Weebles Wobble, But They Don't Fall Down

Just call this '70s & '80s toy week here at FourthGradeNothing.com! I know I need to cover so many of our old favorites from Rainbow Brite to Strawberry Shortcake. Ian at Daily Dose asked when I'll feature Jams and Guess Jeans. I will get to it all eventually, I promise!

Today we reflect on the wonderful world of Weebles, you know, "Weebles Wobble, but they don't fall down!" Now forget about the newer Weebles--they made a comeback after 2000. I'm talking about the original 1970s, Hasbro Playskool version. They were plastic little chubby, shapeless characters resembling eggs and would "wobble" back and forth. I guess they were the chunky version of Fisher-Price Little People.

Ironically, what I remember most about Weebles,aren't the actual Weebles themselves, but the awesome houses, cars and other items that were of course "sold separately." In the photos, please note the tree house I so desperately wanted. I think we had that awesome toy in our Kindergarten class or maybe a kid on our block had one.

I remember my BFF Alison had the blue and red Mickey Mouse Club (see above image). I loved that little house, I was totally drawn to it. I wasn't even a bit fan of Disney characters, but something about toy houses captivated me and kept my attention for hours. Maybe the idea of "home" made me feel safe or something.

Doll houses, Little People houses, Barbie Dream Houses (I never had as you may recall from a previous post), you name it, I wanted it! I just wanted to climb inside and be as tiny as my plastic toy characters and play within a miniature world. Great, now you're going to think I'm a total loon. I guess I was and still am.

Sorry to my younger readers who have no idea what I've been blogging about all week... these are classic toys. I swear if I had a kid I'd pretend it was the old days and only provide him/her with retro toys purchased on eBay. What a freak that child would be!

Monchhichi Dolls By Mattel

Yesterday I versed you on the coolness of Poochie. Today we revisit Monchhichi, also by Mattel. Monchhichi, which is said to mean "happiness" in Japanese, were first developed in 1974. The dolls didn't hit stores in North America until about 1979. This makes sense since I remember being around 7 years old when I first discovered them.

Monchhichis were adorable little monkeys - a boy and a girl. The commercial jingle would stick in my head -- I recall running around the school yard singing, "Monchhichi, Monchhichi! Oh so soft and cuddly" over and over again. I remember having plastic Monchhichi figurines, much like Smurfs, although I only had a few -- had to keep my loyalty to Smurf collecting.

There was a Hanna-Barbera produced animated Monchhichi series, although I don't remember it--maybe it aired at the same time as Strawberry Shortcake? Who knows. I do know that I would love to have a Monchhichi today. Hello eBay?!


View the vintage commercial if you dare--the song will be in your head all day long!

Mattel Toys Poochie For Girls

In the early 1980s, I was smitten by a girlie white pup with pink floppy ears, pink paws and pretty pink sunglasses. She was the most adorable and glamorous dog ever. She went by the name of Poochie and the commercial had a lovely jingle that echoed "Pooooooochie, Poochie for girls!" Sadly that commercial doesn't allow embedding, so I couldn't include it other than including a link. Below is a different vintage ad just to give you a better idea of what Poochie toys looked like.

Mattel packaged Poochie with me in mind. I loved pink and blue--those were true 1982-1984 colors, which was the Poochie heyday. I was a sucker for stickers and stamp pads. I had such a thing for any type of stationary item including note cards, envelopes, you name it. I had to have it. About ten years ago I purchased a few Poochie items on eBay. I'd love to own more, but until we buy a house, our limited space does not allow for collectibles.