Knowing what you know now. If you could go back to the 80's (Toy related)

[SKYWARP]

So if you could go back to the 80's knowing everything that you know now, what would you do? I mean this toy related...would you collect different lines? would you not open anything? Would there be certain figures you'd get that you missed out on back then?

 

One thing I would do if I could go back, crazy as this sounds is take pictures of what the toys looked like in the toy aisles and different stores from way back that aren't around anymore. I know there are a few of these pics online, but just the way everything looked back then and stuff. I would also get some of the Christmas catalogs from stores like jcpenny, sears, best, etc...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DarthJoe]

I've thought about this before, and I know for sure I would clear the toy aisles of GI Joe (82-86) and Transformers G1 product, save them unopened until around the mid-2000s, get them graded, and make a killing on ebay. Lol

[SKYWARP]

Yeah that would be like winning the lottery. With all that being graded I can't imagine. I still can't believe some of the stuff people kept in the package's from back then. Everything I got back then I opened and played with. Keeping anything in the package was the last thought on my mind haha.

[Bespin refugee]

Yeah, the heck w/ the 'space-time continuum', lol, I'd fill in the figures & vehicles I missed (SW POTF, Indiana Jones, GiJoe, MASK?), some to keep mip, and some extras to sell/trade

[BigBot84]

Pretty much just get as many G1 figures as I could to keep MIB to sell for a fortune 20 years later.

[Wheeljack35]

I have thought about this before.I would grab alot more of G1 then I did even getting Fort Max.I would also grab the USS Flagg

[SKYWARP]

I don't know if anybody remembers the Nickelodeon Toys R Us Super Toy Run, but I've often thought about what I would have done if I would have ever won that. I remember thinking what aisles I would go down and how I could get the most stuff in my cart. Also because it was a time limit, I thought should I go for action figures, or video games. I can't imagine winning something like that, it looked like so much fun.

[BigBot84]

I remember that. I'd just camp out at the videogame section and grab everything I could fit in the cart. You could make multiple trips, right?

[DarthJoe]

I remember seeing that on TV as a kid and dreaming of how awesome it would be.

 

Heck, just getting to see a Toys R Us as a kid would have been great. I never even stepped foot in one until I was an adult, because there's only one in the entire state of Montana, and it's 400+ miles from where I grew up. Lol

 

I can only imagine how great they were in the 80s...

[SKYWARP]

I remember that. I'd just camp out at the videogame section and grab everything I could fit in the cart. You could make multiple trips, right?

Remember all the cards in the video game aisle

Where you would have to grab a card and take it to the front of the store to get your game. They use to do that with some of the big playsets too like the Gi Joe Flagg.

 

I've wondered too if you could just go down that aisle and grab all the cards and put them in your cart. Haha You could really fill the cart that way

[SKYWARP]

Oh and I think you could make multiple trips but it was a time limit

[GuitarDevil]

It would depend...if I was a kid I really couldn't do anything other than maybe mow more lawns & try to hustle for my toys....single parent household w/out much spare income for toys....butttt if I was an adult in a wayback machine I would definitely try to purchase a whole lot more...I would try to complete my 80's lines...Star Wars, Tranformers, Joes, Motu, Mask, Marvel Secret Wars, DC SuperPowers, Muscle, Centurions, D&D, Visionaries, Real Ghostbusters, TNMT, GoBots, Starcom, Shogun Warriors, Robotech, ThunderCats, Micro-Machines, Inhumanoids, Food Fighters, Mega Force, British GI Joes, Sectaurs, Army Ants, Supernaturals (just cause their weird), Air Raiders, Dino Riders, Chuck Norris & KC, Rambo, Old Tonka Playsets & Vehicles, HotWheels, GUTS, Matchbox, WWE figs, & Nerf Playsets-Golf, Table Tennis ect.....& that's just what I can remember.....I would try to buy for an cool collection but the most expensive items I would buy doubles of & put those ones away for later decades.....I would probably learn as much as I could about all these toys so I could pursue an career in Toy Development....I would use that knowledge to try & change toy history for the better.....maybe try to jumpstart the "points of articulation" trend much sooner....either way it would be an wonderful time to hunt the aisles & redeem "mail away" offers....I would probably have no life & plenty of Guitars as well....we would live in a world where there was no Arctic Destro

[Wheeljack35]

It would depend...if I was a kid I really couldn't do anything other than maybe mow more lawns & try to hustle for my toys....single parent household w/out much spare income for toys....butttt if I was an adult in a wayback machine I would definitely try to purchase a whole lot more...I would try to complete my 80's lines...Star Wars, Tranformers, Joes, Motu, Mask, Marvel Secret Wars, DC SuperPowers, Muscle, Centurions, D&D, Visionaries, Real Ghostbusters, TNMT, GoBots, Starcom, Shogun Warriors, Robotech, ThunderCats, Micro-Machines, Inhumanoids, Food Fighters, Mega Force, British GI Joes, Sectaurs, Army Ants, Supernaturals (just cause their weird), Air Raiders, Dino Riders, Chuck Norris & KC, Rambo, Old Tonka Playsets & Vehicles, HotWheels, GUTS, Matchbox, WWE figs, & Nerf Playsets-Golf, Table Tennis ect.....& that's just what I can remember.....I would try to buy for an cool collection but the most expensive items I would buy doubles of & put those ones away for later decades.....I would probably learn as much as I could about all these toys so I could pursue an career in Toy Development....I would use that knowledge to try & change toy history for the better.....maybe try to jumpstart the "points of articulation" trend much sooner....either way it would be an wonderful time to hunt the aisles & redeem "mail away" offers....I would probably have no life & plenty of Guitars as well....we would live in a world where there was no Arctic Destro

 

 

OMG I forgot about the Shogun Warriors.I had the diecast Mazinga with the arms that launched off.My brothers had the huge plastic versions

[SKYWARP]

It would depend...if I was a kid I really couldn't do anything other than maybe mow more lawns & try to hustle for my toys....single parent household w/out much spare income for toys....butttt if I was an adult in a wayback machine I would definitely try to purchase a whole lot more...I would try to complete my 80's lines...Star Wars, Tranformers, Joes, Motu, Mask, Marvel Secret Wars, DC SuperPowers, Muscle, Centurions, D&D, Visionaries, Real Ghostbusters, TNMT, GoBots, Starcom, Shogun Warriors, Robotech, ThunderCats, Micro-Machines, Inhumanoids, Food Fighters, Mega Force, British GI Joes, Sectaurs, Army Ants, Supernaturals (just cause their weird), Air Raiders, Dino Riders, Chuck Norris & KC, Rambo, Old Tonka Playsets & Vehicles, HotWheels, GUTS, Matchbox, WWE figs, & Nerf Playsets-Golf, Table Tennis ect.....& that's just what I can remember.....I would try to buy for an cool collection but the most expensive items I would buy doubles of & put those ones away for later decades.....I would probably learn as much as I could about all these toys so I could pursue an career in Toy Development....I would use that knowledge to try & change toy history for the better.....maybe try to jumpstart the "points of articulation" trend much sooner....either way it would be an wonderful time to hunt the aisles & redeem "mail away" offers....I would probably have no life & plenty of Guitars as well....we would live in a world where there was no Arctic Destro

 

 

I think you covered almost everything, only reason I say almost is cause I can't think right now with everything that you named. How much room would you need for all that haha. Just hearing all those names, wow what a great time to grow up.

[GuitarDevil]

 

It would depend...if I was a kid I really couldn't do anything other than maybe mow more lawns & try to hustle for my toys....single parent household w/out much spare income for toys....butttt if I was an adult in a wayback machine I would definitely try to purchase a whole lot more...I would try to complete my 80's lines...Star Wars, Tranformers, Joes, Motu, Mask, Marvel Secret Wars, DC SuperPowers, Muscle, Centurions, D&D, Visionaries, Real Ghostbusters, TNMT, GoBots, Starcom, Shogun Warriors, Robotech, ThunderCats, Micro-Machines, Inhumanoids, Food Fighters, Mega Force, British GI Joes, Sectaurs, Army Ants, Supernaturals (just cause their weird), Air Raiders, Dino Riders, Chuck Norris & KC, Rambo, Old Tonka Playsets & Vehicles, HotWheels, GUTS, Matchbox, WWE figs, & Nerf Playsets-Golf, Table Tennis ect.....& that's just what I can remember.....I would try to buy for an cool collection but the most expensive items I would buy doubles of & put those ones away for later decades.....I would probably learn as much as I could about all these toys so I could pursue an career in Toy Development....I would use that knowledge to try & change toy history for the better.....maybe try to jumpstart the "points of articulation" trend much sooner....either way it would be an wonderful time to hunt the aisles & redeem "mail away" offers....I would probably have no life & plenty of Guitars as well....we would live in a world where there was no Arctic Destro

 

 

I think you covered almost everything, only reason I say almost is cause I can't think right now with everything that you named. How much room would you need for all that haha. Just hearing all those names, wow what a great time to grow up.

 

I forgot Voltron Lion & Vehicle, BraveStar, COPS, Silverhawks, Tyco train & race car sets....the GI Joe Train set was cool along w/the Glow in the Dark Racing set....A-teams figs, Knight Rider set....more to come I'm sure....no wonder we all have high expectations...look at all the great stuff we got to play with....

UPDATE: Karate Kid figs....haha \/ thanks DJ....

[DarthJoe]

COPS was awesome!

 

You forgot the Karate Kid action figures. lol

[Sledgehama]

COPS was definitely awesome and ahead of it's time in a lot of regards. Shame it never really caught on - I did a Toy Chat about Buttons McBoomBoom a while back and I'd love to have been able to get more of them.

 

I'd totally support taking photos of all my old toy haunts to document them for the future in their glory days and as nice as it would be to BttF2 all those old toys, I'd focus on telling me to do two things: 1) buy Shockwave when I had the chance that one time I saw him and 2) not to stress about getting much Star Wars and Masters of the Universe at that stage 'cause the early 21st century figures would blow them out of the water