ERTL was, hands down, king of licensed die-cast cars. Take this Smokey and the Bandit set, complete with Trans-Am and elephant. But the bit that really sells it is the play surface the set comes with. The perfect gift for Burt Reynolds fans!
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Cap’n Crunch Board Game
The 70s probably had the best selection of sugary breakfast cereals in history. Cookie Crisp. Trix. Count Chocula. Lucky Charms. And, of course, Cap’n Crunch. I definitely ate my fair share of the kooky captain’s beige little balls, but I can’t imagine what made somebody think “Hey, Captain Crunch would be awesome as a board game!” Nonetheless, kinda glad they did…
CHiPs Wheels Willy
I’ve seen (and owned) a number of Mego’s licensed figures, but despite enjoying the TV show, never owned and CHiPs toys. I’d seen them, of course, but a couple cop figures just didn’t excite me. Now, if I’d seen Wheels Willy here (who I’m assuming was in the show) I might have changed my mind. I can’t tell if that’s an eye patch or cyborg implant he has, but he’s a pretty bad ass looking villain.
Battlestar Galactica Cylon Shades
One of my favorite things about shows from the 70s and early 80s is how the licensing teams left no stone unturned when it came to merchandising. I can totally see myself wearing these Battlestar Galactica Cylon sunglasses while listening to Devo.
Ideal Robot Commando
It may not be obvious from the photo, but the Ideal Robot Commando is huge! For a toy anyway. I love the color scheme on this bad boy. And the psycho the robot eyes.
Unfortunately, like so many giant toys, it doesn’t really do much except look really good.
Diakron Multi-Force 14
From Takara, purveyor of Micronauts, Timanic, Transformers and Microman, comes the fleet of ships on one giant robot Diakron Multi-Force. Check out the back to see how his various limbs and body parts become a huge array of smaller ships. Takara, more than any other company, nailed the transforming bot toy category. It would have been so awesome if they’d done a film partnership with Toho. I could totally see this guy going toe to toe with Godzilla.