While scanning for other topics, I also scanned this sizable magazine ad for Toys R Us from 1987. I found it fairly entertaining… there are some things that stood the test of time, a lot that didn’t. For example: the Sega and Nintendo systems are of course horribly obsolete, but these are fondly remembered *and* the basic ideas have continued down to today. The GI Joe “Defiant” was a ridiculously large toy… but if you had been wise enough to get one and leave it in the box in pristine condition, you could do really well for yourself on eBay… two incomplete copies currently available with asking prices of $2,500 and $3,000. Also interesting: the RC Ferrari went for $100 back in 1987 (about $255 in 2022 money). You can get the sorta-equivalent from Amazon – which appears to be far superior on every level – for $41. A surprising number of train sets; this is a niche that has fallen off a cliff in the last few decades. The 1/72 Shuttle w/ET and Boosters model kit is re-released every now and then… but the $28 kit (about $72 now) is only findable on eBay, and then for asking prices such as $150 to $380.
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