USA, the first ads airing in 1958, when these two sets first appeared: (image via) Here’s the Bridge and Turnpike Building Set, also from 1958 (the Freeway USA sets from 1966 invited you to "design and build the great highway and bridge systems of tomorrow.") - (image via) Kenner’s Skyrail offered you the opportunity to “Build and Operate Sky Rail Systems of Tomorrow”, or at least the tomorrow that was envisaged in 1963: (image via) These pages from the Kenner catalog date from 1966: (images via) This Girder and Panel Building Set from 1974 contained 340 pieces for your building pleasure (left). That same year, if you could handle 1100 pieces, you could even construct your very own five foot tall version of the recently completed Sears Tower (right): (images via) Here’s a collection of Kenner magazine ads from the sixties. This set was promoted as the very latest thing in construction toys way back in 1961: (image via) The 1964 Modern-As-Tomorrow Girder and Panel set: (image via) The Hydro-Dynamic building set with motorized pump, also from 1964: (image via) And if you preferred to concentrate on residential buildings, Kenner even had a product for you too, the Build-A-Home and Subdivision Set from 1962: (image via) In Britain, Meccano was invented in 1901 and enjoyed great popularity in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. Meccano was manufactured in Liverpool from 1914 until 1980, and is now made in France and China. (images via 1, 2) Here are some Meccano ads from the late 1930’s: (images via 1, 2) Meccano was advertised as “the world’s greatest toy” in this 1949 brochure (left). On the right is Meccano brochure from 1955: (images via) This 1956 instruction book depicts a model of an excavator, built from the familiar green and red pieces Meccano utilized for many years: (image via) Bayko was one of the earliest plastic toys to be marketed and was sold worldwide brand between 1934 and 1967. The company was bought by Meccano in 1960: (images via 1, 2) So there you have it – blasts from the past to be sure. I hope you’ve enjoyed this nostalgic look at vintage construction toys here at Dark Roasted Blend. In our final image you see puzzled Nazi soldiers getting ready to construct a tank from a "readily provided set": (image via) CONTINUE TO "TOYS THAT CREEP US OUT"! -> ALSO READ: "BAD, TWISTED AND BIZARRE TOYS" -> Simon Rose is the author of science fiction and fantasy novels for children, including The Alchemist's Portrait, The Sorcerer's Letterbox, The Clone Conspiracy, The Emerald Curse, The Heretic's Tomb and The Doomsday Mask.