Etch A Sketch

So you’re drawing a camel, and you’re about half done when a commercial comes on for the Kenner Star Wars Death Star playset so naturally you look up and watch. Now it’s time to continue, but which way to turn the knob? You know this one does the up and down, but which way? Oh, c’mon, you were just doing it, it’s supposed to be natural by now! Ok, let’s go clockwise…GAH!

Welcome to my childhood, thanks for a dose of nostalgia derjoe.

Everyone's First Instrument

Like Silly String, Squand, play drums and trampolines, some gifts for our children have a secret, prepackaged ingredient, regret. Remembering this toy from my childhood I didn't hesitate to get one for my first child, it was mere hours later I felt an overwhelming desire to call and apologize to my parents for what must have been weeks of torture when I was 4. But I'm sure many gifted musicians out there can trace their skill and passion all the way back to this brilliantly recreated gem by builder Pistash.

B-4... You Sank My Battleship!

This latest throwback from builder jtheels should be instantly recognizable to generations of boardgamers. It's of course Battleship, the Milton Bradley classic, or at least one of it's iconic little ships at about 10x scale. The whole game at this scale would occupy a couple ping pong tables, and be more fun to play (sounds like a convention stunt, somebody make that happen!)

Reflector

I deal with camera issues all the time as a photographer and videographer. But I've never had to deal with a camera that transforms into three separate characters. This is Reflector, from the Transformers cartoon, built by MortalSwordsman. It transforms into Spyglass, Viewfinder and Spectro seen below. My big question is how are they with hot pixels and flickering with sequential images?

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em

Here's a little dose of nostalgia, it's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots by BrickNerd's own Roy of Floremheim. I can't calculate the endless hours we spent playing this as kids, it was a childhood favorite. Not only is this a fun miniature reproduction of the Marx classic game, it's even got play features. To see it in action check out this video.

Toyxels

As far as I know Mixels are coming to an end, which is too bad. As you can see from this pretty genius trio of MOCs from builder Unijob Lindo there is no end to themes that could be explored. This toy theme really makes me wish we had an official toy inspired line of these bizarrely fun series. Think of the possibilities!

Hot Wheels

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you (and no, we haven't started covering other toys), these are LEGO. Builder Brick Flag has recreated some classic Hot Wheels, and the results are perfect. Of course they're significantly larger than their tiny rolling counterparts, but I think that's part of the fun. What's more is I had these very cars when I was a kid, the paramedic truck was one of my favorites, and the fastest in my collection.

You Knocked My Block Off!

Ah, childhood, when we weren't out beating each other senseless with our Sock'Em Boppers, we were inside beating each other's robots senseless with Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. Builder jtheels is back with another solid dose of nostalgia, and has sparked a theory. As impossible as it sounds, I am absolutely convinced at this point we somehow shared a toy box from either side of the country.

Toys R Us

Although I have a real problem with Toys R Us and their price gouging ways, I seriously dig this TRU Modular by builder wenyehng. The theming, color scheme and style fits TRU's identity perfectly, and the addition of the characters, toys and of course Geoffrey is the perfect finishing touch.

Hey, You Knocked My Block Off!

Is there any more wholesome form of childhood entertainment than to watch two robots beat the crap out of each other until one is hideously disfigured? Yeah, I didn't think so. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots was a go-to favorite when I was a kid, and this wonderful miniature version by Bruce Lowell makes me want to engage in robot battle even though I'm adult...I mean manchild.

Cha-ching!

I suppose today's kids learn about money handling with an app (between catching Pokemon) but when I was a kid, this was the apparatus of choice, the Fisher-Price cash register. Seeing this MOC by scottstaz brought a whole flood of nostalgia and happy coin-counting feels. It's a perfect 1:1 recreation, right down to the chute on the side.

Spinning Vinyl

Well, plastic at least. I can remember studying one of these at around age 4 and working out how it functioned, prompting me to disassemble a couple music boxes of my mom's to see if they worked the same way (similar, but using a drum). I also remember getting into a bit of trouble for not putting them back together. What can I say, they were far more interesting with their inner workings exposed. Builder jtheels nails another retro build (and brings back all the childhood feels) perfectly.

You Can Spin With One, Spin With Two, How You Spin Is Up To You!

I know we had at least one of these at our house when I was a kid, but being that I get barfy just glancing at my phone in a moving car I never cared for it much. It's Sit 'n Spin from jtheels, and it's a blast form the centrifugal past! Yeah, some of the toys from my youth were kinda dumb, but then again so were we (lawn darts anyone?).

Best Idea Ever

What better way to spice up a summer gathering than severe food trauma? Yes, it's Jarts, or lawn darts! Oversized, weighted lawn missiles with sharpened steel tips, what could possibly go wrong? My family actually had these when I was a kid, they were fun and terrifying at the same time. Between these, my dad smoking in a closed car, no seatbelts and pop rocks and Coke, it's amazing we made it out of the 70's alive. Thanks for the nostalgia JT!

Toys Through Time

The fine folks at House of Fraser put together a pretty nifty infographic of Toys Through Time, they were also kind enough to make us a special version featuring just LEGO facts. There's a bunch of info here presented in a fun retro way, enjoy!

Dino-Grabber

We've all had one, you might still have one, the classic dinosaur grabber. They're handy for grabbing things just out of reach, terrorizing family cats, menacing fish (just watch E.T.) and with the addition of a fun costume, entertaining puppet shows. This one by Takamichi Irie doesn't function like a real one, but then again the real one isn't made of LEGO now is it?

Lincoln Logs

I have mixed feelings for this toy from my youth. I remember having Lincoln Logs, and they were fun...to a point. There's only so many times you can built the same little cabin over and over before you start looking for other uses, like battlefield decorations for GiJoe. But Lincoln Logs built out of LEGO, like these from jtheels? Sign me up! 

Simon

Red, blue, red, red, yellow, green, blue, red, blue... In the early 80's electronic gaming was huge. And between this device, Electronic Football and Merlin the future was clear, electronic gaming was here to stay. Sure the beginnings were crude, just flashing lights and buzzing (practically neolithic by todays standards) but we LOVED them. Thanks for the dose of nostalgia jtheels.

Toss Across

Just last night my wife and I were talking about toys from our childhood. Though I should point out the discussion started about the most dangerous toys (we actually had lawn darts, amazing) soon the conversation drifted to toys in general. I had Toss Across as a kid, and seeing this brilliant recreation by jtheels brought back a lot of memories. Mostly of how we used to wet the bean bags and put them on a lightbulb to cook the beans, it smelled oddly appetizing.

Jack-In-The-Box

I never had a jack-in-the-box as a kid, but I remember my cousin having one and it scared the crap out of me. You would crank the handle to a somewhat creepy rendition of Pop Goes The Weasel, at least for the first three measures. Then it was almost time for the "Pop", and the timing was always just a little off. Sometimes it was a full crank, sometimes 3/4, sometimes 1 1/2. I don't know if it was intentional, but it sure caused a lot of child anguish and stress. Then the damn clown would pop out and it was time to change your shorts. This version by ~Likus~ doesn't "pop" up, but the crank does make the clown go up and down, which is *almost* as creepy.