I discovered the wonderful Playset Magazine recently. For those old enough to remember- the Louis Marx & Co. Toy Company produced realistic playsets in the 1950's and 60's featuring historical themes- including the Civil War. This was pretty much all we boys had when we were growing up! The Playset Magazine is published to continue keeping the legacy of the Marx playsets alive. I made a posting about the magazine today at my website: AbesBlogCabin.org
The magazine has a website at: www.playsetmagazine.com

Forum members: did any of you play with Marx soldiers as kids? I realize this is probably a "boy" thing. I was the Civil War playset that introduced me to the war and to Lincoln!

Bill, I don't recall having those as a kid. I do recall erector sets, Tinker Toys, and Lincoln Logs, though.

Roger: you didn't have any soldiers? You had a deprived childhood!

There was a Marx soldier playset for every era. There were also non war-related playsets also. I had one of the space playsets.

I had a cowboy set as well as WWII soldiers - I was a tomboy and loved playing army....I also had a GI Joe. The only doll I loved playing with was Barbie -

I had soldiers from the Am.Rev to Korean War-of course my favorite time period was the Civil War.Did you people have Fort Apache,Frontier Town,and Lincoln Logs?How about an Erector set or Chemistry set?Of course a doctors bag!

I had Lincoln Logs....

Betty and Herb:
Glad to hear that you guys had soldiers. I was beginning to think I was the only one on the Forum that did. Herb: I had all those that you named!

(03-30-2015, 10:12 AM)BettyO Wrote: I had Lincoln Logs....

Betty, do you remember what was wrong with the Lincoln Logs that Tommy Smothers had as a child?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the subject of toys, I was talking to a buddy at a gig last week about the old "Fanner 50" cap pistols. Of course, such a toy would be forbidden in this age, but in the mid-1950s all us kids were thrilled to have them. These toys are fetching big prices on the collector's market today if they're in good shape.

Anyway, my buddy wanted to know why these cap guns were called Fanner 50s when they were modeled after a .45 Colt. I looked on the Web and couldn't find an answer. Maybe they were introduced in 1950? Maybe the rolls of caps had 50 shots to a roll?

Who knows? A wonderful no-prize awaits whomever supplies an answer.

--Jim

Quote:Betty and Herb:
Glad to hear that you guys had soldiers. I was beginning to think I was the only one on the Forum that did. Herb: I had all those that you named!

I loved to play soldier. Myself and my sister were the only girls on the block who had toy machine guns and a mess kit! We also had something else very special. My dad had brought back to the US when he was in WWII, an actual German helmet. Soooo....my sister and I were frequently German soldiers when we played army. I remember riding up the street on my bicycle wearing that helmet and playing like I was riding my German motorcycle....BTW - we were too young to know anything about Hitler. We were simply just playing soldier - We used to love to watch "Combat", the Vic Morrow program on Tuesday nights, I think.

Don't know anything about Tommy Smothers' Lincoln Logs - but I sure remember those cap pistols! I had a beautiful pair of white handled pistols and an Annie Oakley cowgirl outfit. You could buy those pistol caps for about a nickle a box at the five and dime store.

I had a cowboy set, complete with a fort, cannons, horses -- it was awesome! My parents had a ping-pong table, and whenever it was not being used for ping-pong, my fort was set up. They never threw anything away. The fort is probably in their attic.

I love hearing these stories! I also played soldier. The TV show Combat! was huge! Yes, Betty you remember well- it was on Tuesday nights. That show was well-written and acted. It lasted five seasons. I don't know the cap gun answer. I played with cap guns, but don't have any of them. I've asked this question before: what happened to our toys??

[quote='BettyO' pid='45833' dateline='1427738416']

Quote:Betty and Herb:
Don't know anything about Tommy Smothers' Lincoln Logs -

In their "Mom Always Liked You Best" routine, Tommy Smothers complained about his crummy hand-me-down toys, and brother Dickie said, "You had Lincoln Logs." And Tommy yells, "Yeah, but they had termites in 'em!!!"

--Jim

Jim -

I thought it may have something to do with the boys' "Mom always liked you best!" stik.....but couldn't remember -

Quote:I've asked this question before: what happened to our toys??

As to some of our toys - OMG - how MANY baseball cards and comic books did we throw out and take to the dump when we moved away from the old house when I was 12?! I had stacks and stacks and shudder to now think just how many and how much $$$$ we threw away! My Barbie dolls (including the dream house, dream car, dream kitchen and all the clothes, etc) I sold to a collector about 25 years ago for $600.00....

BTW - I still have the original Cinderella watch (my first watch at 5 years old) from my grandfather - it has the original band and although it no longer runs - I can get it fixed....I hear that they go for a huge price now in the $300-$400 price range.....I think my grandfather paid something like $5.00 for it back in 1958. What FUN memories!