Playskool American Bricks #848 SPIDER-MAN Playset (1977)

 

Here is a super-cool playset that was unknown to me, but BOY would I have loved this as a kid.  It immediately struck me as a miniature "Marvel World," which was a 1975 playset made by AMSCO:

Marvel World was advertised in comics of the day, and for the first time ever, it gave you a PLAYSET featuring 34 Marvel characters, the Daily Bugle, the Baxter Building, Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, Peter Parker's apartment building, and much, much more. Today this playset is super rare and commands high prices, because, hey, it was cardboard, after all.

Little did I know, I was right about today's playset being a mini-Marvel World!  Turns out, both Amsco AND American Bricks, maker of today's playset, were bought out by Milton Bradley in the late 1960's, and as a result, our Spider-Man playset actually shares quite a bit of artwork (and character designs) with Marvel World! Sweet!

Included here are the Baxter Building, the Daily Bugle, an airport, laboratory (in reality the INSIDE of the Baxter Building), etc....but the catch is that you can't build them all at once, necessarily. Unless your mom goes and gets you more American Bricks!

Here are the contents of the box.  The only thing I am missing is an "axle brick" to hold the wheels, and as the vehicles they want you to make are real dumb, I don't think it's a problem.  

What even is this?

Before we go any farther, I should explain the construction method a little.  The "wall segment" bricks have slots inside of them, which allow you to insert heavy cardstock panels into them.  There are nine panels, but they are double-sided (another reason you can't build everything at once, as you have to plan ahead to portion them out correctly).  The obvious problem with this, of course, is that no matter how heavy the cardstock is, eventually it's going to break down and start to shred from use....and then there is the age group involved with this building toy, which means their survival is tenuous at best.

Luckily, mine are in really good shape! Here is the box insert, which is as much instructions as you are going to get:

So, now the cool part.  Here is what I was able to build!

AIR CONTROL? "You fools! Doom will Control all of the Air!"

This is as tall as the set allows for the Baxter Building. Interestingly, some of this plastic tends to warp over time, especially the white-pigmented pieces for some reason, so they don't always sit flush.  But close enough.

By being creative with the parts supply, I was able to build a Daily Bugle, apartment building, and another smaller structure, which gives us a city scene.

This playset gives you 12 characters--about a third of Marvel World.  The bigger playset actually has an awesome Green Goblin that has Harry Osborne on the reverse side! I wish that had been included here.  Speaking of, here they all are:

They all have little stands like board game pawns.  The problem with this is, it's quite difficult to balance these on the spiky tops of the bricks! If the stands had been interlocking with the "stud" surface of the bricks, it would've been much better.  As it is, there is lots of toppling over.

And finally, here is the artwork with the included 9 panels:

First group: front

First group: back

Second group: front

Second group: back

You can see a problem by looking at these panels.  For example, there are two "laboratory" artworks on the same piece of cardboard...plus, if you want an "Airport" door (which looks like the front of the Baxter Building, actually), then you have "laboratory" artwork on the other side. In other words, you are expected to be happy with your building looking correct from the front only.

All of this doesn't matter, anyway, because you may be shocked to know that the characters do not actually fit inside of the buildings. Nope, they can't stand inside of the pre-determined wall heights.  I mean, good grief, with Lego, we could just add another layer of bricks.  Oh well. It doesn't matter, I have something I thought I'd never have: my own mini-Marvel World!

Believe it or not, this appears to be the only Marvel set that American Bricks made.  (Also note that, although it is very much a general Marvel Comics set, it is titled as SPIDER-MAN!) Isn't it mind-blowing to think about, from today's perspective, that this wasn't just part of a wave of 15 different sets at one time? No matter what anybody ever tells you, things really WERE much simpler back then.

The Lufkin Home Recordings (1942-51) A Trove of Cardboard Record Treasures!

 

You know what we haven't done in a long time around here? Some--as one reader so aptly named it--"left field archaeology!" So here is an end-of-year-holiday-of-your-choice gift that I have been sitting on!

In 2024, I was exploring a record store that had taken up shop in the labyrinthine basement of an historic old hotel, and buying an armload of records, when I suddenly dug up a cache of dusty old cardboard records (which we have covered every so often on this site. most notably in this post of "Self-Recorded 78s") in a bag...14 in all! I knew right away that it was my mission to restore them, and offered the guy 20 bucks for the stack.

You can read more about this in the post I just linked, but in short, companies like Wilcox-Gay actually made portable, suitcase-style recorders that allowed you to cut a (in this case, plastic-coated cardboard) record! More common were the vending machine-style kiosks, which allowed you to speak into a receiver, make a 1-minute or so record, and instantly drop it into the mail!

I doubt many people had access to the portable models, especially in the mid-40s, but I am sure businesses purchased them (later models cut shellac-covered metal discs, and were used for dictation and auditions). Somehow, the main characters in our story, John and Storrie (?) Lufkin, had access to one, and it looks like John got it out every time there was a gathering in his home, for at least seven or so years. 

The blanks varied in size, were made by tons of manufacturers, were cut at 78 rpm, and were never made to stand up to repeated playing with heavy steel needles of the day.  All the ones in this group are 6.5 inches, except for one 8-inch recording, but they came in all sizes.  The 6.5 inch size allowed for roughly 2 minutes of recording, and you could stop and start, which would create a new band each time.

So, what exactly was ON these 14 discs? Someone's family history, is what....as well as a few surprises that I wasn't ready for.  You will notice in the photo above that model pictured that it included an AM radio, and now I know how Lufkin recorded several partial songs of the day.  This blew my mind, that somebody in the 1940's was sitting listening to the radio, and racing to record it, the way I used to have a cassette tape ready as a kid when a song I wanted came on! 

These records are in the order they were in as I restored them, so they aren't in chronological order, but as you listen, you will piece together elements of the family's lives.  Particularly interesting is the "Graduation Night" disc from 1944, where the Lufkin daughter and her cousin prepare to go out on the town, and John Lufkin is excited about the D-Day Invasion just occurring! 

Unfortunately, I have had to leave a few of these out--some are just two scratchy excerpts of popular songs, and there is no point in sharing them here, when you could retrieve the actual full recordings with a couple of clicks if you cared.  The OTHER reason is...well, I chickened out at sharing a couple of discs where they are drinking with friends and decide it's a good idea to tell bawdy (and even racist) jokes! It's your grandparents, "after dark." Hide the children!

So, here are the contents of these amazing discs:

DISC #01 : Tommy Dorsey - Black Magic / Moonlight Becomes You (sourced from AM radio) excluded from download

DISC #02: "Time Waits Frank M?n" / Post-D-Day Message to the people of France (perhaps General Eisenhower speaking?) [sourced from AM radio]

DISC #03: "Graduation June 1944" (Date is given as June 13, 1944.  A family celebration of graduation night for two cousins, Ruthie (Ruth Virginia Zimmerman) and Barbara (Lufkin), including members of the Zimmerman and Lufkin families (the mothers are sisters). The father encourages the girls to speak, and we hear well-wishes from mothers ("Mrs. Zimmerman, from Riverside"), grandmother, and aunts. The father mentions being proud, and that the June 6th D-Day Invasion had just occurred the previous week.  The girls leave to go out on the town. One of the mothers advises them: "don't cut too many capers."

DISC #04: "STORIES" (No date given; the parents (Lufkins?) from the other discs host several friends for drinking and poker, and decide to take turns telling bawdy (and even quite racist!) jokes on both sides.) excluded from download for obvious reasons

DISC #05: "October 22, 1944" (A married couple drop by to visit the Lufkins, who were already hosting another couple for dinner.  Side 2 is made up of one of the women singing "Embracable You," a capella for 3 different bands.)

DISC #06: "FROSSELLS & LUFKINS NOV. 14 1942" / "PRESIDENT'S SPEECH" (November 14, 1942. The Frossells visit the (John & Story/Storrie) Lufkin home.  Side 2 is an excerpt of an FDR speech from a radio source.

DISC #07: December 31, 1950, New Year's Eve for 1951.  Another party at the Lufkin house ("Johnny & Story/Storrie").  Side 1 begins with the group singing "Auld Lang Syne" and sharing well-wishes for the New Year.  Side 2 continues their comments. The latest recording in the group, chronologically.

DISC #08: Bing Crosby - Dearly Beloved / White Christmas (AM radio source) excluded from download (you are welcome!)

DISC #09: Both sides sourced from radio broadcast of a war correspondent giving an account of the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion of Normandy.

DISC #10: Bing Crosby - I Walk Alone / unknown - Cool Water (AM radio broadcast) excluded from download, extremely dull

DISC #11: "Fred Waring / NELL Jan. 27" (The "Fred Waring" side is from a radio broadcast of a choral performance of a wartime song about going home, briefly concluding with announcer.  The "Nell" side is what's interesting here:  a gathering at the Lufkin home ("from the Lufkin residence on L Avenue"), where Nell (who calls it "Radio Station NELL") tries to get Mrs. Lufkin to talk.  She isn't interested; "that's all.")

DISC #12: "People Say We're In Love / How Sweet You Are" sourced from AM radio and boring.  excluded from download

DISC #13: "Southern Moon / Night Before Christmas" sourced from AM radio excluded from download (yeccchhh)

DISC #14: (Couples partying at the Lufkin home, singing "How Dry I Am" and "Wedding Bells Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine." The reverse (unnumbered) side had a damaged beginning, but the side is almost completely silent (even though it has grooves), as if the microphone was disconnected.  At the extreme end of this side, some voices are heard, but time has run out and it ends in the normal locked groove.

And there you have it.  Each disc required some careful cleaning, and lots of work to deal with damage, remove as much surface noise as possible, and bring out the best possible sound (remember too, these things were recorded with a pretty lackluster built-in microphone.) There are scans of both sides of each disc included with the download so you can see the labels, and as much information is included as possible.

And now, the shot in the dark--are you related to the Lufkin family, or anyone else included here? My guess is that nobody has known of the existence of these recordings for decades. They obviously languished in storage for many years, until they were sold as a part of a record collection.  It would be  huge thrill if I could reunite these with the actual family (I can't imagine somebody giving me recordings of my own grandparents!), but until then, here is a private look directly into a family's lives!

LINK:  The Lufkin Recordings

Spider-Man (Atari 2600, Parker Bros., 1982)

 

Maybe it's because the holidays are approaching, but suddenly the other day I started thinking about one of the most exciting moments of 1982, and that was this:

There was going to be a SPIDER-MAN VIDEO GAME, and I could play it at home.  And actually own it!

And own it I did (and do once again).  Now, first thing's first--this box art is completely awesome, and would make an incredible T-shirt:

There is only one tiny flaw:

Notice anything missing? YOU HAD ONE JOB, ARTIST.  Never mind, it really doesn't take away any of the enjoyment for me at all.

And so, for those of us who weren't there, how was the gameplay?

Are you expecting a joke here? Because the punchline is: it was mind-blowing.  No, not from the perspective of sitting comfortably in Current Year, where games are super-sophisticated (perhaps too much so), and where there have been like 200 Spider-Man games...but try to imagine a time when there hadn't yet even BEEN a Spider-Man video game, and you finally had the chance to go up against the Green Goblin (which was a masterstroke of a choice) and you will understand how gobsmacked all of us kids were.  Back then, it was about the sheer amazingness of being able to play it, and not so much about comparing it to anything.  The only thing we had to reference were actual arcade games, and everyone knew you couldn't do anything like that at home........yet.

But of course, early home video games were based on points, and involved doing the same thing over and over, due to the limitations and constraints of the technology...so let's take a look at the instruction book, which was where the plot was usually fleshed out!

And hey, we get some more incredible artwork too (I also like the full shot of the building...which should be the back of the T-shirt I have in mind, come to think of it).

Remember, too, that this entire game was programmed by one person, Laura Nikolich, which was also how it was done back then!

Yet Another Vintage Godzilla Puffy Sticker Store Display (1979)

 

It's kind of crazy how many permutations of vintage Godzilla puffy stickers (and puffy items, such as magnets and keychains) exist.  This blog is full of them.  You can chalk it up to the time period, but even still...

Before we go any further, and just for clarity's sake, in my Guide To Vintage American Godzilla Items (a costless PDF download, by the way), I divide these scores of items into three groups:

Group One ("Three Dimensional Stickers") has artwork like you see above.  A very Marvel Comics-looking Godzilla stands to the right of...well, the Marvel Comics Godzilla logo. These stickers were sold in variously-sized packages, and also in hanging store displays.

Group Two (also "Three Dimensional Stickers") has very different artwork, but the sticker designs were the same as the first group.  They were sold in the same sizes and hanging displays, but I've also seen a cardboard free-standing store display with pegs that sold these alongside stickers from other franchises, but all made by the same nameless manufacturer.

Group Three ("Three Dimensional Sticker," singular) is what we are talking about today. Groups 1 and 2 refer to their products numbers, such as "No. 889," while Group Three only uses "Item" and a number sign, such as "Item #1248." Another unique feature of this third series is that it uses three different main header cards:

The store display we are looking at today is for "Item 1248," and interestingly, it contains six different styles, two different versions of each header card:

There are three copies of each, making 18 sets of stickers total in the pockets of the full display. They measure 3.5 x 5 inches each.

The vinyl back of the display is red, which is different from the other sticker displays that I have (although they all have the thick yellow plastic cord to hang them by).  

You can see all of the Godzilla puffy sticker permutations that I have identified in the guide, but something tells me there may STILL be even more out there, so stay tuned, because if there are, we will feature them here!

That Time A Giant Ketchup Bottle Robot Gave Me A Pickle Pin

 

Stay with me on this one, we will get there, I promise.  

So, the World's Fair used to be a thing, and more often than not, they have been called "Expos," but in 1982, it was still called the World's Fair, and was held in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Often, a landmark structure of some sort was built to commemorate the event (the most famous being the Space Needle in Seattle, or even the Eiffel Tower), and for Knoxville, a large observation tower was constructed, called the Sunsphere. And, it's still there to this day, hanging on.

Promotional postcard sold at the event, because no construction was completed to actually take photos of at the time they were printed.

Your humble host was there--in fact, here is my ticket for one of the days (it cost $9.95 per day):

Technology is often a theme of World's Fairs, and 1982 was no exception.  Two major ingredients of the fair were two things that had completely taken over the world in 1982:  the Rubik's cube and Pac-Man.  In fact, there was even a giant motorized Rubik's cube that worked itself as it spun around, for people to gawk at and take photos of.

But there were also robots! In particular, the one we are here to discuss today is this one:

[Photo from knoxnews.com article]

In fact, the other day, I was reading this book:

And there, on the page, was this guy...and the memories came right back to me:

This is "H.J.," and I had forgotten all about meeting him at the Fair.  He was controlled remotely by an operator, who rolled him around (from not very far away) and carried on conversations with guests via a headset and microphone.  It was done exactly like the many non-humanoid droids in the first Star Wars: as giant remote-controlled vehicles.

But H.J. did another thing too! A small tray in front opened up, and dispensed a promotional pin to the surprised visitor!

This pin is about 1.25 inches long, and says "HEINZ" on one side.

And somehow, I've managed to keep from losing it, all these years!

Well, that's cool--end of story, right? Actually, no!  Our story is going to take a few more turns...

So, H.J. was a somewhat short-lived promotional mascot for Heinz--here is a promotional postcard put out at the time:

And here lies our first revelation:  this robot I met all those years ago was not H.J.! In fact he was.....H.J. 2! Gasp!

And here is their wedding photo, R2-D2 officiating.

Yes, the Heinz company had not one, but two of these guys! In fact, as the 1982 World's Fair was coming close to wrapping up that October, the first H.J. suddenly went missing on his way to a trade show in Cleveland, and H.J. 2 was quickly shipped off to fill in, leaving the 1982 World's Fair with no giant talking ketchup bottle robots!

The story gets even stranger (I did lots of research for this post), because A UPI-archived article from November 5, 1982 reveals the fate of the first H.J.!  No, he wasn't stolen by college students, or added to Pee Wee Herman's house! Instead, he was....left in the freight terminal of the San Francisco airport, where nobody paid any attention.

Yep, that happened.  There he sat, like the Ark of the Covenant amidst a sea of crates.  But fear not, our story has a happy ending! An "observant airline worker" located the missing oversized automated condiment container, and returned it to Heinz! The day was saved!  

And, as it turns out, it gets even better, because the Heinz company actually offered a reward for the return of their lost robot, which the airline worker received! It was.....

....two cases of ketchup.  You can't make this stuff up!