The Toy Advert Time Machine: your weekly look into the world of vintage comic adverts!

The Toy Advert Time Machine!!



One of my favourite aspects of comic collecting is seeing all the cool toy adverts that are spread throughout the various issues. Especially the vintage toy adverts from the 1970s and 80s. These ads not only serve as an important chronicle of some of the most popular toys of their day, but for me give a big warm and fuzzy reminder of some of the great toys I owned as a kid - and some of the toys I never managed to get my hands on.


Last year I started my website thevintagetoyadvertiser.com with the aim of showcasing cool and iconic toy adverts from the 1970s and 80s - mostly taken from Marvel and DC and also some UK, French and Danish titles.


So.... what is the Toy Advert Time Machine?

Each week I'll post up a couple of cool adverts here from my own collection. Please feel free to discuss and share here. I want to know if you owned any of these toys and what was cool about them! Or maybe you've just started out collecting some of these toys now? What adverts would you like to see here? Do you have any adverts of your own to post?




So.... let's kick off with a really cool ad from issue #67 of The Defenders published in 1978.

Energized Spider-Man from the Remco company.






Next up is a great ad for the MASK toyline from Kenner. Taken from The New Mutants #34. 1985.






And to finish this week, a zany Star Wars super stakes ad from the MPC model kit company. Advert from SpiderWoman #22. 1979.

Great job Paul. I love those old adverts. To me back then, they are what sold most comics to young boys. Seeing that ad for the Remco Spidey just made you want it that much more. By the way, nice free plug there. Your site rocks with all those ads.

I'm so glad you took my suggestion Paul. These old ads makes me smile every time. The Remco Energized Spidy is a favorite of mine. I wanted that so bad whn I was a kid. I finally got one a few months ago . I have to track down the Green Goblin and the helicopter. There was also some sort of base headquarters set too. I still have to get the web for mine. It was lost in the packing material when mine came in the mail .

I liked M.A.S.K. when I was a kid. Theres acouple pieces I'd like to pick up still.

Never seen the SW sweepstakes before. Awesome.

What a cool thread! Great job, Paul!

Great Idea for a thread, Like a lot on here I love the old adverts you find in comics.

Thanks guys and thanks to Paul Kisstour for kickstarting the idea.


A couple of new ones for you, these are from French comic PIF GADGET, a monthly comic that ran from 1969 to 2009. Pif was the name of one of its comic strip characters, and gadget related to the free toy that they gave away each issue.





The comic's origins can be traced back to Nazi occupied France where it was published illegally by the French Communist Party. Pif only ever ran complete (unserialised) stories. One of its spin-offs was the German YPS magazine (SW fans among us know all about that one ). Pif also had a great relatonship with the French Star Wars license Meccano and produced many cool ads.









Here are some great adverts for the Six Million Dollar Man action figure line produced by Kenner (Meccano for France).

Taken from Pif Gadget #450, 1977:





and from Pif Gadget #482, 1978:

Next up is an ad for the Mego elastic toys. Taken from Spiderwoman #22. 1979.







Followed by a cool ad for Pez featuring both Marvel and DC characters. Taken from Secrets of Haunted House #32. 1981.

I love these ads. i saw the Pez in a book I was reading the other day. And I think i have that issue of Secrets.

Two great Shogun Warriors ads, first one is from Pif Gadget #552 1979, and the second is from #558 from the same year.