Sweet Sixteen

The Custom Camaro, the first Hot Wheels car introduced in May of 1968, is an icon of the Redline era—a period named for the red-striped tires found on the cars. Mattel’s inaugural run of sixteen Hot Wheels cars set the toy market on fire in 1968, revolutionizing the die-cast car industry and leaving competitors like Corgi and […]

Little Kiddles

Produced in numerous series by Mattel from 1966 to 1971, these tiny dolls still bring big fun … and prices. By Kris Manty While Barbie is having an immense cultural (and marketing) moment, thanks to the live-action Barbie movie that has grossed a whopping $1.4 billion worldwide as of October, according to Box Office Mojo, […]

Action Figures and Toys Showcase 1970s and ’80s Fun

The 1970s and ’80s were golden ages for entertainment geared toward kids, a time when movies and TV shows were dominated by brave superheroes, out-of-this-world sci-fi adventures and action-packed cartoons. To have an amazing time, all you needed was a little imagination—and the kinds of treasures sold at Heritage Auctions’ June 8, Action Figures and […]

Barbie Still Top Doll for Collectors 

On March 9, 1959, teenage fashion model Barbie Millicent Roberts from Willows, Wisconsin, made her debut at the American Toy Fair. Barbie quickly became one of the most recognizable dolls ever created, sought after by young girls and collectors alike. A recent sale of Barbie dolls by Apple Tree Auction Center of Newark, Ohio, included […]

Relive Childhood Joy of Fisher-Price Toys in Virtual Museum 

The pull-cord telephone with the moving eyes and a red-button nose, wooden ducks pulled through countless backyard adventures and, one of our personal favorites, a bright red music box teaching clock from 1962. These Fisher-Price toys are just a few of the ones featured in a special virtual museum on Instagram. Toy manufacturer Fisher-Price, part of […]

Mattel Special Edition Action Figures Honor “Essentially” Wonderful Heroes

Doctors, nurse, EMTs and delivery people are the new superheroes as they tend patients or keep economies running. Mattel is honoring those “essential” workers with a special edition #ThankYouHeroes line of 16 action figures — four each of doctors, nurses, EMTs and delivery drivers in varying genders and skin tones — and a five-figure set […]

Fisher-Price

Fisher-Price was founded is East Aurora, New York, in 1930. The next year it introduced sixteen wooden toys at the International Toy Fair. The wooden pull toys covered with lithographed paper are prized by collectors. Later toys used wood and plastic. Fisher-Price classic toys include the Corn Popper, Snap-Lock beads, Chatter Telephone with a smiling […]

Matchbox Cars

In 1948 the London firm Lesney Products made its first toys, a diesel road roller, a cement mixer, and a crawler tractor, just 3 to 4 inches long. Lesney designer Jack Odell created the first miniature Matchbox car four years later when he made a brass road roller small enough to fit in a matchbox […]

Hot Wheels

Mattel introduced Hot Wheels in 1968. With special torsion-bar suspension and low-friction wheels, Hot Wheels were the fastest toy cars on the market. They were modeled after popular cars and painted in fourteen metallic Spectraflame finishes, ranging from orange, green, yellow, gold, and red to pink, purple, and magenta. Later, Mattel added futuristic cars to […]

Action Figures and Superheroes

Hasbro bought the rights to a “doll” designed for boys from its creator Stanley Weston, and in 1964 began producing G. I. Joe, the toy industry’s first action figure. Like Barbie, G. I. Joe came with a wide range of accessories—uniforms, weapons, and military gear. By 1965 G. I. Joe was the top-selling toy for […]