A retro Spider-Man playset has emerged on social media, and despite the attention its garnered, most fans will never be able to get their own. As one of Marvel’s biggest heroes, the Web-Head has had his image emblazoned on all sorts of merchandise over the years. But some of Spider-Man’s more unique playthings were lost to time, only to be rediscovered years later by fans eager to get their hands on them.
Since his debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Peter Parker has been one of the most marketable characters in comics. His insane popularity has seen him adapted into tv shows, cartoons, movies, and even musicals. But nothing compares to the amount of toys and games Spider-Man has appeared on, owing to his large favorability with children. While action figures and plush characters never go out of style, some novelties are complete throwbacks to a lost generation of children’s toys.
Recently Tweeted by Spider-Man fan account @spideymemoir, a picture of a The Amazing Spider-Man playset was shown to intrigued readers. The set featured cut-out standees, complete with a carrying case that doubled as a background with Peter Parker’s apartment, Daily Bugle offices, and a science lab. Produced by Ideal Toys in 1978, the set contained 20 characters from the comic, from Spider-Man’s supporting cast to some of his deadliest foes. The set is also notable for including art by famed The Amazing Spider-Man artist John Romita, both on the box and the designs for the standees.
Though the post was welcomed warmly by others on Twitter, some recalling owning similar toys, anyone looking to try and procure one is sadly out of luck. Very little information remains on the playset, and it’s unavailable to buy pretty much everywhere. An auction from comicsvalue sold a copy at $141, but other than that, there are hardly any others to buy. Of course, this is not the first strange Spider-Man merchandise to reappear online in recent months, but the playset served a much more important purpose than being a mere novelty. With such a large cast from Spider-Man’s life available in the set, imagination was key to making the collection truly fun. Children could be encouraged to get creative and make up their own stories involving Spider-Man and his villains, possibly even putting them on a path to tell their own stories one day. While the playset may not be available today, it no doubt served its purpose when it was first released.
The history of Spider-Man merchandise has some unique gems fans would love to add to their collection. As long as social media is around to remind readers of the bizarre toys of yesteryear, other odd and unique merchandise will pop up and provoke curiosity. But just like this Spider-Man playset, fans should prepare themselves for the extreme scarcity of these old-fashioned playthings.
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