152. JOHNNY HERO

Johnny Hero is a 13 inch figure made by Rosko Industries for Sears in 1965 as an alternative to GI Joe. He disappeared a few years after as apparently an alternative was not required. He was repackaged briefly (probably to dump unsold stock) as an Olympic Hero. Johnny came with a red number 16 shirt, gold shorts, socks and white tennis shoes. His body was a heavy foam with plastic hands and head. He had a metal prong in his hand that helped him hold a baseball or football.

Once you bought your basic Johnny you could then buy accessory sets from your favorite baseball and football teams. It is not unusual to find later sets with mixed accessories. You may find a Vikings helmet with Redskins pants and an Eagles jersey.

One of the problems with this line was getting the helmets and clothes off on and off of the figures. The foam rubber would tear easily and the helmet was nearly impossible to get on without cracking it or scraping Johnny's ears. That short production run also means that these figures are hard to find. Just a few years ago, you could find Johnny Hero MIB for under $50 and equipment sets for under $10. Now boxed figures regularly sell for $75-$125 and equipment sets for $25+. Well, I find mine in a local city thrift shop for just a hundred pesos! That's a heroic feat!

99. TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE IN MY CAR, CAR!

Rev up that engine and go driving with me! Wheeee!!!

Now here's a well-made friction car that was on every boy's birthday and Xmas gift list back in the 1950s. It was made in Japan, by CK, a well-known company known for its amazing mechanical toys. With a lithographed dashboard, this 8 in. , 2-tone car still works--just run the rubber wheels on the floor, release the car, and awayyyyyy it goes! I have a couple of these tin toys, brought from a shop with an old stock of toys in Binondo that was closing down. I don;t know what model this car is--An Impala? A Buick? Rambler?--but I really don't care. I just need a car that will get me from point A to point B.

85. Boxed: PELE

Edison Arantes do Nascimento, or simple Pele to the football world was a sporting legend in his native Brazil. At age 21, he was the top football player of the world, having helped his country become a world power in the sports. Pele was given the title "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee and in 1999, he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. But in 1975, King Seeley Thermos paid the ultimate homage to the football megastar--he was boxed! Pele remains one of the few men of color to be featured on a lunchbox, driving the price range of this metal collectible from $50 to over $150. As always, I paid just 50 pesos for this slightly-rusted example. Touchdown!