I’ve been fascinated for a while with the yearly Toy Fair catalogs that were common in the days before the internet. Paging through them is akin to a trip back in time, and at times even more enjoyable than looking through old Wish Book and Christmas catalogs. The industry catalogs definitely boast much higher resolution photos than what was available
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Here’s the first offering of the Real American Hero line in the JC Penney Christmas Catalog. I find these catalog shots fascinating for several reasons: the often missing or incorrectly assembled vehicles, custom made diorama elements, and non-Hasbro accessories. This setup looks quite hastily assembled in comparison to later gorgeous displays featured in 1983 and 1984. First off, the GI
Read moreHere they are, the original single carded lineup. And they are lined up, to an extent. The horizontal structure of this page of the catalog is even stronger than the previous entries, and the landscape format allows for the largest possible photos of the individual figures. The figures are placed in the best action poses that could be achieved considering
Read moreThe new Skystrikers are real beauties, opined Stalker in the first line of the Sunbow series’ GI Joe animation. I echo his sentiment, and would add that they’re also quite photogenic. The Skystriker photos were my favorite of the many shots in the ’83 catalog. The plan and elevation style inset shots show off the detail and scale of the
Read moreContinuing from yesterday’s post about the 1983 catalog, it’s the section that first greets you at the top of the pamphlet. This section got the most attention from me way back when. I still have a very vivid memory of going to get a haircut, and waiting for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time. I’m sure it
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