This is why as kids, every so often wed come across an ad in a comic book, for something we knew was too good to be true. Unfollow rc hovercraft to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. From the heyday of comic book mail order ads, a look back at the top 10 best novelties. Retired aeronautical engineer bob windt of cordova, illinois is the inventor of hovercraft, a buildityourself, remotecontrolled water hovercraft. Vintage comic book ads that were too good to be true. See more ideas about action figures, toys and vintage toys. This batterypowered hovercraft moves in four directions at your control with an easytouse remote control that makes it a great, entrylevel vehicle for younger kids. Almost every comic book in the 1970s had ads recruiting boys to sell grit newspapers in their hometowns to earn a little money. Here a few personal favorites, more to follow in the coming months.
Chats with artist, author and novelty expert, kirk. Joes roster all who had toys every joe team member who appeared in a comic book who had a toyand ads count. Adventure 2000 debuted in 1977 and the diecast ultramodern vehicles designed for the world of the future were produced through about 1980. On water, across the driveway, down the hall and possibly over the dog if the dog doesnt mind too much, the toy quest rc hovercraft is the toy that goes everywhere. Yes, i remember seeing the very same ads in comic books and if i recall correctly issues of boys life in the 90s. Marvel toys spiderman comic book heros for sale ebay. Using only the air output from a standard cannister style shop vacuum, it will easily support its own weight and that of a passenger, even if the passengers weight exceeds 200 lbs.
Okay, so another problem with the modern comic books is the lack of nine year olds. Comic book ads are the nadir of capitalism, where the ability to blatantly deceive through advertising is exacerbated by the fact the audience is young children. Adams company, contributed several paintings to fun shows at gallery 1988, and. These classic ads in the back of comic books tricked kids from the 50s through the 80s. Thank you to this weeks patrons timothy, henry flit, ronaldo. When ive alluded to a past filled with mail order madness, it was chiefly because of boys life magazine. Gorilla masks were across the page from a hovercraft. Like supersonic, interplanetary and deep sea travel, the demise of the worlds largest hovercraft the srn4, joined concorde, the saturn v and the trieste as examples of technological retreat. Far more than just a mere listing, each item includes the original ad, a picture of the actual item, and exploratory text broken into three or four parts. Look at some inside pages by clicking customer images under the cover. If youre inspired to build a hovercraft yourself, you can cobble one together in about thirty minutes.
Mailorder mysteries and hey skinny are both instant nostalgia. Had i known that these ads for wijit works hovercraft plans had been running since the mid70s, and seeing that the world still hadnt been overrun by kids floating about in homemade flying machines, i wouldnt have even begun to consider paying money to wijit works. It floats on a cushion of air, but it cant make a cushion of air if the ground or water is rough, so it performs at its best on calm water, wood flooring, smooth concrete, tiles etc. Great savings free delivery collection on many items. As an artist and author, hes visually chronicled the history of novelty prank and magic trick maker s. Mailorder mysteries real stuff from old comic book ads. Turns out russ created the two most famous comic book toy soldier ads and they are probably among the most widely remembered and most reprinted ads ever seen in comic books of the era. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the internet, with start times set for 10 a.
But still, wed put money in an envelope and four to. If todays generation y and zers accuse us baby boomers of being cynical and distrustful, well, i for one blame it all on comic books. Jason at contra dextra avenue discovered that the three smaller vehicles in command forcethe hovercraft 1972, the planet scout 1975, and the cosmobile 1975had been previously. Will be updated once an entry is made for the characters skystriker, super. Back to menu comic book mail order ads offered toy selections for all ages. Expand your options of fun home activities with the largest online selection at. Todays versions of toys in old comic book ads wired. And although the actual items might not hold the potential life changing purchase as envisioned when looking at the ads, seeing many of them for the first time is equally as special. Yet, the pleasure of the actionpacked panels in every spiderman or batman, was equalled and often bettered by the thrill of the adverts for toys, goods and services posted in every issue. In todays comic books you dont see the advertisements you used to no ads with outrageous promises to be taller or more muscular.
Ive written about old comic book ads a hundred times, but the truth is, i rarely ordered things from comic books. Oct 02, 2011 mailorder mysteries real stuff from old comic book ads. But if you look in older comic books youll see a treasure trove of sneaky ads, crazy claims, preposterous promises and looney lies. Grit called itself americas greatest family newspaper. Sep 20, 2011 one of the things wrong with the modern comic book is the lack of these ads. Vacuum cleaner powered hovercraft the following is a set of plans for building an inexpensive vehicle which will glide across a smooth floor on a cushion of air. This page contains links to all different kinds of hover toys. Yet, the pleasure of the actionpacked panels in every spiderman or batman, was equalled and often bettered by the thrill of the adverts for toys. Hoversphere or hover sphere spin it in mid air, play slomo volleyball, invent your own wacky tricks and games. Marvel toys marvel legends comic book hero action figures. Book includes story comic strips and instructions for building 8 different exciting police officer or crook crafts. Hovercraft do not create a wake to erode the fragile coastal areas. Commercial hovercraft hovercraft fly at a height of 8 inches over any flat surface, over concrete, tarmac, sand, mud, ice, water, so river, lake and sea. At least, thats what vintage comicbook ads would have you believe.
Hovercraft customized spraying model 6231 for algae and mosquito control price. Ive had a personal fetish for the concept of hovercraft since i was a little kid. Jul, 2014 old comic book ads xray specs sea monkeys kit charles atlas workout duration. Hovercraft do not pump exhaust fumes into the water, and have no propeller to get snagged, or. Todays versions of toys in old comic book ads remember those ads you used to find in the pages of comic books gadgets and toys which were useless, dangerous, fake or just plain surreal onion. Cheesy ads promoting all sorts of questionable items have appeared throughout the history of comic books. We spoke to russ directly on 1804 to talk about his classic comic book ads. This rc hovercraft is equally at home on land or water, and in the right conditions it fairly screams along. Hovercraft inventor on toy box broke worlds hovercraft. This surface can be either land, water, mud, or ice which is what makes the hovercraft such a. And have you actually purchased anything from a comic book ad before. I think i got them at toys r us in tulsa, oklahoma, when i was a kid. Its well known, and there is a whole industry that thrives on it. I supposed the optical illusion disclaimer shouldve been a tipoff, but hey, who paid attention to fine print when the prospect.
Jump small waves, race it around the pool toys, or just watch it go around and around in the tub. Richard bristow introduction the kiddy craft is intended to suitable for the unskilled hovercraft pilot being as indestructible as is possible. Just fill it with air or helium and youre ready to go. Since they fly on a cushion of air, they are not pushing water out of the way like a boat, so are quite economical to operate, and are not so affected by fast running water, tidal streams or. Old comic book ads xray specs sea monkeys kit charles atlas workout duration. This surface can be either land, water, mud, or ice which is what makes the hovercraft such a useful vehicle for transport. A hovercraft uses pressurized air to float above the surface its traveling on. Oct 22, 2017 retired aeronautical engineer bob windt of cordova, illinois is the inventor of hovercraft, a buildityourself, remotecontrolled water hovercraft. By kirk demarais insight editions these days, the mailbox is all about bills, junk mail and unwanted west elm catalogs that seem to arrive f. Six years ago, artist and historian kirk demarais, who runs the brilliant gen x nostalgia site, secret fun spot, became determined to uncover the truth behind these comicbook. Invento rc mini hovercraft and thousands more of the very best toys at fat brain toys. Buy marvel toys spiderman comic book heros and get the best deals at the lowest prices on ebay. Mar 03, 2014 theres a nifty tiein with the 2000 ad comic and judge dredd. A hovercraft is a fascinating machine, and a toy hovercraft works exactly the same way.
Heres a closeup of the command force k2005 set, introduced in 1978. More than 2,000 lots of antique toys, trains, advertising and rare comics are primed and ready to make their appearance feb. Back when kids could actually afford to buy a comic a week, they were an amazing marketing tool for toy companies to reach their target audience, especially if you had toys that revolved around heroes. No advertisements to own a nuclear sub or army tank can be found nowadays. Sep 29, 2011 old comic book ads xray specs sea monkeys kit charles atlas workout duration. Aug 15, 2007 if youre inspired to build a hovercraft yourself, you can cobble one together in about thirty minutes. See more ideas about comic books, vintage advertisements and classic comics. Last fall, he published mailorder mysteries, a book that reveals what you really got when you ordered any one of 150 supposed marvels. Great advertisements from the golden age of comic books, a large size paperback that reprints in colour comic book ads from the forties and fifties. See more ideas about hover bike, mechanical projects and landing craft.
America was known as the land of plenty, and going by the vast range of toys and goods advertised, this seemed to be true. Rc racing hovercraft creative educational toys for children. Reenact the excitement of interplanetary conflict with the actionpacked vehicles from adventure 2000. Cool comic book toy ads from the 70s toys and funky. Much as in real life, a hovercraft is not designed for rough water or rough ground.
Hovercraft fly at a height of 8 inches, so make no impact on existing plant or sea life. In the mid20th century, nearly every comic book and issue of boys life had a boisterous ad in the back pimping the joys of hovering which could be yours by ordering the offered plans and building your own vehicle to float on air. The model hovercraft association page 1 of 8 kiddy craft mkiii by. Six years ago, artist and historian kirk demarais, who runs the brilliant gen x nostalgia site, secret fun spot, became determined to uncover the truth behind these comicbook ads published between the 1950s and late 80s. In the lavish mailorder mysteries, demarais supplies a chronicle of the more popular and infamous products. Sure most of it was a ripoff but it was still the stuff of dreams to a nine year old. Chats with artist, author and novelty expert, kirk demarais.
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