Welcome to the first episode of the Toy Department! Your intrepid hosts Rob, Andrew and Dave will be here to guide you through a (hopefully) monthly tour of toy aisles past. You may remember us from the Flag Points podcast–that’s sort of how we came to be here. Just after we finished recording the final episode of the old show, we were transported to this strange store that’s located somewhere beyond time and space. We still can’t quite explain how it happened, other than to say that a lenticular hypno-shield was involved. Of course, the first thing we did was venture into the Toy Department, which was stocked from floor to ceiling with the playthings of the past. It’s a collector’s dream. Anyway, that’s the setup; on to Aisle 1-A: Fisher-Price’s Adventure People.
Fisher-Price’s Adventure People line is fondly remembered by many a child of the 70s and 80s. With a fun and functional design aesthetic, rugged construction and a positive message of outdoor discovery and..well, adventure, the line was long-lived and has been long loved. Join us as we travel through the series’ entire history in our inaugural episode. We’ll talk about our favorites, the classics, hits and misses, as well as the line’s place in action figure history. We get a visit from our old friend Page, the toy market expert, who tells us what sort of prices these toys are fetching currently. You’ll also learn a bit about what interests your hosts, and why we’re undertaking the task of talking toys. Why wouldn’t we? We’re in the Toy Department after all. Take a listen below. You can also follow along with catalog page scans in the gallery at the bottom of this page. It’s just like a Read Along Book! (only we don’t tell you when to turn the page–sorry)