View Master – Reels of 3D fun and memories for over 65 years

View Master – one of the great toy success stories of the last century. There wouldn’t be many people out there that haven’t owned or at least played with one at some point. It was simple to use and with hundreds of reels created over time that meant there was something for everyone. Today’s post is about Bec’s very impressive collection of View Master reels and viewers and why she chose to collect it.

This is the classic red View Master people most remember.

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Choose Your Own Adventure Books – 30 years of interactive fiction that’s influenced the world.

First published in 1979, Choose Your Own Adventure books propelled the new genre known as interactive fiction into the popular culture stratosphere. The key to their success was that it placed you, the reader, at the centre of the story and you decided how the book progressed. It was kind of like a video game, but without the console, game cartridges, joystick and TV… ok, they were nothing like video games, but they were interactive and that was central to their entire success.

The Cave of Time was the first Choose Your Own Adventure printed. The book on the far left is a later edition that featured different art. I always preferred the original covers.

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Spider-Man Statue from Bowen Designs – centrepiece for the discerning comic book geek.

I haven’t posted about Spider-Man yet so it’s certainly about time. I’ve been following his adventures and collecting the comics since the late 1980’s and he’s always been my favourite super hero.  The Bowen Designs Classic Spider-Man statue was always on my list of must haves and last year I was finally able to get my hands on one!

A classic Spider-Man pose faithfully recreated by Bowen Designs.

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Retro gaming with Mastertronic – Budget software for the Commodore 64

During the 1980’s, U.K based company Mastertronic rocketed to fame by launching a range of budget games for the Commodore 64, Amstrad and Spectrum home computers. Some became classics and others would be soon forgotten, but their prices were right and that’s what mattered to the kids of the day.

Inspired by the Mastertronic article featured in Retro Gamer Magazine #1 (check my post on Retro Gamer #100), Mat Corne has decided to recapture this heyday of silver age gaming by collecting and reviewing their back catalogue via his blog, Mastertronic Chronicles.

Some of the Mastertronic range for Commodore 64

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Kit Kats from Japan – a culinary collecting obsession!

Japan, being a big gift giving culture has embraced Kit Kats like nowhere else in the world. In fact a big part of their success is that the name Kit Kat is very similar to the Japanese phrase kitto katsu, or “you’ll surely win,” and this has helped it become a great present among students and friends.

Limited Edition KIt Kat from Japan. This one is Koi Kinako Kit Kat (Dark Soy Flour flavour)

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Retro Gamer reaches Issue #100 – revives fond memories of a misspent youth.

It was 2004 and I was browsing my local newsagent’s video game section when the cover of Retro Gamer #1 caught my eye.  It was filled with reviews, interviews and flashbacks of the games and people who created them in the early decades of interactive and electronic gaming. It was also the first magazine in years that I would read from cover to cover.  Eight years later, it has reached Issue #100 and Retro Gamer still provides an awesome array of articles and features put together by a passionate team of gamers that understand the importance of capturing this history for posterity and future generations.

The cover of Retro Gamer #100, and a nod to a famous Beatles album.

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Galactic Aliens – Alan Daniels original artwork and his connection to Blade Runner

There are books you read as a kid that stay with you years later. Methodically studying each page and taking in all the detail, etching the images into your mind’s eye. Galactic Aliens was such a book, and as kids it blew our minds. Page after page of amazing illustrations and chilling backstories provided hours of speculation and just enough heebie-jeebies to keep you pondering… was there really something else out there in the universe?

Cover of Galactic Aliens - the book that freaked me out as a kid.

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Ralph McQuarrie – Star Wars designer and illustrator passes away.

Ralph McQuarrie passed away on March 3, 2012 at his home in California. He was 82.

When you think about the original Star Wars trilogy you imagine the characters, amazing places and spaceships.

The Illustrated Star Wars Universe

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Chu-Bops – Miniature Vinyl Record Album covers with Bubble Gum Inside

A downside to living in the digital age is the decline in the tangible, physical element of owning something. For music lovers, the experience has always been about buying an album, taking it with you and then simply having the chance to look at it while you listened to the tracks. The artwork and the notes enabled you to completely immerse yourself in the artist’s vision.

In 1980 a company named Amurol recognised that and created Chu-Bops. They were miniature reproductions of album sleeve artwork covering a whole range of different bands and artists such as Blondie, Abba, Gary Numan, KISS, Judas Priest and Billy Joel. Quite a range really. All in all, 9 series were produced with some specifically covering Elvis, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. They were the perfect keepsake to swap and collect with friends.

Back of a Chu-Bops pack and the gum, although it's not recommended you eat it after 30 years.

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The Gremlins – Roald Dahl’s first children’s book, 1943.

I collect vintage children’s picture books (mostly from 60’s and 70’s). There’s not a huge collectors base for them but this is definitely changing over time. There’s a charm to the illustrations and stories that isn’t often replicated in today’s book world. Some are classics, like anything by Dr Seuss which is always in print but there’s so many that have been forgotten and people with a sensibility for anything retro and vintage are starting to see this. These can often make great gifts to kids of friends and family as they are a true snap shot of the way the world was.

The Gremlins - A Walt Disney Production and Roald Dahl's first children's book.

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