top of page

'80s Toys? I'm There.

Updated: Jul 20, 2018

I realize that if you were feverishly clicking your refresh button waiting for new content, you probably gave up long ago. My wife and I are in the process of setting up a bakery, and things have been pretty hectic. I am taking a leap of faith and am going to be leaving a five year-long career (if pizza delivery deserves that distinction). With that said, we are in a bit of a transitional phase, and the house has been a disaster. I felt that my remaining sanity would be best preserved by getting rid of a few vintage toys, which I never had a proper place to display. I had seen advertisements for a retro toy store over the Heights Theater, but hadn't gotten in, despite multiple attempts. The online reviews were glowing, and it was a little bit frustrating. This store has been less than two miles from me for five years. Hey, I'm a busy guy.


But today, with Castle Greyskull, two Micro Machines playsets and Star Trek cards in hand, I finally got there. The owner gave me a very fair price for the items, and of course I combed ever inch of the place, multiple times. I was a little bit distracted, but my wife had the foresight to take some photos for the blog. The guy ran out to work theater's ticket booth, and we eventually left without buying anything, but I doubt this will be our last visit.

Vintage toys.

I was tempted with a few incidental things, but was actively looking for Battle Beasts, which I didn't see. If you're not privy, here's the commercial:


I had only two Battle Beasts when I was a kid, so it would be easy (theoretically, instantaneous) to rebuild my collection. Why don't I just buy them online? It's because I love finding toys "in the wild." I would rather wait years to find a specific toy in a rummage sale, over choosing from the best of dozens on eBay. Heck, last year I found several Battle Beasts at the Steel City Comic Con, but I still passed because none of them were the ones I had. My wife couldn't believe that I made a ten-hour drive for Thomas F. Wilson's autograph and a M.U.S.C.L.E. creature. And if I never find a given item? That's cool. Life is not about getting stuff. It took me a long time to realize that.


Now that I've waxed philosophical, here are some more photos of the store!

Star Wars toys in '80s toystore.

The place had a ton of Star Wars stuff. People never believe me when I tell them I have no interest in the franchise; it's too mainstream for me.


He had some Transformers, but they were all of the newer persuasion. Note the two Ecto-1 vehicles at the end of the isle:


I can't believe how many different Funko Pop! figures have been released.


Here's an old-school Raphael Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. At about ten, I was really into Ninja Turtles, and still have some of the toys. At least he's wearing green on St. Patrick's Day! (That's actually today, as I write this. While a lame joke, it's not random.)

Raphael TMNT Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It was a fun trip, and borderline necessary. Do you have a favorite toy from yesteryear? Tell us about it in the comment box below!


bottom of page