80's Theme Week: Day 2

So it's Day 2 of 80's Theme Week here @ The House, and today I figured I'd focus on some of the toys a bit.

Now awhile back, like 2011 back, I briefly talked about some of the toys in the 80's I played with. You know, the usual suspects like Transformers, GI Joe, TMNT, and stuff.

Well Kenner back in the early-mid 80's had problems.

Transformers and GI Joe were kicking their asses in the toy market. So some smart exec said, "Hey, kids love robots, and the military. Let's combine them into one concept and market the hell out of it!"

                                                             And thus, MASK was born.

Yes MASK. At the time, it really did combine the best features of the Transformers and GI Joe, but that's all it really was.

You got the cool vehicles, and the some of the mask designs were pretty good, but they were just lacking personalities; that IT factor that made kids everywhere fall in love with GI Joe and the Transformers in the 1st place.

Hell, I only had maybe a few of the figures, and maybe one vehicle, but that was it. I was a strictly GI Joe/TF kid, so MASK was a really brief passing phase for me.

Even with a cartoon to help pimp the toys, the show and concept didn't last long, fading out into obscurity and the faint memories of a generation of kids.

They've recently popped up in a skit or two on Robot Chicken, and it was funny as shit!

But other than that, they're one of the few 80's concepts to not make a comeback, or even a hint of one.

The other fun marketing property to come out of the 80's were the Garbage Pail Kids.

I might've mentioned them before, but that shit was right up my alley man. Even back then, a young Mr.Morbid loved himself some Garbage Pail Kids!;)

They started out as a spoof  on the very popular Cabbage Patch Kids dolls at the time, with the TOPPS trading card company marketing them as satirical trading cards.

It worked, and a new craze was born.

And really, how could kids not love it? All the gross, over the top art. The bad puns that were both funny and easily relate-able to to kids, the gum alone that was packed in there with cards helped sell it further. It was just a kids dream, and a uptight parents' nightmare, so yeah, of course it was a hit;)

Oh, and did I mention they made a movie Garbage Pail Kids movie?

Yep.

Ah the 80's......and this is just Tuesday;)