Sixties City Index Page
Sixties City - Leisure Designs, Toys and General Household Consumer Items
Sixties City - Leisure Designs and Toys
   


Steel Coca Cola Can and Mary Quant Lipstick Radio
Stop what you're doing for a moment and take a look around you - the chairs, tables, lamps, toys - anything that catches your eye. Can you remember the kind of things that surrounded you in the Sixties - do you remember Space Hoppers? Telephones with finger holes? World Cup Willie? Seemingly indestructible cans of Coca Cola that had to be opened with a pointy metal thing? What happened to them - and where will all the stuff that you can see right now be in another 40 years time? Mostly long gone into the bin, I imagine. The same thing happens all the time, particularly with cheap, disposable bric-a-brac. Then, one day, you'll see the items again - this time for sale at incredible prices and you'll think to yourself 'I used to have one of them....wonder what happened to it? Wish I'd kept it now'. Not that I'm suggesting you harbour junk just for the sake of it...

Me? I'm no different - I used to have a lot of the things in these pictures so it's a personal trip down memory lane. I remember seeing a lot of this stuff during my childhood and even have a few odd pieces that somehow survived. Not so much a page, more of an old shopping catalogue - there's no particular order to this section of Sixties City, just a few memories of my own and some pictures of interesting bygones - fifties or sixties 'icons', with a little information for those who are interested.


                                                                  

Holiday Camps     Newspapers & Magazines     Children's Comics     Advertising     Shops and Retailing     Printed Media Images     Music & Pop Publications     Consumer Protection     Green Shield & Trading Stamps


Furniture and Lighting (Click on any image for a larger, better quality picture where available)

BLOW inflatable chair 1967
'Blow' inflatable
chair made by Zanotta
c.1967
Superonda settee 1967 'Superonda' settee
by Archizoom
c.1967
Star Trek string art kit
DIY string pictures were
popular as a decorative craft in the late 1960s through kits and books
Eeero Arno ball chair 1965
Eero Arnio 'ball' chair as seen in
'The Prisoner' and 'The Italian Job'
Made by ASKO
c.1965
Inflatable furniture Quasar Khanh
Inflatable furniture
Quasar Khanh
Turbo by Louis Weisdorf 1965 Make-it-yourself
plastic lampshades
'Turbo' 1965
by Louis Weisdorf
BIBA coffee table 1969
BIBA coffee table
c.1969
Eclisse lamp 1967
'Eclisse' lamp - with an inner
rotatable shade to simulate
lunar phases. Vico Magistretti
for Artemide, 1967
Wicker hanging chair 1968
Wicker hanging chair
c.1968
Tomoton paper chair 1966 'Tomoton'
compressed paper chair
Bernard Holdaway
c.1966
Mathmos lava lamp 1963
The Mathmos Astro lamp has been in continuous production in England since its invention in 1963
Glitter lamps
. . . and its cheaper, less impressive
cousin, the glitter lamp . .
Viscontea cocoon lamp 1960
'Viscontea' cocoon lamp on wire frame. Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
for Flos, Italy, 1960
Bolla bubble lamp 1965 Elio Martinelli 'Bolla' bubble lamp could be wall or table mounted. Manufactured by
Martinelli Luce, Italy, 1965

Verner Panton chair 1968
Verner Panton
stacking chairs
c.1968
Shattaline resin lamp 1968
. . . and cheaper still, the Shattaline
resin lamp


Toys and Books (Click on any image for a larger, better quality picture where available)

Corgi Lucozade van

First produced by Mettoy Playcraft Ltd in July 1956 as competition to Meccano's Dinky Toys, February 1960 saw the die-cast toys featuring elements such as boots that opened to reveal luggage, bonnets that housed finely-detailed engines and removable plastic tops for convertible models like the Jaguar E-type. Battery-powered front and rear lights were also introduced during this period. In 1964 Corgi moved into the adult collector market with a range of highly detailed models of vintage cars called 'Corgi Classics'.
Dinky Toys Captain Scarlet SPV
Dinky Toys were die-cast miniature vehicles produced by Meccano Ltd who were also makers of Hornby Railways. They were originally model railway accessories called 'Modelled Miniatures' and were called 'Dinky Toys' for the first time in April 1934. In November 1958, Meccano introduced the Dublo Dinky range of models in 1:78 (OO) scale. There were a total 15 Dublo models which were phased out in 1968 and replaced by Mini-Dinky Toys, a second range of small scale models larger than the Matchbox range at 1:65. Arguably, Dinky's most famous tie-ins were with the various Gerry Anderson TV series vehicles.
Corgi James Bond car

Corgi produced many cars based on vehicles used in films and television shows such as the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 and Toyota 2000GT, The Saint's Volvo P1800, Batman's Batmobile (with Batboat in 1967), the Daktari Gift Set (Land Rover), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 'THRUSH-Buster', The Avengers Bentley and Lotus Elan, The 'Monkeemobile', The 'Yellow Submarine', The Green Hornet's 'Black Beauty and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the last of which has become one of the most-desired Corgi collectibles. There was also a 'comic' vehicle range in 1969.
Matchbox models
Lesney Products(now owned by Mattel) introduced the 'Matchbox' range in 1953. The range of models changed regularly but its basic line always contained 75 cars. New cars were introduced and less popular ones were put out to grass but the “Matchbox 75” remained a constant of the toy world. By 1968, Matchbox was the biggest-selling brand of small diecast model cars worldwide. The average model featured plastic windows, interiors, tyres (often with separate disc wheels), and other accessories, spring suspension and opening parts. Some even featured steering, including the pressure-based AutoSteer system introduced in 1969.
Husky toys

Mettoy (Corgi) also developed a smaller pocket-sized range known as Husky cars in 1964 (later renamed Corgi Junior). The success of these led to the creation of Rockets, special small cars with fast wheels designed especially for racetracks. In 1965 Corgi started marketing licensed toys, the first of which was the Aston Martin DB5 from the James Bond movies. Like its big brother, the car featured a working ejector seat.
Sindy Doll
'Sindy - The Doll You Love To Dress' - 1962
First manufactured by Pedigree of Kent and bearing a striking resemblance to the American doll 'Tammy', she was launched with a then unprecedented advertising campaign. Sindy became an instant hit with 200,000 dolls sold by Christmas of that year. Now considered to be the British version of 'Barbie', she was joined by a little sister called 'Patch' and, in 1965, a boyfriend 'Paul'. In 1967 Paul bit the dust when she was joined by 'friends' Mitzi, Betsy, Vicki and Poppet.

Wham-O Super Ball
Wham-O’s 'Super Ball', marketed in Summer 1965, was invented by chemist Norm Stingly. By combining compounds under extreme pressure and temperature he produced a material called ‘Zectron,’ which was able to retain a high degree of bounciness when dropped. The company sold some 20 million of these during the 1960s. Wham-O also introduced us to the Frisbee, the Hula Hoop, Slip 'N Slide, Trac-Ball, Silly String and the Boogie Board.
Barbie Doll
Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel Toys, unveiled 'Barbie', the teenage fashion model, at New York's annual Toy Fair in 1959. In the early Sixties she began wearing designer outfits such as Gay Parisienne modelled after Parisian haute couture fashions. As the 60s gave way to the "British Invasion", Barbie got a fashion makeover and her body style, hair, face and makeup changed as well. In addition to wearing mod fashions, Barbie's body acquired a new 'Twist 'N Turn' waist and a younger face with rooted eyelashes.
Palitoy Action Man

'Action Man' 12" posable figure by Palitoy Ltd, of Coalville, Leicester. Introduced January 1966, under licence from Hasbro, hence the similarity in facial appearance including the trademark scar and US-style uniforms, it had fierce competition from Pedigree's 'Tommy Gunn' (right, 66-68) which was actually shorter than Action Man and had a sun-tan! The Tommy Gun body moulds were subsequently used for the 'Captain Scarlet' action figures.
Pedigree Tommy Gunn
Hasbro GI Joe
G.I. Joe owes its existence to Barbie. Toy creator Stan Weston thought that since Barbie was so popular, he could come up with a similar toy for boys: a line of Barbie-sized dolls with a military theme to be marketed for boys. In 1963 he took the concept to toy manufacturers Hassenfeld Brothers (who later shortened the name to Hasbro). It was initially offered as a sailor, soldier, airman and marine. In 1967, Hasbro expanded the line to include a series of talking figures. In the late Sixties the line became known as 'The Adventures of G.I. Joe' and, in 1970, Hasbro settled on the name 'Adventure Team'.
Scalextric

Minimodels introduced a range of metal bodied model racing cars in 1952 which contained a unique type of clockwork motor. The inventor of these was Mr B. Francis and the trade name was SCALEX. Minimodels was sold to the Lines Brothers 'Tri-ang' group in November 1958. In 1963, the four new cars launched made a total of 18 different cars, two motorcycle combinations, complete with Tri-ang's RX motor and accurately moulded plastic bodies. The variable speed hand throttle replaced the original controller and new track sections and buildings enabled reproductions of actual race tracks to be launched.
Spirograph
The mathematician Bruno Abakanowicz invented the 'spirograph' between 1881 and 1900. In 1965 Denys Fisher introduced children to geometry with a set of ridged and toothed plastic shapes called Spirograph. This amazing toy created intricate designs when a pen traced the path of a small shape as it rolled inside one of the bigger ones. It was awarded ‘Toy of the Year’ in '67, and was then acquired and marketed by Kenner. In 1968, Kenner introduced Spirotot, a less complex version of Spirograph, for preschool-age children.
Careers Careers, devised by sociologist James Cooke Brown in the mid-1950s, was a board game where players could set their own victory conditions by choosing to pursue Fame, Happiness, Money, or a combination of all three, to reach a total of 60 points. The 'careers' available were updated over 60 years of revised editions, reflecting changes in social perceptions, for instance, the original careers offered in the game were Farming, Big Business, Out to Sea, Politics, Hollywood, Expedition to the Moon and Uranium Prospecting whereas one of the 1970s versions offered Big Business, Sports, Teaching, Politics, Arts, Space and Ecology.
Twister 1966
Twister, invented by Reyn Guyer, was a large vinyl mat and a spin-board introduced to US TV viewers when Johnny Carson played it with Eva Gabor on his late night talk show in 1966. Players took turns spinning the plastic arrow around a small board with 4 quadrants: right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm. If your arrow landed on a blue spot in the 'right leg corner, you put your relevant body part on the blue spot that was the most physically possible for you to reach. The first player to collapse was the loser but since he usually brought all the others down with him, the winners didn’t have much opportunity to enjoy their success.

Ker Plunk Ideal 1967
'Ker-Plunk'
Ideal Games
1967
Space Hopper
'Space Hopper' by
Mettoy was available
in blue or orange
1969
PlayPlax
PlayPlax by Trendon
Invented by
Patrick Rylands
1966
Trolls 1964
'Trolls' - DAM Things - Denmark. Invented by Thomas Dam,
1964
Louis Marx Dalek 60s
Dr Who
Bump & Go Dalek
Louis Marx
1960s
Larger Full Image
Doctor Who and the Daleks
Louis Marx smaller scale
friction drive Dalek,
1965
Avengers Gift Set Corgi 1965
'Avengers'
Gift Set
Corgi Toys
1965
Tiny Tears
'Tiny Tears' - Palitoy
wet herself and cried with help from bottled water

1966
Dinky Toys Thunderbird 2
Gerry Anderson's
Thunderbird 2
Dinky Toys
1967
Corgi Toys Batmobile 1966
The Batmobile
DC Comics
Corgi Toys
c. 1966
Dinky Toys FAB 1
Lady Penelope's FAB 1 Thunderbirds
Dinky Toys
1967
The Saint Volvo P1800 Corgi 1963
'The Saint'
Volvo P1800
Corgi Toys
c. 1963
Corgi Toys Man From UNCLE Thrush Buster
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
T.H.R.U.S.H.- Buster
car and ring
Corgi 1966
Corgi Monkeemobile
Monkeemobile
Corgi 277
and Airfix model
1966

Lone Star James Bond gun 1963
James Bond '007'
cap gun with silencer
Lone Star
c.1963
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels
Mattel Toys 1968
11/16 castings designed
by Harry Bentley Bradley
Hornby Railways
Hornby OO Trains
1938 Frank Hornby
Bought by Tri-Ang
in 1964
Airfix Saturn V
Airfix
Saturn V and
Lunar Landing Module
Airfix 1969
Meccano
Meccano
first invented in 1898
by Frank Hornby
Junior Meccano 1965
Larger Images
'Battling Tops'
also
' Battling Spaceships'
Ideal 1968
Larger Image
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Agent's Badge
Lone Star and Ideal
1965
Full Larger Image
The Beatles
'Yellow Submarine'
Corgi
1969
Man From UNCLE gun 1968
The Man From UNCLE
Die Cast Gun
Lone Star
1968
Mighty Tonka Dump Truck 1964
Mighty Tonka
Dump Truck
Tonka Toys
1964
Operation MB Games 1965Operation
MB Games
invented by John Spinello
1965
Etch A Sketch 1960 Ohio Art Co
Etch A Sketch (505)
invented by André Cassagnes
Ohio Art Company
1960
Game of Jacks

Game of Jacks
traditional
various
Tressy Doll Palitoy 1964
Tressy Doll
'Her hair grows'
Palitoy
1964
Mr Smash Marx Toys 1969
Mr. Smash
Clockwork Martian Robot
Marx Toys
c.1969-70
Twiggy Fashion Doll Mattel
'Twiggy'
Twist'n'Turn doll
Mattel
1966
Mouse |Trap Game Ideal 1963
'Mouse Trap Game'
Ideal Toy Company
designed by Hank Kramer
1963
















Miscellaneous Items (Click on any image for a larger, better quality picture where available)

Keracolor Television 1969
'Keracolor' television
Arthur Bracegirdle
c.1968

Mary Quant lipstick radio
'Mary Quant'
novelty
lipstick radio
Weltron 2007 hi-fi table
The Weltron 2007
hi-fi table
World Cup Willie Memorabilia 1966
World Cup 1966
World Cup Willie
football memorabilia
Polaroid Instant Camera 1966
Polaroid Instant Camera
Swinger 20
1965
VOX AC30 1963
Vox AC30
Sound Amplifier
1963
Beatles Lunchbox
'Beatles'
Flask and lunch box
1965
Homepride flour graders 1965
'Homepride'
'Fred' flour graders
Spillers 1965
Philips HK4100 Hair Dryer 1965
Philips HK4100
hair dryer
1965
Telephone 1965
GPO Telephone
Red 706
1965
Ty6-Phoo Tea football cards 1965
Ty-Phoo Tea
Football Team Cards
1964/65
Vox V846 Wah Wah pedal 1967
VOX V846
Wah Wah Pedal
February 1967
Dansette Conquest 1962
Dansette 'Conquest'
Record Player
1962

 Bush TR82C Transistor Radio  1960
Bush TR 82C
Transistor Radio
1960
The Smiley 1963
The 'Smiley'
created
1963

Ouija Board Parker Brothers 1967
Ouija Board
Parker Brothers
1967
Double Diamond beer cans
Double Diamond
Beer Cans
Ind Coope
Post Office Tower Souvenirs 1965
Post Office Tower
Souvenirs
1965
Dubreq Stylophone 1967
Dubreq
Stylophone
1967
Carlight Continental caravan 1964
Carlight Continental
Caravan
1964
Kodak Instamatic camera 1963
Kodak 126 format
Instamatic camera
1963
Dalek Badge 1964
Dalek Badge
Woolworths
1964-65
Top Of The Pops LP Hallmark 1968
'Top Of The Pops' LPs
Hallmark Records
1968 on
IBM Selectric typewriter 1961
IBM Selectric
Typeweriter
1961
Beatles liquorice records 1963
Liquorice records
Clevedon Confectionery
c.1964
BEA Magazines 1965
BEA
Magazines
August 1965
Sixties sweets and chocolate
Sixties Sweets
and Chocolate
Various
Pifco red dome lantern 60s
PIFCO
Red Dome Lantern
50s / 60s




UK web hosting by Velnet Domain names | Search Engine Submission by Haabaa website directory | Submit Express | Web Hosting Shop
All Original Material Copyright SixtiesCity
Other individual owner copyrights may apply to Photographic Images