The month has come when you hear the most about toys. Whether as consumers (in kids) or as buyers (as parents), we've all had our share of toys.
Wake up very early on Saturdays so as not to miss the cartoons or the toy advertisements. Dammit… I miss you!
For those who like cars from an early age, there were some mandatory toys. The childhood of any self-respecting petrolhead was marked with absolute certainty by some of these toys. Let's remember? Hold back the tears.
1. Simulator
We've already talked about this fantastic simulator here. I remember that there was not just this one, but other simulators of its kind. The fun consisted of driving the car, designed and fixed to a dashboard, with the road passing behind. While driving it was possible to turn on the headlights, honk, turn on the turn signals, and increase the speed using the gear lever.
There were several versions, not all were the Tomy Racing Cockpit, mine for example was by Playmates, with the detail of the headlights, which when accessed, raised with the Toyota Celica, Mazda MX-5 NA, Honda Prelude, Ferrari F40, Toyota MR2 , Volvo 480, and many others that had retractable headlights.
2. Micro Machines
Another one of the toys that we've already talked about here. The array of models of all types, with the particularity of the small dimensions, is also a classic from the childhood of any petrolhead. Even if you weren't lucky enough to have a Super Van City (I still know the song SUUUUPER VAN CITYYYYY!!!!), you certainly had Micro Machines.
The magic of micro cars also included several garages, workshops, cities, hotels, tracks, among others. I still have some at home there, namely the Super Van City.
3. Remote Controlled Car
Battery powered, battery powered, gasoline powered or even wired, you had at least one. If you haven't, it's likely you're the result of an unwanted pregnancy — eish… entry on foot together (emoji crying with laughter)! As for me, I still have a Nikko and a Buggy. What I remember most were the eight hours of charging for a 15-minute enjoyment.
4. Matchbox, Hotwheels, Bburago, Corgi toys…
That classic that every child has asked for at the supermarket, making life miserable for parents and making them feel a huge shame when the answer is no.
The first two, Matchbox and Hotwheels, represented that bonus you could get for no special reason, during a trip to the supermarket. These toys were in the most strategic places for us to see and have the opportunity to beg and cry for another car.
Bburago already had a collection component, with cars at scale 1/32, 1/24 and even 1/18, to stay in the room on display. Corgi Toys… if you still played with this brand, like me, they probably belonged to your father.
5. Race tracks
The tracks still exist today, like slotcars, but they are much more advanced. In my time, they consisted of an eight, only a little over a meter long. They were assembled with pieces that fit into each other to make the necessary contact for the cars later to walk through the created magnetism and with a command for each car. The drama was being able to occupy 1 or 2 square meters of area in the room to set up the track and convince my parents to buy “more fat batteries”.
Then, in addition to these, a good petrolhead would adapt what he had at hand for the craziest and most mind-blowing races without leaving the living room or bedroom. I couldn't do without the steering wheel of my father's Fiat 127, the helmet, and a bottle to double as the gearbox.