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Totally Tubular '80s Toys
Filled with super rad toys and bodacious memories, Totally Tubular '80s Toys is a righteous ride back in time when Madonna ruled and Spinal Tap amplifiers went to 11. You'll find everything from He-Man to Cabbage Patch Kids, Trivial Pursuit to Rubik's Cube, Transformers to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Pac-Man to Mario Bros Donkey Kong-as well as lots of fun and smiles. You'll enjoy:
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 27, 2021
Very clearly favors "boy toys" over 80s toys marketed towards girls. Yes they're included, but well known toy lines for girls have a scant few images and maybe 2 pages if lucky, while the other more favored lines have pages upon pages. Nothing wrong with feeling more nostalgic about the toys you played with, but I wish there had been more attention paid to the often overlooked toys of the 80s. It's still a fun book to flip through.
February 28, 2020
Gnarly
This is an ok book, but like anything... you have had to been there, you missed out on Big Toy Stores and playing “outside” and getting bruises and scrapes by staying out there till dark.. those days are long gone. Ruined by tech, anxiety and corporate greed.
This is an ok book, but like anything... you have had to been there, you missed out on Big Toy Stores and playing “outside” and getting bruises and scrapes by staying out there till dark.. those days are long gone. Ruined by tech, anxiety and corporate greed.
February 7, 2019
Great memories of toys I had
February 20, 2023
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/rFNlrvO4ruA
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/rFNlrvO4ruA
Enjoy!
August 4, 2011
Totally Tubular '80s Toys by toy expert Mark Bellomo (Krause Publications, 2010) is, so far, the most complete 1980s toy bible on the market. When I spotted this hefty hardcover and viewed a few pages, I knew this was the 1980s book I had been searching for.
Totally Tubular did a lot of things right where earlier volumes that sought to tackle the same overwhelming subject failed. First, it divided the decade up by year which created a sense of organization that other books I've read lacked. Each year has a breezy intro which hits on the toy franchises as well as the popular movies, tv, and recording artists of the year. This adds some pop culture context to each chapter's selection of toys. Bellomo caps off each year with lists of top tv shows, movies, and music for added reference.
The area in which this book especially shines is the photography. It's the first volume that I have come across that is not stingy on pictures. It showcases more than 500 toys, and the full color pictures practically pop off the page. All the toys come from the writer's collection, and every photo is in beautiful full color. The photos are well-composed and extremely well-captioned, so you can really get a sense of the full line each franchise offered. This aids in identification for your own personal collections. Figures are shown outside the box and posed with accompanying accessories, playsets, and additional items that could have been purchased. The book is in a slightly larger format so it's easy to see individual toys. It's worth every penny just for the pictures.
The accompanying text is informative and full of interesting trivia, but it's never dry like some collectible books can be. The writer's upbeat assessments of each line of toys are never so opinionated as to be debatable. [..In my original review, I complain about another 1980s toy book here..] There was a slight tendency to gloss over popular girls' toys in favor of more obscure boys' lines, though it hits on all the major franchises you would expect, including She-Ra, Rainbow Brite, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Jem. All the most popular toys are well-represented, as well as movie and tv show tie-ins including Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Pee-wee's Playhouse, and Bill And Ted. If a figure existed as a tie-in, it's in this book! There are a lot of less popular toy franchises, as well, though many are of the robotic, superhero, or sci-fi varieties. To me, this was the low-point of the book. While it was interesting to see some of the franchises that never became iconic, I felt that the author chose to include too many obscure boys' toys in lieu of slightly more recognizable girls' toys that haven't been featured in any book I've read on the subject. Granted, the author might not have had those toys in his collection, and he certainly had a more balanced selection than Just Can't Get Enough, but I was still disappointed in some of the toys that didn't make the cut. Anyway, nostalgia is a bottomless pit, and I think there is still room on the market for other books chronicling toys of the era which will hopefully be less of a rehash of the popular dolls and delve into some of these regular omissions (I'll keep my personal list of omissions to myself since we never know who the author(s) of those books may end up being). Undeniably, Totally Tubular will be the standard by which to judge any future additions to the topic.
* As a side note, this book is the ultimate argument for brick and mortar bookstores. I went into the store where I purchased this book not knowing it existed, saw it on a prominent display, flipped through a few pages, and knew immediately that it had to come home with me that day. Sure, I might have found it online eventually, but looking at a thumbnail of the book cover and reading a few rave reviews wouldn't have resulted in an instant sale. At best, it would have been added to my humongous list of pop culture books of interest. Nothing is more convincing than being able to easily examine a book in person.
[slightly shortened excerpt from my full review at blog]
Totally Tubular did a lot of things right where earlier volumes that sought to tackle the same overwhelming subject failed. First, it divided the decade up by year which created a sense of organization that other books I've read lacked. Each year has a breezy intro which hits on the toy franchises as well as the popular movies, tv, and recording artists of the year. This adds some pop culture context to each chapter's selection of toys. Bellomo caps off each year with lists of top tv shows, movies, and music for added reference.
The area in which this book especially shines is the photography. It's the first volume that I have come across that is not stingy on pictures. It showcases more than 500 toys, and the full color pictures practically pop off the page. All the toys come from the writer's collection, and every photo is in beautiful full color. The photos are well-composed and extremely well-captioned, so you can really get a sense of the full line each franchise offered. This aids in identification for your own personal collections. Figures are shown outside the box and posed with accompanying accessories, playsets, and additional items that could have been purchased. The book is in a slightly larger format so it's easy to see individual toys. It's worth every penny just for the pictures.
The accompanying text is informative and full of interesting trivia, but it's never dry like some collectible books can be. The writer's upbeat assessments of each line of toys are never so opinionated as to be debatable. [..In my original review, I complain about another 1980s toy book here..] There was a slight tendency to gloss over popular girls' toys in favor of more obscure boys' lines, though it hits on all the major franchises you would expect, including She-Ra, Rainbow Brite, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Jem. All the most popular toys are well-represented, as well as movie and tv show tie-ins including Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Pee-wee's Playhouse, and Bill And Ted. If a figure existed as a tie-in, it's in this book! There are a lot of less popular toy franchises, as well, though many are of the robotic, superhero, or sci-fi varieties. To me, this was the low-point of the book. While it was interesting to see some of the franchises that never became iconic, I felt that the author chose to include too many obscure boys' toys in lieu of slightly more recognizable girls' toys that haven't been featured in any book I've read on the subject. Granted, the author might not have had those toys in his collection, and he certainly had a more balanced selection than Just Can't Get Enough, but I was still disappointed in some of the toys that didn't make the cut. Anyway, nostalgia is a bottomless pit, and I think there is still room on the market for other books chronicling toys of the era which will hopefully be less of a rehash of the popular dolls and delve into some of these regular omissions (I'll keep my personal list of omissions to myself since we never know who the author(s) of those books may end up being). Undeniably, Totally Tubular will be the standard by which to judge any future additions to the topic.
* As a side note, this book is the ultimate argument for brick and mortar bookstores. I went into the store where I purchased this book not knowing it existed, saw it on a prominent display, flipped through a few pages, and knew immediately that it had to come home with me that day. Sure, I might have found it online eventually, but looking at a thumbnail of the book cover and reading a few rave reviews wouldn't have resulted in an instant sale. At best, it would have been added to my humongous list of pop culture books of interest. Nothing is more convincing than being able to easily examine a book in person.
[slightly shortened excerpt from my full review at blog]
August 9, 2015
Published in 2010, Totally Tubular ’80s Toys highlights a decade of the toy industry that was characterized by synergistic tie-ins to companion movie franchises, television shows, and books. Author Mark Bellomo has organized the book chronologically, reviewing a selection of toys that came out in each year of the decade. In addition, a section entitled “Entertainment-O-Rama” provides lists of the top 10 TV shows, movies, and music of the day.
The book is big (256 pages) and chock full of color photos (500+), all taken from Bellomo’s extensive personal toy collection. While his chronology is heavily focused the lines of action figures that dominated the decade, he also includes some of the favorite video games, dolls and board games from the decade.
If you’re a child of the ‘80s, Bellomo’s recollections of toys and games like Trivial Pursuit, GI Joe, Colecovision, Transformers, Voltron, Jem and the Holograms, M.A.S.K, ALF, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Nintendo Game Boy are bound to bring back a flood of nostalgic memories. The book also does an excellent job of highlighting some of the trendy toy buying crazes of the decade. Cabbage Patch Kids anyone?
The book is big (256 pages) and chock full of color photos (500+), all taken from Bellomo’s extensive personal toy collection. While his chronology is heavily focused the lines of action figures that dominated the decade, he also includes some of the favorite video games, dolls and board games from the decade.
If you’re a child of the ‘80s, Bellomo’s recollections of toys and games like Trivial Pursuit, GI Joe, Colecovision, Transformers, Voltron, Jem and the Holograms, M.A.S.K, ALF, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Nintendo Game Boy are bound to bring back a flood of nostalgic memories. The book also does an excellent job of highlighting some of the trendy toy buying crazes of the decade. Cabbage Patch Kids anyone?
June 12, 2014
Honestly, the only word I can use for this? Meh. I feel bad, because the author really put in a lot of effort, I'm sure, but this book just didn't spark for me. I grew up in the 80's too - born in 78 - and I have a lot of great memories of the toys I loved as a kid. And in spite of all the paper they wasted, I sorely miss the days of the Sears and JCPenney Christmas catalogs. I remember spending weeks making lists for Santa from those pages. But very little of what I remember was found in this book. I get that it's the author's personal perspective on what was cool, and maybe it's because I'm not a boy, but I remember so many other toys that were neglected here. Lady Lovely Locks, Popples, Wuzzles, My Buddy (and Kid Sister), My Pet Monster, etc. In all honesty, I grew bored with this book early on and skimmed through much of it. I'm sure for some people, it probably brought back fond memories, but for me, it just didn't reflect my experience of the 80's.
November 22, 2010
A great trip down memory lane for some of the best toys and stuff of the 80's ... Arcade Mania -- Atari -- Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros and more! There's also puffy stickers, Trivial Pursuit, Speak & Spell, E.T., Chia Pets, Smurfs, Simon and more!
Another fabulous aspect of this book is that each year is the start of a new chapter, e.g. 1983 and at the start of each chapter is a list of the best movies, music and television for that year. Boy, did that bring back memories!
Another fabulous aspect of this book is that each year is the start of a new chapter, e.g. 1983 and at the start of each chapter is a list of the best movies, music and television for that year. Boy, did that bring back memories!
December 14, 2016
I loved looking at all the pictures of the toys. I remember my cousins having a lot of them. I just wished there were more girl toys represented. Such as barbie fashion plates, lite brite, little people, easy bake oven, colorforms, charm necklaces, monchichi dolls, big wheels. Even though some of those I mentioned were for both boys and girls they are the toys I remember from my childhood.
July 1, 2012
Great nostalgic coffee table book. I got it for $7 in the bargain section of my local Barnes and Noble. I don't think it's quite worth the hefty $30 price tag, but for $7, and as a child of the '80's, it was definitely worth the price. Gonna be sitting on my coffee table for years to come.
August 18, 2011
Wonderful nostalgia. I only wish it had even more detail on the background of each line.
January 19, 2013
Was a gift from my cousin Neil. I had a blast reading it and remembering the toys of my childhood. Great fun and easy to read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews