Big Trak (bigtrak) (Vehicle Toyline)

Manufactured by Milton Bradley (under Milton Bradley Electronics)
Released in November 1979
Original Manufacturer Retail Price: $43.00, Dump Trailer $12.00
Via BIGTRAK Homepage, In The 80s, Big Eyed Monster, and Skooldays
Wikipedia Entry

The Big Trak was apparently a feat of modern toy electronics. It was an advanced, programmable robot that happened to be a vehicle.

Wikipedia explains Big Trak as, "...a six-wheeled tank with a front-mounted blue photon beam headlamp, and a keypad on top. The toy could remember up to 16 commands which it then executed in sequence (such as "go forward 5 lengths", "pause", "turn 30 degrees right", "fire phaser" and so on. There was a "repeat" instruction allowing simple loops, but the language was not Turing complete, lacking branching instructions; the Big Trak also lacked any sort of sensor input other than the wheel sensors."

From the catalog: "Let Big Trak's electronic memory treat you to an absolutely spectacular performance. Just punch in your program of commands and watch Big Trak carry them out: moving forward, backward, left and right, up to 99 length units! Order Big Trak to picot into a sharp or wide-angled turn, full circle, or even beyond that. Big Trak can lurk silently before continuing on its course, and can fire either a single shot or a volley from its "photon" cannon. Send Big Trak out of the room, around furniture and other obstacles, and back again! Easy enough for kids to learn, but so much fun, even adults won't be able to resist. One 9 volt transistor and four 1.5 volt "D" size batteries."

Bug Eyed Monster says, "Big Trak's only accessory was the Big Trak Transport, a dump truck like attachment that could be dragged along behind it.

From the catalog: "Fascinating companion unit of Big Trak that automatically hooks up to Big Trak's electronic cicuitry. Watch Big Trak Transport haul loads and suddenly dump them on a pre programmed command. The Transport's sleek design offers great maneuverability and allows the unit to take turns and corners in stride. A great accessory to a great toy!" 

Short Big Trak Demo Video




The Commercial can be seen here.

Hot Wheels Bigfoot Crunch Arena (Playset)

Manufactured by Mattel
Released in 1989 (Commercial Trademark is 1991)
Via In The 80s



Bigfoot was huge in the 80's. "He" was the Hulk Hogan of monster trucks and, of course, had a lot of toy merchandising. This playset is remembered by In The 80s as a, "...set [that] came with Big Foot monster truck (although the truck was really small), cardboard piece with dirt graphics, and slots to install 6 crushable cars. The cars were red, and blue. They were made of some sort of soft plastic that could be remolded after being crushed, with all of the wrinkles still visible. They would tear up after constant crushing and remolding."

Beetlejuice (Kenner and Burger King Toys) (Toyline)

Manufactured by Kenner
Released in 1989
Via In The 80s

Beetlejuice was one of the most unique movies and one of my faves from the 80's. The Kenner line of toys based off the film were very detailed with several different types of characters, playsets, even vehicles. The Neighborhood Nasties line introduced new, cartoonier characters to the toyline.

 

Burger King also carried a cartoony, non-poseable line of the movie toys.  Here's a look at those.

Battleship, Electronic Battleship, and Electronic Talking Battleship

Manufactured by Milton Bradley
Released in 1943 (pen and paper version, original plastic board game release is not listed), 1977 Electronic Battleship, 1989 Electronic Talking Battleship
Wikipedia Entry

I probably don't need to tell you what Battleship is. Although two of its iterations were made before the 80's, Electronic Talking Battleship was released in 1989. Wikipedia explains the pen and paper version of Battleship, "...is played on four square grids, two for each player. The grids are typically square – usually 10 × 10 – and the individual squares in the grid are identified by letter and number. On one grid the player arranges ships and records the shots by the opponent. On the other grid the player records their own shots. Before play begins, each player arranges a number of ships secretly on the grid for that player. Each ship occupies a number of consecutive squares on the grid, arranged either horizontally or vertically. The number of squares for each ship is determined by the type of the ship. The ships cannot overlap (i.e., at most one ship can occupy any given square in the grid)."
That was basically the concept for the original plastic Battleship Board Game. For some reason, the original release of the plastic board game is nowhere to be found online.

Electronic Battleship was released in 1979 (1977 according to Board Game Geek). This used the same rules except that the board game was one piece with electronic lights and sounds.

At the end of the 80's, Milton Bradley released Electronic Talking Battleship. Guess what it did.

Battleship was also released as a  video game on the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. A popular release was on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Wikipedia Entry for that is here

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More and more versions of this uberpopular classic have survived many versions styles and rip-offs over the years. Definitely an 80's staple.

Battle Beasts [Shadow Warriors] (Toyline)

Manufactured by Hasbro
Released in 1987
Via Flickr Site, Toy Archive, Nijirain.com (Italian), Beastformers.Com, Sylvain Heyser's Beastformers page
Wikipedia Entry

This is gonna be a big one. Hold on to your hats!
Battle Beasts were cool to me. I loved rediscovering a toy when I was a kid and I would by scores of these lil' guys from the dollar store.
Most of this post will be info I found at other sites cuz, weirdly enuff, there's a lot of information covering Battle Beasts.
 

Wikipedia looks to tell us Battle Beasts, " ...is a line of small 2" tall action figure toys, in the form of an anthropomorphised animal with body armor and a unique weapon. Several figures have their left hand replaced by a weapon of some kind. Battle Beasts were created by Takara of Japan in 1987. Tomy Co., Ltd., aka K.K. Takara-Tomy, still owns the worldwide rights to the property. The heyday for the toyline came during the period in which it was licensed to Hasbro for distribution outside of Japan when Hasbro marketed the toys in America and many other parts of the world. Although in the Japanese market Takara branded the toys as a spin-off of Transformers and even named the toys "BeastFormers," their tie-in to the Transformers universe was not part of the Hasbro story or marketing. As part of the Takara strategy, many of the Battle Beasts appeared in the episode "Rebellion on Planet Beast" of the Japanese Transformers cartoon series Transformers: The Headmasters."

 

 

 

Toy Archive says, "Battle Beasts were small 1" tall figures released by Hasbro in 1986. Each Beast had heat sensitive sticker on their chest. When rubbed, it would reveal if the Battle Beast was Fire, Wood or Water. Each Beast also carried their own weapon. Vehicles and playsets were also produced, as well as a large assortment of novelty items. Hasbro released more figures to create a total of 76 different Battle Beasts. Starting with a White Lion (#1) and ending with a Orangatang (#76). Following the Battle Beasts were the "Shadowbeasts" or "Laserbeasts" in Japan. The heat sensitive sticker was replaced by a orb that you can see into that would depict which clan the beast belonged to. The new Laser Beasts carried Guns that resembled the creature who held it. The entire new series of 36 Laser Beasts and new vehicles were mainly released in Japan. The lower numbered Lasers were produced in Europe, along with a few unique sleds. North America only received 10 of the new Lasers packaged in Shadowbeast packages." 

Oh, but there's so more! After the first 3 series, they switched it a bit. Wikipedia explains, "The fourth and final Series released was renamed Shadow Warriors, or Laser Beasts in Japan. The heat sensitive sticker was replaced by an orb that could be seen through, depicting which clan the Beast represented.
The Shadow Warriors had a new slogan on the American package that read Fire! Wood! Water!... Only the crystal shield will reveal their strength!. Shadow Warriors carried guns instead of the hand-to-hand weapons that the Battle Beasts had, and each gun resembled the creature which it belonged to."

Did I mention there are vehicles and bases? While I could never find any (nor the Shadow Warriors rebranded toys), I did recently see some Chariots for sale at a local flea market. Too bad I didn't have any Battle Beasts to stick in 'em. Wikipedia says, "A decent amount of vehicles were released throughout the line. For the Battle Beast line, three chariots and three bases were released that looked like animals, each came with one figure that was not unique to the vehicle. The chariots were able to hold up to three figures comfortably and each had its own name: Tearin' Tiger, which looked like a tiger, Big Horn which looked like a ram and Deer Stalker which looked like a deer. All the chariots had a pull-back motion that would spring the vehicle forward when it was released. The three bases were the Blazing Eagle, Shocking Shark and Wood Beetle. Each base had a unique symbol theme that matched the "Fire, Wood, Water" concept that the line was based on. Each base could hold several figures and had a jail-cell with which to hold captured Beasts."

 

Toy Checklist -

Series 1

1. Pirate Lion
2. Deer Stalker
3. Ferocious Tiger
4. Colonel Bird
5. Killer Carp
6. Triple Threat Snake
7. Horny Toad
8. Sledgehammer Elephant
9. Rocky Rhino
10. Roamin' Buffalo
11. Grizzly Bear
12. Blitzkrieg Bat
13. Gargantuan Gorilla
14. Swiny Boar
15. Grusome Gator
16. Sly Fox
17. Hardtop Tortoise
18. Rubberneck Giraffe
19. Prickly Porcupine
20. Sawtooth Shark
21. Danger Dog
22. Hare-Razing Rabbit
23. Sir Sire Horse
24. War Weasel
25. Bloodthirsty Bison
26. Bighorn Sheep
27. Webslinger Spider
28. Crusty Crab

Series 2
29. Icky Iguana
30. Armored Armadillo
31. Jaded Jaguar
32. Humungus Hippo
33. Major Moose
34. Delta Chameleon
35. Kickback Kangaroo
36. Octillian Octopus
37. Wolfgang Walrus
38. Powerhouse Mouse
39. Dragoon Raccoon
40. Antic Anteater
41. Run Amuck Duck
42. Miner Mole
43. Cutthroat Cuttlefish
44. Eager Beaver
45. Slasher Seahorse
46. Knight Owl
47. Hunchback Camel
48. Pillager Polar Bear
49. Squire Squirrel
50. Saber Sword Tiger
51. Bludgeoning Bulldog
52. Pew-trid Skunk

Series 3
53. Panzer Panda
54. Leapin' Lizard
55. Killer Koala
56. Tarsier Tyrany
57. Black Panther
58. Torrential Tapir
59. King Cobra
60. Manic Mandrill
61. Pixelated Pointer
62. Pillager Pig
63. Rowdy Rooster
64. Musky Ox
65. Tangolin' Pangolin
66. Slowpoke Sloth
67. Ardent Aardvark
68. Bodacious Bovine
69. Zealot Zebra
70. Harrier Hawk
71. Diving Duckbill
72. Crooked Crow
73. Frenzied Flamingo
74. Fleet-Footed Antelope
75. Pugnacious Penguin
76. Ossified Orangutan

Series 4 - Shadow Warriors

77. Blue Eagle

78. Spark Shark
79. Sailon
80. Anarchy
81. Tigerburn
82. Condorassin
83. Grand Wolf
84. Fly Sailor
85. Zariganian
86. Rainbow Sam
87. Shool
88. Brain Mouse
89. Brown Lion
90. Grencats
91. Fight Horn
92. Hustlebear
93. Battle Fennec
94. Killer Hound
95. Dragon Seahorn
96. Strong Hurricane
97. Sea Panic
98. Puzzlecolor
99. Mantfrenzy
100. Scoup Cougar
101. Skullgrotess
102. King Buster
103. Slag King
104. Jeerer Monkey
105. Hornhead
106. Monkey Fighter
107. Flying Dragon
108. Kickback
109. Skybat
110. Grin Reefer
111. Salmomanther
112. DinoGator

Chariots
Tearin' Tiger
Deer Stalker
Battling Big Horn

Transports
Shocking Shark
Wood Beetle
Blazing Eagle

Battle Chargers
Battle Eagle
Battle Buzzsaw
Battle Savanna

Barrel Of Monkeys

Manufactured by Lakeside Toys, later Milton Bradley
Released in 1965
Wikipedia Entry

Not much to this game. Wikipedia explains Barrel of Monkeys as, "The barrel contains 12 monkeys, their color usually corresponding to the barrel's color. The instructions on the bottom of the barrel state "Dump monkeys onto table. Pick up one monkey by an arm. Hook other arm through a second monkey's arm. Continue making a chain. Your turn is over when a monkey is dropped." In addition to these basic instructions, the barrel also contains instructions for playing alone or with two or more players."

A riot!

Barnyard Commandos (Toyline)

Manufactured by Playmates
Released in 1989
Via Virtual Toy Chest and Retrojunk
Wikipedia Entry

While I was getting out of toys like this around 1989, I thought this toyline could have been a good idea if they utilized more barnyard animals. It's another group of army soldiers and playsets based off something unusual.

Via Virtual Toy Chest - The toy boxes tell us, "In the heartland of America, the reminants of a secret military experiment have been burried for many years. This was soon to change. One day, strange things started happening down on the farm. Farmer Bob's latest crop of grain had an odd glow to it. After eating some of the grain the Pigs and Sheep started acting kindof funny. Some started driving the tractors around like tanks, others started digging trenches. Soon after an all out war erupted, between the Barnyard Commandos!!!"


Wikipedia says, "The property is based around the concept of farm animals who consumed radioactive materials left over from an abandoned military experiment, mutating them into hyper-intelligent, anthropomorphic paramilitary troops. This consists of two "hilariously harmless" opposing teams: the R.A.M.S. (Rebel Army of Military Sheep) and the P.O.R.K.S. (Platoon of Rebel Killer Swine).

Two series of Barnyard Commandos were produced, each including several figures from both teams. Similar to Mattel's Food Fighters, the figures are non-poseable and made of soft, hollow plastic much like squeaky toys. They each include a weapon accessory that fastens onto the figure and a brief, humorous character description on the cardback.
Burger King also produced a series of tie-in toys as Kids' Meal premiums."

Toy Checklist -

Series 1

R.A.M.S.

• Sergeant Woolly Pullover
• Commodore Fleece Cardigan
• Major Legger Mutton
• Pilot Fluff Pendleton

P.O.R.K.S.

• General Hamfat Lardo
• Private Side O'Bacon
• Sergeant Shoat N. Sweet
• Captain Tusker Chitlins

Series 2

R.A.M.S.

• Master Sargent Cornelius Cannonfodder
• Private Bull Bellwether
• Commander Missiles Muttonchop
• Lieutenant Sureshot Shearling

P.O.R.K.S.

• Corporal Hy Ondahog
• Staff Sergeant Blaster McBacon
• Major Piggyback Gunner
• Captain Hogg Wilde

Vehicles

• Bacon Bomber
• Pork Chopper
• Pork-A-Pult
• Ram Tank

Home Video

The four episodes of the series were released to four NTSC VHS tapes with one episode each.

• Apple-Calypse Now
• Back to the Farm
• Treasure of Ram Pork Mountain
• Ultimate Quest

Video of show opening -

A Bad Case of Worms

via X-Entertainment

Simple. Two sticky worms coiled into small case with a handle. The worms were sticky and could stick without residue to most flat surfaces.

Star Bird (Vehicle Toyline)

Manufactured by Milton Bradley (now under Hasbro)
Released in 1979
Via Bug Eyed Monster, Handheld Museum, Toys You Had, and Stone Foundation Entertainment
Wikipedia Entry

Ever had one of those toys that your parents got you and you thought to yourself, "What the hell is that? That's not Star Wars. It's not Star Trek. What kind of toy is this?"
After playing with it for ten minutes, you realize that it's one of the coolest toys ever.

I had one of these that was bought, sans box and most of its labeling, from a thrift store. Still worked, too!

I've discovered that there's way more to this toy than I ever thought. Wikipedia gives us this lengthy info, "The toy was constructed in three main pieces: the front inner hull which held the electronics and front lasers, the front outer hull (a thin plastic shell over the inner hull), the main body consisting of the center stalk like section and wings. A molded plastic engine piece fitted into the rear of the main body and was removable. The toy is only used in three configurations: the Star Bird which consists of all available pieces, the Star Bird Fighter which is mostly only the front hull attached to the bare engine piece, and the Star Bird Orbiter which is the main body without the front outer hull. When turned on the Star Bird mimics an engine sound. If the toy is pointed upwards the sound would be altered by a ball bearing switch to imply a doppler effect acceleration or taking-off, while a nose down orientation gives the sound of decelerating engines. A button at the rear of the cockpit activates the LEDs at the front of the toy, along with a blast noise, to simulate the firing of its lasers. The button was designed to be pressed by the thumb while the ship was held by the main body or engine piece (in "dragster" configuration). Two simple, detachable drone-like "Interceptors" are provided at the end of each wing. Star Bird also had a rotating laser turret which doubled as an escape-pod/orbiter-type ship."

 

Bug Eyed Monster tells us, "There are two main models of Starbird, the Electronic Starbird and the Star Bird Space Avenger which was also boxed as the StarBird Avenger. Depending on the model, there are diferent sticker sets. The lasers on the Avenger’s nose are set closer together, the canopy plastic is much darker. The Avenger was a second release of the Starbird and included updated electronics that could both send and receive infrared signals. The Avenger model comes with a "target" to shoot at to test your skill with the infrared lasers."

Finally, Toys You Had says, "[The Star Bird Space Intruder] came out in early 1980 and is of a totally different design (other than the front portion). Developed along with the Star Bird, the Star Bird Command Base was a huge cardboard and paper playset to dock your spaceship at.  It came with tiny plastic men and vehicles and had some neat prop pieces, but nothing terribly exciting."

Awesome toyline that I may get my hands on...one year. 

The A-Team - The Adventures with B.A. Card Game (Card Game)

Manufactured by Parker Brothers (now under Hasbro Games)
Released in 1983
Number of Players: 2-4
Via BoardGameGeek 

The A-Team was quite popular back in my day. Because of this, Parker Brothers tried, unsuccessfully, to make their exploits fun for the whole family. BoardGameGeek tells us, "A series of Track Cards are laid out to form a road that acts as the game board. Players are dealt 4 Number Cards and a number of Vehicle Markers depending on the number of players. On a turn, a player places a Vehicle Marker on the next empty Track Card and follows the directions on the card. These allow you to draw a Number Card, ask another player for a specific type of Number Card, or to look at another player's hand and take the Number Card you want. If you have a pair of matching numbers, you place them in the discard pile and go again. Instead of placing a Vehicle Marker on the next Track Card, you may instead give it to another player. The game ends when someone plays their last Vehicle Marker, or when the End Card is reached on the track, in which case the player with the fewest Markers wins."