Chew the Fat: Falling out of Favor in the Bronze Age...

Redartz:  Many of the toys, snacks, music, and comics we loved in the Bronze age have remained highly regarded, in some cases even increased in regard (consider the effect of the films on the comics upon which they are based). On the other hand, some things haven't fared so well. 



There are many examples, and many reasons for a given thing to 'fall out of favor'. Anyone remember candy cigarettes? Once common at drug store candy counters and in Halloween trick-or-treat bags, those sweet sticks fell victim to the plummeting public perception of real cigarettes, and concern that they might make them more appealing  to children. Same story with bubble gum cigars; another former childhood staple that isn't seen so much anymore.

 

Toys- how about 'klackers', those heavy hard plastic balls connected by a string? I heard they went out due to parental concerns about hand injuries. Then there was Mattel's "Thingmaker", you recall, Creepy Crawlers and such? You wouldn't find an open electric hot plate toy today for kids.

 



 As for music, recently Colin Jones enlightened me about the fate of Gary Glitter. Apparently his music isn't heard much anymore. Kind of the same story as with Bill Cosby and the Cosby show on television (but what about "I Spy"- never hear anything much about his appearance on that show). 




Comics? Perhaps fewer examples come to mind, but certain genres definitely suffered a loss of attention (westerns, romance, even horror by the late 70's). 

So, can you think of other examples of once-popular phenomena that got swept off the shelf of public approval? Were there books or songs that garnered negative connotations that you liked? And if so, would you still read/listen to them anyway? Did you have any of those 'potentially hazardous' toys (and there were surely many others)? Chew the fat today and discuss the 'fallen' Bronze age...

Short Cuts: Mattel's Hot Wheels!

Redartz:  Hi folks! For a couple of generations now, kids have been racing, trading and wrecking Mattel's Hot Wheels cars. From their debut in 1968 on up to today, these cars have been flying off store shelves and down tracks, building a huge collector's market. The first cars were the 'redlines', so named because the wheels had a thin red stripe . These were phased out in the later 70's, replaced with black tires, and gold hubs, and still other variations. There were electric "Sizzlers", motorcycles, "Heavyweight" trucks, and countless other types over the years.Their popularity grew, and even generated a Saturday morning cartoon and a DC comic series!

Racing in our bedroom, c. 1970

Many kids had the tracks as well as the cars, providing a source of competition among friends and siblings. There were racing sets, stunt sets, and adventure sets (my  youngest had a set with a hungry giant crocodile). Of course, many of these cars were raced down sidewalks, across floors, down stairs, and into walls. Hence the frequency of banged-up cars you find at toy shows and flea markets. I, however, was pretty careful with mine (as I was with my comics). Thus most of them lasted intact until I sold most of them some years back (for a decent premium). I did keep a few, though, for 'old times' sake'. After all, the 'Red Baron' was so cool, with the silver helmet and twin machine guns!

A few old favorites

 How about you, any other Hot Wheelers out there? Let's hear about your favorite cars, racing stories, trading deals, track layouts, etc, etc, etc...