Category archive: eBay

November 17, 2009

The Fageol Walkee Tricycle On eBay, Tetanus Shot Not Included

Wow, this looks incredible. Vintage industrial kid gear. The Fageol Walkee Tricycle takes its name from its inventor, Christopher Walkee. Haha, no. William B. Fageol and his brother Frank built the first bus. Their company, the Fageol Motor Company,...
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November 16, 2009

Announcing The Daddy Types Footmuff & Fleece Emporium

The nights are getting colder, K2 is getting bigger, and we're getting leaner, at least gear-wise. I put a few choice, fluffy pieces of gear on eBay last night. Here they are in order of brand-spanking newness: Here's a set...
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October 29, 2009

Vintage Playground Indy 500 Simulator

It looks kind of unwieldy, but this sweet piece of OG playground equipment is only 4' long and 2' high, small enough for toddlers--and small enough to ship via Greyhound. Even better--for me, anyway, I'm sure it means jack...
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October 5, 2009

Awesome In Theory: Fisher-Price Classic Toys

The Fisher-Price Teaching Clock I had as a kid is long gone, but the kid honed right in on Joel's yesterday at the flea market. She bought it for ten bucks. [I know, but I wasn't planning to teach...
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September 18, 2009

Prisunic Fiberglass Kid Furniture? Peut Etre!

There's apparently no marking on any of them, and I can't find any identical models in any catalogues, but the seller of these three pieces of vintage fiberglass kids furniture sourced from a local preschool says they are "surement...
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September 14, 2009

Carpool Commandos: Demilitarized Volvo C303

Maybe I'm just oversensitive during the first few days in the deluxe SUV parade that is kid's new kindergarten pickup line, but I cannot get this spectacular 1975 Volvo C303 out of my mind. How utterly fantastic is this...
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September 3, 2009

This Week In Doll-Sized Real Estate Marketing

This Creative Playthings, slot-together, 2-story dollhouse is a later model, being sold unfurnished, and it's in good-but-played-with condition, so no museum piece. Still, I'm surprised it hasn't gotten any bids yet; back in the day, $99 might have been...
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September 2, 2009

Good Mourning

I mean, I know it's a mourning photo, but this dagguerotype is just so incredibly sad. MOURNING DAG OF FATHER, BABY & MOM'S FOLK ART PAINTING, currently $400, auction ends Sept. 7 UPDATE: Sold for $2,034. [greg french early...
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Asahi Typhoon 4 'AKA The German Bugaboo Killer' On eBay

An Asahi Typhoon 4 stroller by the German manufacturer Hauck is for sale on eBay, with local pickup in Brooklyn--Carroll Gardens, to be exact. Perhaps you've seen this headturning uber-stroller which the seller describes as:"THE DADDY OF ALL PUSHCHAIRS,"...
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August 24, 2009

Unplayed With, Ungnawed On: Awesome Creative Playthings Steamroller

It doesn't get any better than this, folks. If by "it" you're referring to vintage, 70s-era Creative Playthings wooden steamrollers, gift-ready and new in the original box. Whether it's worth at least $45 for your kid to have the...
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July 26, 2009

For Sale: VHS Baby Video Box. Never Rewound.

Not sure which is sad-lamer: The very idea of an engravable, "Pewter Look" For Your Baby's First Video Keepsake Box designed to preserve for a lifetime a cherished memory recorded on an obsolete videocassette format. That these things turn...
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July 23, 2009

Bugaboo*Dad Will Paint Your Chassis, No Ups And No Surprises

Hey-o! Some dad--not just some dad, Bugaboo*Dad!--in Minnesota's powdercoating Bugaboo chassis and selling them on eBay. Says he'll do 10 of them, in either red or black, Frog or Cameleon. Takes around two weeks. Since he's only selling the...
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July 18, 2009

Creative Stranglings: CP Indoor Gym House [Of Strangulation] On eBay

Wow, you don't see these on eBay very often. Nowadays, the company known as Creative Playthings makes nothing but slides and playground sets. But back when Creative Playthings was Creative Playthings, this was about it. The Indoor Gym House...
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July 16, 2009

Changing Table Americaine, Années 60!

The off-kilter photo is giving me a headache, but otherwise, this vintage table a langer, or how you say, changing table, which DT reader Catherine [sweet blog here] just spotted on Belgian eBay, is pretty sweet. The seller thinks...
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July 14, 2009

AMG! Hammerwagon!

What does this New Depression mean in real terms? Let us consider the rare late-1980's Mercedes Benz, the AMG Hammer 6.0 Wagon, of which as few as a hundred may have been created, and which originally sold for around...
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July 1, 2009

Somewhere In New Jersey: Citroen DS21 Wagon On eBay

Remind me again why I lament the absence of awesome euro station wagons in the US when there's a perfectly restored 1971 Citroen DS21 on eBay right now? Why cry over not being able to spend EUR30,000 on an...
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June 25, 2009

Thonet Bologna! 1875 Bentwood Bassinet On eBay

Wow, there's something you don't see turn up on eBay every day. Or ever. A vintage modernist furniture dealer in Bologna, Italy has an original c 1875 Thonet bassinet for sale. He's done a full restoration on it, including...
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June 10, 2009

Bone Teethers, Perhaps Also Known As Gum Sticks

Andy posted photos of one of the things he didn't win on eBay recently, maybe because it's gross: a collection of circa 1850 baby teethers carved from cow bone. Or maybe he didn't win because antique baby teethers are such...
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June 7, 2009

Creative Playthings Miracle: "Immaculate" Play Kitchen

Just a sec, I need to update my list.... DT's Words I'll Never Hear Describing Vintage Creative Playthings Play Kitchens list Pristine Mint Immaculate Never Been Played With Free Shipping OK, I'm back. And what better to do on...
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May 28, 2009

Malaise Era Creative Playthings Dump & Derrick Truck - NIB

The compleatist, collector, or gnawed-wooden-toy-ophobe will be bidding against each other for this New In Box Creative Playthings Dump & Derrick Truck that just appeared on eBay. Me, I'll sit this one out. Even though the ability to switch...
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May 24, 2009

Avril 68! To The Prisunic Furniture Catalogue, Citoyens!

Spectaculaire. Except for the launch date, which turned out to be a couple of weeks before France imploded in a massive wildcat strike and student revolt, the affordable furniture collection launched by the French department store Prisunic looks damn...
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May 22, 2009

Race & Bake: Rare Euro-Spec BMW E30 Touring On eBay US

Though it's not rare anywhere else, the BMW E30 3-series station wagon was never imported to the US, so this 1991 6-cylinder Touring is a find. Loaded with $35,000 in restoration and tuner receipts, the seller says this little...
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April 28, 2009

Just One Word: Plastic Crawligators. OK, Two Words

Dads of future boogie boarders of America take note: there's a Crawligator on eBay, and right now, it is only eleven bucks. $77. still not a record. UPDATE: The Crawligator bubble has not popped. It went for $405. Crawligator,...
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April 27, 2009

Birds On A Tree? How Can That Be?

The Creative Playthings junkies mourn today, at least all the ones who didn't win the auction yesterday for this pristine and rarely seen Birds-on-a-Tree puzzle from Creative Playthings. Fantastic, and in a palette that'd match the kitchen you grew...
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March 30, 2009

BRIO On Swedish eBay: They Don't Make'em Like They Used To

And for a moment it looked like they may not make them at all anymore. But thanks to the excellent sleuthing of previous DT advertiser Christopher Robin of Our Children's Gorilla, we can enjoy a few sweet vintage BRIO...
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March 19, 2009

Bugaboos On eBay: A Price Analysis

On March 1st, Bugaboo dropped the US retail price of its original model, the Frog, from $759 to $629. Since one of the key arguments people make to justify the Bugaboo's premium is its high resale value, I was...
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March 17, 2009

Ahh, The McMemories

As any serious doll collector knows, Yolanda Bello's doll designs for Ashton Drake, in her own eloquent words, "redefined doll collecting as the world knew it" when her first doll, Jason, a romping tot in a blue cloud suit designed...
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March 13, 2009

Caonimama? Pushmi-Pullyu The Next Symbol Of Chinese Internet Freedom

When I bought this sweet, fuzzy vintage Pushmi-Pullyu doll on eBay a couple of years ago, I thought it'd be fun for the kid. Only when it arrived did I see how hilariously unplayable it was for a toddler,...
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March 6, 2009

Barn Find? Creative Playthings Moon Buggy

My wife works for NASA, and yet I had no idea our country faced a dire shortage of wooden moon buggies until this old-timey Creative Playthings moon buggy turned up for sale on eBay. It's the first one I've...
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February 19, 2009

Unidentified Local Moms Selling Their Stuff Online

Turns out celebrities really are just like the rest of us! Like you and me, they get so much free baby gear and clothing from publicists, it piles up around their houses, too, and then they, too, have to...
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February 15, 2009

Mad Mod Ply Dollhouse Prototype On eBay

This sweet, birch ply modernist dollhouse just turned up on eBay, where it's described as "one of just a few modern dollhouse prototypes designed and built by an architect-cabinet maker team. Designs were based on modern houses by Le...
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February 9, 2009

Ronin Playtown Fire Truck By Creative Playthings On eBay

In the mid-1960's, Julian Winston designed the Playtown series for Creative Playthings, which included playsets for an airfield, a marina, a garage, and a fire station. With no fire station to serve, this masterless wooden fire truck, sweet and...
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February 2, 2009

Naef Bau Bau: Swiss Building Toys NOT For Tinkering

Who's ever even heard of this Naef Bau Bau birch building set designed in the 50's by Gert Muller? As far as I can tell, the thing's only been published in two tiny pictures in the Kurt Naef biography....
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January 15, 2009

Leander Cradle, Denmark's Most Popular Hanging Cradle, Now Rocking On US eBay

What's that, you say you'd love to let your kid rock to sleep in Denmark's favorite cradle, the egg-shaped, minimalist masterpiece that is the Leander Bassinet, but you don't want to hassle of schlepping or shipping the thing all...
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January 14, 2009

Alright People. We Have A Serious Creative Playthings Situation In New Jersey

If you thought the recent eBay appearance of some unusual--and unusually well-preserved--Creative Playthings toys being sold from Hamilton Square, New Jersey--a town within easy commuting distance of CP's vintage headquarters in Princeton--was a fluke, think again. The same eBay seller...
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December 31, 2008

Creative Playthings Playsack Turns Classic "Bag-On-Head" Punishment Into Hours Of Flame-Retardant Fun!

Hmm, look what else is in that New Jersey basement. An unopened Creative Playthings Playsack, which, as you could probably guess, is a giant paper bag that a kid is supposed to play in. The eBay description is intriguingly...
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Vedelesque: Creative Playthings Molded Ply Chair On eBay

Look what turned up in a basement in Hamilton Square, New Jersey. It's a sweet kid's chair from just up the road apiece in Princeton, the old stomping grounds of Creative Playthings. Though the design is from CP's Golden...
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December 23, 2008

Sweet Modular Prefab Dream Finally Realiz--Wait, It's A Dollhouse

Until the real estate market exploded, modular prefabricated modernist houses that were intended to combine the quality finish and economies of off-site construction, but that ended up costing as much as, if not more than, straight-up custom design were...
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December 20, 2008

Not In Time For Christmas: OG Handcarved Pull Toy By Antonio Vitali

Don't not buy this incredible hand-carved wooden donkey pull toy from Antonio Vitali's early, Swiss National Crafts Store days before he started working with Creative Playthings, because the opening bid is a whopping $399. Don't buy it because the...
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December 17, 2008

Straigh From BF Denmark: OG Peter Table & Chair By Hans Wegner

Hans Wegner made Peter's Chair and Table as a present for Borge Mogenson's new kid in 1944. Mogenson loved it, and he helped put it into production at FDB, the furnituremaker where he was lead designer. . This example...
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December 15, 2008

Awesome Molded Ply Slide Of Doom From Creative Playthings

They sure don't make'em like they used to. And even as the safety-loving half of me is relieved, the awesome, molded plywood simplicity-loving half of me is in mourning. Just take a gander at this vintage portable slide from...
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December 7, 2008

Let The Flipping Begin! Marc Jacobs Bugaboo On Marktplaats.nl

Will the Marc Jacobs For Bugaboo Bugaboo be one of those collectibles like the original mail-in offer Boba Fett, which only retains its resale value if it stays mint-in-box? Or will the sheer scarcity of the strollers [fifteen sold...
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December 5, 2008

Modernist Doll Housing Market Bubble Update: Villa Sibi, $10 On eBay

I'm going to operate on the assumption that some people, somewhere have actually been buying Sirch's Villa Sibi. One possible explanation for the the nearly 50% price increase for new Villa Sibis [from $600 in 2004 to $855 today]...
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DT Nursery Trendwatch: Grey Is The New Orange!

Or is it the new lime green? Either way, the French and/or Euros are loving the grey baby furniture. First [on my radar, anyway] was Oeuf's lower-priced Sparrow collection, which came in other colors, but which debuted in Spring 2007...
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December 3, 2008

FOUND: Large, Slightly Mangy Toy Dog, Answers To The Name Of Bojesen

Are you on a sacred quest to find a Kay Bojesen pull toy dog woodworking project that's larger than a tuna can? Because it appears that an outfit called Find The Grail Auctions has posted one on eBay. But...
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December 2, 2008

This Just In From The Christmas Came Early To Jalopnik Department

Despite the fact that they don't exist, Pete from Jalopnik just bought a Ford Taurus SHO Wagon on eBay for three thousand measly bucks. At least I can console myself that it was a 1992, and not the awesomer-looking,...
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December 1, 2008

Minivan Improvement: Tim Allen's Supercharged Saleen Windstar On eBay

At the peak of his Home Improvement fame, when he also had a best-selling book and was the voice of Buzz Lightyear, Tim Allen was consumed by one all-important question: ""If a man was to drive a minivan, what...
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November 19, 2008

Ko Verzuu? Don't Mind If I Do

FWIW, I toggle back and forth between the just-the-facts headlines and the annoying, jokey ones. Guess which one this is? A couple of very interesting looking ADO toys designed by Ko Verzuu just popped up on eBay Austria: a...
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November 14, 2008

Sweet Slot-Together Rocker/Chair From Master Woodcraft [?]

If it becomes as useless as "Eames Era," I'm sure I'll come to hate it, but for now, I count it as progress that an eBay seller tries to rope in business by calling something "Creative Playthings Era." It...
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November 2, 2008

Whoops, Missed The [OG Milk Crate] Potty

There's milk crates, and then there's Milk Crates. The brands branded [is that where that term comes from?] on the sides of some of the crates used to make this old potty chair date to the turn of the...
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October 20, 2008

Creative Playthings Family Scandal! Rocking Beauty Had Sister Named Rocking Ugly

As everyone hopefully knows now, the iconic Creative Playthings design, the red ball-equipped Hobby Horse, was not designed by Philip Johnson, and the Philip Johnson who didn't design it was the creative director of Creative Playthings, not the feisty,...
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Kaleidoscope-ic, Man: Phillips dePury Tries To Bogart My Toyage

Ceci n'est pas un toy. Ceci n'est pas un dollhouse. Ceci n'est pas a house at all. Because if it were any of that, would it be being auctioned off at Phillips dePury this Saturday? Bien sur que non....
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October 19, 2008

Crewel Kids: Vladimir Kagan X Erica Wilson Mashup Rocking Chair

So swoopy furniture designer Vladimir Kagan and pre-eminent needlework artist Erica Wilson are married? Who knew? Besides, that is, the folks who bought this Kagan Contour Rocking Chair covered in Wilson's crewel forest scene back in the day? Rago,...
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October 11, 2008

Rubber BetterBaby Cages

It kills me to think of the vast trove of historical information that's been dumped by eBay over the last decade. If nothing else, I'd think it'd be valuable to have the price history of certain types and categories...
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October 6, 2008

Plexi Hospital Bassinet's A Plexi Hospital Bassinet, Except We Call It The Plexi Hospital Bassinet

When you don't know the answer to something, it's always a buzzkill when your own site comes up in the Google results. It happened to me last night when I was trying to find the manufacturer of those awesome...
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October 1, 2008

Classic Cosco Chair In Rare, Sweet Rocker Format

These molded plastic Cosco chairs from the early 1970's are kid design classics, [don't they look nice in Swiss-Miss's living room?] though I always look at them funny when I remember they were originally intended to be used as...
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Tony, Nanna. Nanna, Tony: Marble-top Trissen Stool On eBay

Now this next item, it's a really immaculate piece. Exquisite workmanship, pure class. A gentleman--really, he's an artist--right here in Staten Island--really, he's like a father to me, a true inspiration, what he does--he took a plain little wooden...
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September 30, 2008

Eighty Bucks For The Ur-Big Wheel?

The company that made the original Big Wheel, Louis Marx, sold out to his competitor in the early 1970's. That company, Empire Plastics, went bankrupt in 2001. Some other company reconstituted Empire and now makes the Original Big Wheel...
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September 15, 2008

Wait, I Didn't Even Know There Was A Jens Risom High Chair

Made in 1941 as part of Knoll's introductory collection, with Risom's trademark woven web seat? And it sold yesterday for just $275?? My only consolation is that it caught Andy off guard, too. Seriously, people, there oughta be a...
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September 10, 2008

Real Estate Market Sinks, Mint Netto Nursery Floats To Surface

Wow. A real estate staging company in Las Vegas is liquidating and just put a brand new, never been opened, $4000 Cabine crib and dresser/changing table by David Netto on eBay with no reserve. Opening bid is just $499....
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September 2, 2008

But Of Course. Kozmo The Arizona Anti-Smoking Alien Doll

In 1994, Arizona voters approved Prop. 200, a cigarette tax which would fund anti-tobacco use educational programs. After a couple of years of ramp-up AzTEPP, the Arizona Tobacco Education and Prevention Program hit its fully funded stride in 1998....
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August 27, 2008

Have You Seen My Dog, Monsieur? Ja, At Der Auktionhaus

So we're driving along one day and out of the blue, the kid goes, "Did you know dogs are hunters by nature?" It took us a while to figure out where she picked it up: Zoboomafoo, the animal TV...
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August 21, 2008

One Ikea Antilop, Two Ikea Antilop, Red Ikea Antilop, Blue Ikea Antilop

We were at the Big Blue Box last night looking for some kitchen shelves, and I stopped off to buy my in-laws the greatest high chair bargain in the world, an Ikea Antilop, to replace the horrible, plaid, ruffled...
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August 17, 2008

Rolls Royce Station Wagon Back On Daddy Types, Still On eBay

I guess it is a small island, so how far could they go? DT's family car man in London Wesley first crossed paths with this 1976 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow wagon on the street, in front of the V&A....
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August 12, 2008

OG 1964 Ford Galaxie Fire Chief Wagon On eBay

Besides the remarkable, unrestored condition and the sheer awesomeness of growing up with sirens and flashing lights on top of your family ride--you'd be the star of every school dropoff line and carpool, and the kid'd totally be a...
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July 29, 2008

AMG Hammer Wagon, Der 80's Uber-Mercedes

A 1988 Mercedes 300TE 6.0, aka, the AMG Hammer Wagon, is on the eBay right now. If you're not up to speed on your AMG history, this is from the tuner's independent heyday, when the AMG Hammer, a W124...
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July 25, 2008

Mamma Mia, El Gatto Meo di Bruno Munari, Senza Volto!

Turns out vulcanized rubber cats have less than nine lives. In 1949 Bruno Munari made some special promotional black cats called Gatto Meo for Pirelli using the company's flagship product. It's not known how many survive [the image below...
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July 21, 2008

Sweet Price On A Slightly Used Maxi-Cosi Cabrio EasyFix

What'll it be like for the Facebook Generation [sic] whose whole life is documented online? Well, for one thing, it'll be easier for them to sell their slightly used car seats on eBay because bidders can go read their blog...
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July 20, 2008

Wow, Wow What Have We Here? Plush Noggin 'Clones'

When you've been sewing for 50 years like Gramma Ruth, you don't "knock off" anything, least of all the so-far unlicensed, unmonetized characters of some media conglomerate-come-lately like Nickelodeon. No, when you make your own homebrew plush versions of...
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July 9, 2008

It's Just An LSD Cocktail: Timothy Leary Psychedelics Coloring Book

Dear Buyer Of It Now for this rare, unmarked copy of Timothy Leary's 1967 History of the Psychedelic Movement Cartoon and Coloring Book: If you're not planning on publishing a facsimile version, please at least post a set of print-quality...
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June 26, 2008

Garden Gnomes Not Included: Sweet Community Playthings Tractor On eBay

Dayton, Ohio bidders will have the advantage on this awesome, old Community Playthings ride-on tractor. Though it's just under 11 inches high, all that maple lumber and those chunky Firestone tires will cost a bundle to ship. Maybe when...
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June 21, 2008

Florent, We'll Miss You! But Check Out These Awesome Maps--And Morellet Guerineau??

Last weekend we took K2 for her first visit to Florent. Also her last, because Florent's closing in less than two weeks. I'd planned on many years of boring brunches where I'd explain to the kids how daddy and...
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June 17, 2008

Sweet, Church-Tested Folding Climber From Community Playthings

Demand for this awesome, folding Community Playthings climbing gym must have dropped off some time after the Planet of the Apes trend faded away, because it's no longer in production. Fortunately, this one is available for pickup in Rochester,...
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June 3, 2008

Holgate Soda Set One Bottletop Shy Of A Six-Pack

I like this cool set of wooden bottles, tinted in the colors of six common wine cooler flavors. They're made by Holgate, one of the earliest US companies to develop educational toys. Unfortunately, one of the bottle stoppers is...
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June 2, 2008

Montgomery Schoolhouse Rocks

Montgomery Whohouse? I've been following the items eBay seller Creative Magpie has been putting up for sale from the inventory of her mother's 1970's toy store. In the last couple of days, several very fine-looking wooden toys have turned...
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May 28, 2008

Old Toy Shopful Of Creative Playthings On eBay

There's been a whole slew of vintage Creative Playthings toys turning up on eBay the last few days, all in beautiful, unused, condition. For collectors or just folks who like their vintage wooden toys unbeat and unchewed-on, it's like...
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May 20, 2008

CP^2: Old Minimalist Dollhouses On eBay

Not sure if this is a sign that the doll real estate market is softening, but two fully furnished classic modernist dollhouses just went up on eBay. The big Creative Playthings house above is like an analog version of...
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May 16, 2008

Mmmmm, Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon, The Ur-Scion, On eBay

Sheesh, the last thing in the world I need right now is another 1980's project car. So why do I have a saved eBay search for the weirdo-classic Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon? It looks so tame now, but I...
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May 13, 2008

Yes, The Jerrari: Sultan Of Reno's 1969 Jeep-Ferrari Mashup On eBay

Wow. After Enzo did that chin flicking thing when he asked for a 4x4 Ferrari, casino pioneer and car junkie Bill Harrah made one his own damn self. Or rather, he had his people do it. "It" being the...
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May 8, 2008

A Little Something To Go With Your Vintage Totem Pole

Wow, I've driven through Parowan, Utah a dozen times, and I had no idea that I could get kid-size American Indian caftans handmade of hand-beaded boarskin. Then I wouldn't need to email to get measurements of the "size 2-4";...
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How! Sweet Creative Playthings Totem Pole [??] On eBay

Sure, there's a fine-looking Creative Playthings dollhouse on eBay at the moment, complete with a family of squatter dolls, who at least haven't tossed out the matchy [if not all matching] furniture. But who cares when there's a freakin'...
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May 4, 2008

Hey-o, Julianne Moore's Tripp Trapp Is On eBay

Seriously. Moore and her husband Bart Freundlich have donated a "gently used" Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair to Johnson's Celebrity Hand-Me-Down Auction. All proceeds go to some dizzying constellation of kid-related charities. [And all goodwill goes straight to Johnson's....
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April 30, 2008

Hmm, Not The Phaeton Station Wagon I Was Dreaming Of

I noticed that a neighbor in DC recently bought a VW Phaeton, and since every other house in our DC neighborhood has either a Volvo wagon, a Mercedes wagon, or a Passat wagon in front of it, the walks...
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April 19, 2008

Sweet Sport France Jouet A Bascule

Just in case you didn't learn how to say "rocking horse" in French--because frankly, you were only learning French to pick up chicks, not shop for playground implements--now you know: un cheval à bascule. Thus, this jouet à bascule,...
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April 18, 2008

Creative Playthings Houseboat, Minus The Wet T-shirted Playthings

The seller has titled this 1960's Creative Playthings boat Noah's Ark, even though there are no animals. Obviously, though, it's from the very rare Creative Playthings Lake Havasu Spring Break Playset. If only Antonio Vitali's hand-carved, bikini-wearing co-eds and...
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April 10, 2008

Whoa, 1995 BMW M5 Touring On The eBay

Well, now, that's a saved search I don't get notified about very often. There's a 1995 BMW M5 Touring on eBay right now, one of the last dozen or so E34 wagons handbuilt by the Motorsport division, and one...
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April 8, 2008

Creative Playthings Tug Boat On The eBay

If there's wear on this vintage Finnish tug boat & barge set from Creative Playthings, I can't really see it in the photo. And before I start a bidding war at $22 shipped for a used wooden toy, I'd...
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April 2, 2008

David Cronenberg Would Definitely Approve: Vintage Thumbsucking Guard On eBay

We're just at the stage where we wish/hope the new kid will learn how to suck her thumb and self-soothe, but instead of giving her the chance, we usually seem to take the instant pacification route by plugging the...
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March 29, 2008

Old Toyseller Coughs Up Two Sweet Antonio Vitali Animals

Clear out a few more curio cabinetsful of these new-old-stock Antonio Vitali animals, and I think a certain retired, Connecticut toy store owner will be able to get that condo in Boca. Of course, with the way the Florida...
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March 20, 2008

"Tako Kinderwagen Mit Extra"?? Is This Germany's Pistol-Packin' Stroller?

If there's anything Americans love more than a loaded handgun, it's a concealed, loaded handgun. And if you get one for free, all the better. From Reuters: BERLIN (Reuters) - A stroller sold in an Internet auction in Germany...
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March 19, 2008

D'Oh! Missed The Thunderball Wallpaper Auction

I'd flagged this eBay listing for posting, and then I totally missed it in the whirlwind of family that descended on us over the weekend: five rolls of Thunderball wallpaper, circa 1965, were sold on Saturday as part of...
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March 17, 2008

Win One For The Little Zipper! Creative Playthings Mail Scooter On eBay

Haven't seen one of these turn up on eBay before. It's a Creative Playthings Mail Scooter called the Little Zipper, presumably a reference to the 5-digit Zip Code, which was being promoted for general use in the late 1960's...
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March 14, 2008

Looks Like I'd Better Talk To The Boss: Cadillac Station Wagon On eBay

Uh-oh, it's put up or shut up time. That 1979 Cadillac station wagon Jalopnik spotted back in December is now online. On sale. on eBay. Back then, I said I'd suddenly felt desperate to buy one, and now one--the...
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March 13, 2008

Wow. Shagtastic Lucite Rocker

If you'd given up on your groovy Halston-themed nursery and were about to return that silver metallic op art wallpaper, STOP. Your rocker just turned up on eBay. MODERN LUCITE ROCKING CHAIR 1970'S, $475 bid or $500 Buy It...
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March 11, 2008

Totally Tubular Rocking Horse On eBay

I would love nothing more than to get a gloating email from someone next week explaining what an incredible deal they got on this thing, and how could I not recognize this ultra-rare, tubular steel rocking horse that Giorgetto...
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March 10, 2008

Vintage Community Playthings Original Maple Airplane

Haven't had a lot of the random eBay finds on here lately, probably because I haven't had as much time for the random eBay surfing as I used to. But I always like to see these giant maple jets...
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February 25, 2008

What, Me Worry? Plastic Bozart Dollhouse Market Is Meltdown-Proof!

I don't care if they're New In Box. If you buy these two Bozart Kaleidoscope dollhouses for $3200 or more, we need to talk. Well, let me qualify that: we need to talk if you have some unique and...
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February 24, 2008

For Sale This Second: 1986 Rolls Royce Station Wagon, Bugaboo Not Included

Alright, for some inexplicable reason, it's Rolls Royce Station Wagon season around here. No sooner do I post a random photo from the streets of London, than DT reader JJ Daddy-o turns up a 1986 Silver Spirit, custom converted...
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February 22, 2008

FOUND! That Sweet Plexi Hospital Bassinet UNFORTUNATELY SMALL!

In his burgeoning collection of dad-and-newborn-related Playmobil pieces, Mr. Stinkhead features this tableau: a new dad videotaping a baby in one of those sweet, plexiglass and steel bassinets from the hospital. It's like Playmobil is jacked into my head,...
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February 16, 2008

D'oh, I Missed Manhattan: Suh-Weet Reissued Jim Flora Print

Gotta figure out a way to break into the cabal of illustrators who got early word on this incredible print by the late, great Jim Flora. It's an archival reissue of an original multicolor woodblock print of Manhattan from...
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January 24, 2008

Like-A-Crawligator? Creative Playthings 'Comet' On eBay

The casters are a different color, there doesn't appear to be a box, and it's apparently called 'The Comet,' but otherwise, this 23" long biomorphic spaceship scooterboard looks an awful lot like Creative Playthings' Crawligator. Either it's the same...
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January 22, 2008

Bozart Kaleidoscope Doll Houses Will Certainly Be More Expensive Tomorrow

Real estate crisis? What real estate crisis? The market for seven-year-old plastic doll houses has NEVER BEEN HOTTER! If you don't buy today, prices will absolutely be higher tomorrow! And the next day! 100% financing available! Foreign investors are...
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January 21, 2008

DT eBay Scoutabout: Fire Sale Edition

Watching the live auctions today has wrought havoc on the ol' browser. In the time since I started trying to post about it, this sweet, vintage Creative Playthings fire station jumped from 99 cents to $21.50, which is more...
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Insane Penna. Antique Crib Quilt Would've Cost You $25,000+ Last Summer

Unless, of course, Boston folk art dealer Stephen Score had planned on bidding more. The 40-in. crib quilt is from around 1875, and was apparently never used; it was found in the bottom of a dower chest. It was...
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January 18, 2008

Get It For You Wholesale? eBayer Selling Mod Kid Gear At Unusually Low Prices

Yeah, I could just email Hillsborough, CA eBay seller Noodledoodle.home to see how they're offering new, high-end toys and kids furniture on eBay for seemingly crazylow, non-MSRP prices. But with the new kid-related caps on my daily typing quota,...
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January 16, 2008

The Moral Of The Story: Don't Turn Your Back On The eBay

Seriously, do you need any starker proof that you can't let your eyes off the eBay even for one second? Even if it's Christmas?? Even if your wife just gave birth??? Check this out: eBay seller id.london had a truly...
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January 10, 2008

Sweet Piet Hein Eek Nursery Set, Sweet Price, Uh, Ready To Pick Up

In suburban Haarlem, The Netherlands. Still, EUR845 Euros for a really nice Eek reclaimed wood crib and changing tabletop dresser? That's a pretty good deal. Too bad Mr. intelligent reuse hasn't figured out a knockdown, flatpack model for these...
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January 9, 2008

Suh-Weet Plexi-less Plexi Hospital Bassinet On eBay

It needs a plexiglass baby bucket and maybe a bit of scrubbing, but there's one of those awesome hospital bassinet's on eBay right now. With an opening bid of $125 and to-the-Greyhound-station shipping of $50, that's definitely retail price,...
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December 28, 2007

This Week In Stump Book News

After discovering these cool-shaped Stump Books series published by Anthony Treherne two turns of the century ago, I thought, wouldn't it be awesome to buy one? If only it didn't cost $750 and/or wasn't full of wildly offensive racist stereotypes......
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December 17, 2007

Achtung, Baby! Sweet Bauhaussy High Chair

Note to self: add "hochstuhl" to my list of saved eBay searches. Andy sent along this rather awesome-looking vintage high chair from Germany. It's made of painted bent wood and some kind of thigh boots-and-riding crop-friendly pleather. Sehr Gut....
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December 11, 2007

eBay Scoutabout: Bug Bags, Netto, Some Sand Thing

Some of the finer kid-related things on eBay at the moment: Some knucklehead's selling a Bugaboo Frog travel bag in perfect, unused condition? Why the heck did he get it in the first place? Funny ad, though. Totally cracks me...
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November 27, 2007

Suh-weet Elephant Bank By Luigi Colani

In the 1970's, Luigi Colani took a break from designing the future to create a little elephant-shaped bank for Dresdner Bank to give out to the kids. One has found its way to Lancaster, PA, and from thence to...
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November 25, 2007

Sweet Creative Playthings Trove From Finland Via Texas

Just in time for the holidays, eBay seller twobluepups posted a great-looking trio of vintage Creative Playthings wooden toy lots. All the auctions end Dec. 3rd. The two Playtown sets are in good condition and complete with the box,...
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November 23, 2007

Vintage Creative Playthings Kaleidoscope: Meh.

Last month I bought an old wooden Creative Playthings kaleidoscope on eBay. The transaction went fine, but the toy itself is not that great. Now don't get me wrong: I'm with it enough to dig the potential beauty of...
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E Is For Expo 67 Puzzle & Coloring Books, Also For Eh

I got all excited last night when I saw a big jigsaw puzzle from the Expo 67 in Montreal, which was the overall raddest Expo ever. [Even if there were no Buckminster Fuller sphere, Habitat, or Dutch pavilion made...
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November 13, 2007

DT Retail Scoutabout: Cities & Trikes & Marinas Edition

I'll probably add a couple of items to this retail scoutabout, since two of them aren't really retail: Befuddled Citydweller Baby Gift Alert Marilyn Singer and Carll Cneut's countdown to naptime book, City Lullaby, got a pretty glowing writeup in...
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November 8, 2007

Sweet & Minty: Creative Playthings Giant Magnifier

Now that's nice, a Giant Magnifier from Creative Playthings, new in the box. I got one of these for the kid before she was really able to play with it; after about 2.5-3yo, she fell in love with sticking...
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November 7, 2007

Found! That Sick $790 Mod, Spinning Dollhouse

Q: Is the obsession with mini-sized modernism that leads someone to pay $790 for a sweet-yet-anonymous, architect-made, Plexi-on-a-lazy-susan, modernist dollhouse on eBay the same kind that leads someone to create a blog devoted exclusively to modernist dollhouses? A: Yep....
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November 5, 2007

Teak 182: Danish Spindle-back Rocker By Frank Reenskaug

One day you've never heard of Frank Reenskaug; the next, his teak rocking chairs from 1958 are everywhere. But even then, you can't find out much more than that a handful of chairs are for sale [or sold.] Good...
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November 2, 2007

Suh-Weet Price On Suh-Weet Maple Hollow Blocks By Community Playthings

Alright, I've kept quiet long enough, and Andy and his readers over at Stork Bites Man have had their chance. And though I know I'll regret not buying them myself--I kind of think they'd be kind of insanely awesome...
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October 31, 2007

For Sale: Baby Crib. Never Price-Checked.

If Ernest Hemingway really did write the short story, "For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn." I'm sure he never could have imagined it'd be quoted 10,000 times a day on eBay. Quoted, and occasionally surpassed. This line from the description...
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October 28, 2007

Sweet Vintage Suburban Playthings

There's a reason this eBay auction of a single-room Creative Playthings dollhouse stuffed with original matching Antonio Vitali furniture is already $75: because it's freakin' awesome. Most of it looks to be in excellent condition, even the more played-with...
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October 26, 2007

Sweet Community Playthings Convertible Ready To Hit The Strip

From the same eBay seller--who's donating the proceeds back to the church where these old toys came from--comes this sweet, giant Community Playthings car. You could fit the whole Rat Pack in that thing, and still have room in...
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Community Playthings Phone Will Require Much Explanation

My first thought when I saw this vintage Community Playthings maple phone appear on eBay was, "Yow, better watch that phone cord doesn't wrap around the youngster's little neck." But then I realized, it'll take so much to explain...
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October 22, 2007

RAW Clothing, Awesome Handmade Gifts, By My Modern Life

My Modern Life is an eBay seller in Lincoln Nebraska who first crossed my radar when she posted some vintage toys in insanely great condition by Creative Playthings and Kay Bojesen. As if that wasn't awesome enough, My Modern...
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October 17, 2007

Holy Flatpack! Slot-Together Bumpalow School, Circa 1931

Put that in your Dwell prefab and compost it. As early as the 1930's, Milton-Bradley was producing sweet, slot-together wooden doll houses and other play buildings as part of Bumpalow Town. There was also a store, a church, a...
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October 8, 2007

Awww, My First Skis: Designed By Someone In New Jersey.

These vintage Creative Playthings skis are perfect--if you're one of those East Coast ski weirdos who thinks 12 inches of manmade ice and gravel counts as a ski surface. Killington? Sugar Mountain?? Gimme a break Buy the skis because...
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October 7, 2007

The Machine By Samsonite Toys

Alright, finally. The 1972 Samsonite Toys catalogue is up and running on flickr, though a couple of pages are out of order. Check out all the plasticky goodness. With The Machine here, Samsonite ends its toy section with a...
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October 6, 2007

DTbay Roundup: Wood Toys & Indians Edition

Some things that caught my eBay eye. For some reason, they all involve $25, which variously does and does not seem right: Creative Playthings Wooden FireChief Toy Car Red Wood, opening bid $10+14 s/h? Good luck, Goodwill! Auction ends Oct...
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October 4, 2007

Idea: Put A Child-Sized Chairry In Your Home Theater!

According to the people who follow such things, 2,000 child-sized Chairry chairs from Pee-Wee's Playhouse were made by Herman Toys in 1988. They're about 32 inches high. Like many a child star--not to mention her show's eponymous host--Chairry seems...
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October 1, 2007

Yo Jersey, Don't Let Me Catch You Painting This Creative Playthings Kitchen!

Let's face it: 35-year-old play kitchens are going to be played with. It's usually enough to find one at all, much less one in pristine shape. A three-piece Creative Playthings kitchen--sink, oven, and fridge--just hit the eBay. The stove...
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September 27, 2007

DT eBay Roundup: CP Farm, Swing & Miami Beach Netto

A few things I'm seeing on eBay--and not bidding on, so I don't mind telling you about them. This is how [some of] your eBay news is made, people! CREATIVE PLAYTHINGS 60'S WOOD LEARNING TOYS FARM An early set of...
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September 26, 2007

Robert Wilson Had A Lot Of Children's Chairs

The artist/playwright/whatever Robert Wilson is apparently moving out to the Hamptons for good, or at least he's emptying out his fabled loft, the site of many a 70's-era SoHo surrealist theater premiere and smokeout. From the look of the...
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September 18, 2007

Creative Playthings Slow Truck Perfect For Your Little Tank Girl

British toy designer Patrick Rylands created the Slow Truck in 1972. It was made for Creative Playthings by the German company Schuco. There was also a Slow Bus, which looks more like a bright red Slow Winnebago. Both toys...
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September 8, 2007

Iscrewya: $119 Ikea Crib, Now $311 On eBay

Holy smoked salmon, I thought I'd seen everything. Now I've seen everything PLUS some joker on eBay selling a $119 Ikea Hermelin crib on eBay for $249, plus $62 flatrate shipping. That's a 260% markup on a crib that...
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August 25, 2007

Synergroovy! Creative Playthings Toy News Truck & Camera

Hilariously inevitable. A toy TV news van with a detachable microphone and camera on top, that flips over into a giant toy studio camera, complete with a lens. From Creative Playthings, during the late A Division of CBS years,...
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August 15, 2007

Dude's Selling A Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix On eBay, Also That Ikea Trofast Cradle

Now one of the basic rules about car seats is that you don't buy them used because you just never know for certain that they haven't been in an accident and had their structural integrity compromised somehow. That said,...
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August 12, 2007

There Is No Craigslist In Peru, Illinois

I've been to some remote places in Illinois in my day [Pontoosuc in the house!], but the closest I've got to Peru was that one crazy weekend I drove out from Chicago to the opening gala for the new...
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August 11, 2007

Patented Modernist Dollhouses

Ever the eBay shark, Andy found this sweet, modernist plywood-and-plexi dollhouse for sale on eBay and posted it to Stork Bites Man. The description says it was designed and built by an architect; the plexiglass walls can slide out...
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August 4, 2007

Pristine Eames Rocker, One Baby-Having, HM Employee Owner, On eBay

Wow. "A2" condition, no scratches, no dings and almost no wear on the original runners. "Strong and supple" shockmounts, paper label and beautiful manufactured-on datestamp. Being sold by "the original owner and 'child'"? The only way this vintage Eames...
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July 30, 2007

It's Baaack: Sled Of Death, Other Creative Playthings Goodness On eBay

There's a pile of sweet old gear on eBay at the moment, both of the Creative Playthings and Creative Way To Break Your Neck, Young Man! Playthings varieties: CREATIVE PLAYTHINGS ESKIMOS PLAYSET vintage FP little Looks complete, in nice...
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July 20, 2007

Incredible Vintage George Nelson Children's Desk On eBay

Wow, he's not just for marshmallow sofas and whimsical nursery clocks anymore. Because it's never too early to learn how to take a memo, Herman Miller produced a child-sized version of George Nelson's secretary desk. This example is in...
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July 17, 2007

Tupperware Noah's Ark Triggers Flood Of Childhood Memories

So DT reader Tim writes about how their 1-yo son loves playing with their older friend's Tupperware Noah's Ark when they go to visit. And I'm like, "Tupperware Toys? Are you kidding me? I had no idea!" And sure...
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July 16, 2007

Creative Playthings Amphibious Assault Vehicle On eBay

The description says this is a trolley/street car, but anyone this side of Fallujah knows better. It's a maquette from a top secret, Cold War-era envisioning project for the Rand Corporation, in which Creative Playthings, Disney and others were...
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July 11, 2007

Holy Moses! Wicker & Chrome Pram On eBay

Not a lot of info on this pram, just that it says, "Presty, Made in France" on the label. Oh, and it's made of airy wicker and heavy chromed tubular steel, it's in mint condition, and it's FREAKIN' AWESOME....
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Ooh La La! 80's Beach Stroller From The French Riviera?

What better way to celebrate Bastille Day than by buying an insane, vintage beach stroller from the French Riviera, courtesy of HM The Strollerqueen? According to the eBay description, that's what this is, "Made in France, Les Ateliers," a...
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1962 Citroen DS Wagon, Restored, No Reserve

I don't know why I torment myself like this. I really want to live a life where a 45-year-old French station wagon with hydropneumatic suspension and no rear seat belts is the most natural car in the world to...
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July 9, 2007

Whoa, Insane Vintage Stainless Steel O-L-I-V-E-R Letters On eBay

If you're on the fence about the name Oliver, maybe this will help settle things: there's a vintage Oliver Tractors sign for sale on eBay that's made of 3-D stainless steel letters, each 18" high. Un. Be. Lievable. As...
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July 7, 2007

"Minimalist Daycare": Community Playthings Crib $10 On eBay

Are you still bummed about losing out on the David Netto crib on eBay last weekend? Because now you have a second chance at scoring a 96% discount on a sweet minimalist crib. There is a solid maple crib--just...
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July 6, 2007

Cool-But-Incomplete Toy Week Continues On eBay

A couple of otherwise promising toys on eBay seem to be missing a piece or two: 1975 Creative Playthings AMERICAN INDIAN Little People, ends July 10th, starting bid: $10+$7.55s/h result: sold for $11.50+s/h This is the coolest of the CP...
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June 29, 2007

Whoa. Netto Crib & Changing Table On eBay - Mint Cond, Man W/Van Not Included

I'll say it again. Whoa. There is a David Netto Loft Collection crib and changing table--the high-end modern nursery furniture that started it all--with an organic cotton mattress, even, for sale on eBay right now, with no reserve, barely...
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Vintage Brio Pulltoys On Swedish eBay

train ends july 1, currently 120SEK [$US18], 4 bids Getting a little weary of posts about vintage Creative Playthings toys on eBay? How about something completely different: vintage Brio toys on Swedish eBay! You might think of Brio as...
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June 26, 2007

Vintage Creative Playthings Blocks, Mint Next To Box

Though it appears to be missing a block, and the original box has some wear, the eBay seller says this set of Creative Playthings Small Hardwood Blocks is in "perfect condition." Like new, you might say, except for this:...
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June 24, 2007

Going, Going, Gone: Kids Eames, Japanese Dump Trucks, Community Playthings On eBay

Here are a few interesting-looking kid-related finds on eBay at the moment: Charles Eames Childs Arm Shell Herman Miller CHAIR, ends Jun 29, currently $10+18 s/h When we last saw our mysterious child-sized, Eames-looking fiberglass shell chairs, their mod-savvy eBay...
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June 14, 2007

It's Already Too Late For The Rabbits: Creative Playthings Noah's Ark Of Death

This Creative Playthings wooden Noah's Ark looks fantastic--unless you're a small, chewing-prone child or a rabbit. The pieces are all in great shape, but they're smaller than modern safety standards require [as the description says, "...WAY to many 'choking...
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June 12, 2007

Can't Look: Bruno Munari Card Game/Book Things On eBay

D'oh I can't watch. Never mind that they've been in my browser window for three days. Someone is selling some incredible, scarce game/book things that Bruno Munari did for Danese back in the early 1970's, on eBay, and they're...
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June 11, 2007

Parts Is Parts: Piles Of Creative Playthings Vehicles On eBay

Yeah, the purist in me cries a little to see fragments from so many broken up Creative Playthings Playtown sets: there's the boat from a Marina; there's the helicopters from the Air Field. The luggage haulers, too [hey, weren't...
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June 7, 2007

Auction Oddities From A Car Collector

On Sunday, RM Auctions is selling the car collection of longtime Detroit Pontiac dealer John McMullen. There are over 80 vintage cars, most of which hold little appeal to me; or I guess I just need to learn to...
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June 5, 2007

Come Along, Children, You Can Shake Your Booties Down On The Creative Playthings Dock.

If you've been looking for just the right Flying Wasp for your kid to christen, hie thee ho, on down to this vintage Playtown Marina from Creative Playthings. Sure, it's a marina, not a yacht club, so there's not...
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May 24, 2007

Fire Chief Car In A Box, Baby! Pristine Creative Playthings Fire Chief Car On eBay

Christmas: chief in a box Hanukkah: chief in a box Kwanzaa: a chief in a box Birthday party in the Fifties that someone ended up skipping, and so the present went undelivered and was stored in a cool, dry place...
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May 22, 2007

Sweet Creative Playthings Playsets O'The World On eBay

Anal retentive parents of 1975 who made your kids keep track of all their toys and store them in the original boxes, we salute you. Three Creative Playthings People 'N Places playsets hit the eBay the other day; in...
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May 18, 2007

I Have One Word For You: Crawligators

Another one of them Crawligator baby skateboards from Creative Playthings just turned up on eBay, box and all. If it goes for as much as the last one did, I think we all need to get into the Crawligator racket....
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May 2, 2007

Are Toys From Y2K Really Vintage? Gus Gutz, Harry Hairball By Rumpus

Rediscovering the forgotten kid-related awesomeness of the past is a favorite pasttime here on Daddy Types. But waxing nostalgic about a long-lost toy collection from 1999 makes me uneasy, like we're veering too close to VH1 territory. And yet, there's...
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I Never Saw A Purple Creative Playthings Hobby Horse

Very interesting. Gloria Caranica may beg to differ, but I'm not really minding the vintage mod on this Creative Playthings "Rocking Beauty" hobby horse. True, it doesn't have the elegance of the original natural wood and bright red ball...
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April 30, 2007

Creative Playthings Shape Sorting Toy Now Available In Non-Pre-Chewed Version

So you love everything about a cool, vintage Finnish-designed toy like the classic Creative Playthings Shape Sorting Box except the idea of your kid gnawing on something that's coated with 35 years of slobber and/or basement dust. Well you're...
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April 16, 2007

And By "Vintage," They Mean, "We Wheeled It Out Of Wal-Mart's Cafe"

Hard to believe, I know, but apparently, not everything labeled "Vintage L@@K!!" on eBay is actually vintage. Take this "Vintage Modern Era Highchair on Wheels" which "has a great modern danish Eames era look." This description is technically accurate, I...
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April 8, 2007

These Vinyl Hand-Shaped Kids Chairs Weird Me Out

Every time I go to Salt Lake, I come back thinking of carved wood handchairs. My stepfather collected a lot of art by Pedro Friedeberg, the guy who made those hand-shaped chairs, see, [Here's one in Mexican mahogany that's coming...
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Awesome Set Of Vintage Palaset Storage Cubes

So I'm surfing through eBay a bit and hey-o! here's a huge set of Palaset storage cubes for sale. This system was designed in the early 70's by Ristomatti Ratia, whose parents founded Marimekko. Victor Papanek and James Hennessey...
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April 6, 2007

Holy Cow, Bozart Kaleidoscope Dollhouse, Still In The Box

Even though I was never a diehard fan of Bozart's Kaleidoscope House, it always felt like the one that got away. I knew one of the investors behind Bozart from Philadelphia. A bunch of art world people I knew...
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March 28, 2007

Sweet Creative Playthings Slot-Together Ply Noah's Ark

In their heyday, Creative Playthings had a lot of wonderful toys of their own design, but they also distributed products from around the world. Those classic wood trucks were from some dude in Finland, for example. And this awesome,...
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March 15, 2007

Creative Playthings Rainbow Twirler Hanging [sic] Toy

It was great in the Sixties, man, all flowers and rainbows. Running naked in the grass, little babies cooing and playing with their feet. And then The Man came along in 1973 and started laying a lot of white...
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Fabulous Eames Child's Chair Comes Out Of Closet, Goes Straight To eBay

I love that the description of this pristine, vintage, molded ply chair starts out, "you are bidding on a child's chair designed by charles eames in 1946." Because with the bid currently at $1,525 and the reserve price still...
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February 27, 2007

Swiss-Made Antonio Vitali Dollhouse Will Warm You Up Inside

Before he started making organically shaped, abstract dolls for Creative Playthings in the late 50's, Antonio Vitali was making hardwood dollhouses for abstract dolls, which were sold in the Swiss National Crafts Store. Too bad the dolls and the...
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February 25, 2007

Nice Grouping: Block Puzzles From Creative Playthings And Naef

Great minds thought alike back then, I guess. Both Naef and Creative Playthings made square puzzles cut into strips. Turn them over, and there's a different animal on each of the four faces of--you know, why is it so...
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February 16, 2007

It's An eBay Morning: Sweet Creative Playthings House, Furn.

This sweet Creative Playthings doll house has a bit of play wear on the edges--and, uh, it's missing the bottom floor--but the only thing bad I can say about all the furniture is that the doll family appears to...
[read the full post...]

February 5, 2007

Celebrity Buys Mid-Century Rocker By Ib Kofod-Larsen!

Add the awesomely named Ib Kofod-Larsen to my list of Danish Designers I Should Have But Never Have Heard Of. [I know who Ub Iwerks is, though; do I get half credit?] Alls I know is, design guru Grace...
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January 29, 2007

I Oughta Give You A Peg Sandwich

This Creative Playthings Peg Sandwich is about 3-in high, meaning those pegs would probably pass through a paper towel tube, no problem. [That's the rule of thumb that stuck with me about choking hazards during the child safety prenatal...
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You Could Put All The King's Men Back Together Again

Good morning, sweet, vintage, wooden, toy soldiers from Creative Playthings circa 1969. CREATIVE PLAYTHINGS THE KINGS GUARD WOOD SOLDIERS 1969, ends Feb. 4 [ebay]...
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January 25, 2007

A Fine Addition To Any Modern Toys Collection

An eBay seller named mix-mod has listed a collection of colorful, vintage modern toys—four lots of work vehicles, including a fuel tanker, dump truck, cement mixer and a matched pair of [oil-barrel hauling?] tractors. In the spirit of Ladislav...
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August 4, 2006

You Mean THIS Sweet Weimar Bauhaus Bassinet??

"Any photos of sweet Bauhaus children's furniture?" I ask with dopey innocence at the end of the previous post. To which modernist design shark Andy replies, "Crafts of the Weimar Bauhaus, 1919-1924. An Early Experiment in Industrial Design has...
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