Mr Local History Advent Calendar Final List 2025
Holiday Memories is such great history, and what better way to look back than remembering how Advent Calendars worked, but this time we mix gift memories with some history. Call it our Vintage Toys Advent Calendar – New Day – New Vintage Toy, so make sure you bookmark and come back to see the next classic. Maybe you even had one! Follow along also on our News and Gossip Page
Let’s see some of the most popular toys and jingles, as we’re sure they’ll bring back some fond memories.
| ADVENT | TOY | YEAR | MSRP | VALUE (Approx.) | DESCRIPTION | ||||
| Dec 1 | Etch A Sketch | 1960 | $2.99 | $15 | The Etch A Sketch was introduced in the United States by the Ohio Art Company for the 1960 holiday season, selling for about $2.99. Originally invented in France as L’Écran Magique (“The Magic Screen”), it was renamed and heavily promoted through national television advertising—a bold move at the time. The campaign paid off: the Etch A Sketch became an overnight sensation and one of the top-selling toys of Christmas 1960, quickly establishing itself as a staple of American toy culture. Its popularity endured for decades, eventually earning it a place in the National Toy Hall of Fame and solidifying its reputation as one of the most iconic drawing toys ever made. | ||||
| Dec 2 | Schwinn Lemon Peeler bike | 1968 | $93.95 | $900 | The Schwinn Sting Ray Lemon Peeler, produced from 1968 through 1973, was part of Schwinn’s popular Krate Series, a lineup of brightly colored muscle bikes that included the Apple Krate in red, Orange Krate in orange, Pea Picker in green, Cotton Picker in white, and the later Gray Ghost in silver. All shared the same standout features that made the series legendary: a springer front fork, ape hanger handlebars, banana seat with tall sissy bar, small 16 inch front wheel, larger 20 inch rear wheel, and a 5 speed Stik Shift that gave kids the feel of riding a mini chopper. The Lemon Peeler, with its vivid yellow frame, was one of the most memorable models, and when new these bikes sold in the $75 to $80 range. | ||||
| Dec 3 | Mattel Barbie Country Camper | 1970 | $14.99 | $90 | The first Barbie camper, the orange and yellow Mattel Barbie Country Camper, debuted in 1970 as Barbie’s “swinginest camper on wheels,” featuring a pop out tent, foldout furniture and outdoor gear, and originally sold in department store catalogs for about $10 to $12. Today it is a nostalgic favorite among collectors, with well used loose versions typically valued around $25 to $50 and cleaner, more complete or boxed examples ranging from $80 to $100 or more. | ||||
| Dec 4 | AFX Slot Car Set | 1970 | $19.99 | $150 | Aurora Plastics Corporation introduced its AFX slot car brand in 1961, quickly becoming one of the most popular home racing systems in the US. The AFX Twister with Lap Counter set shown in your image was released around 1975, using Magna-Traction cars and a 10.5 ft figure 8 style track that became a holiday favorite in store catalogs. The set typically sold for about $16 in the mid 1970s. Today, a used but working Twister set usually sells in the $100–$150 range, while clean boxed or near mint examples can reach $250–$350 depending on completeness and condition. | ||||
| Dec 5 | Creepy Crawlers Set | 1964 | $6.99 | $120 | The original Creepy Crawlers Thingmaker set was released in 1964 by Mattel and invented by James Ruddy, who created the idea of heating liquid Plasti Goop in metal molds to make rubbery creatures at home. The first retail price was about $7, and today collectors typically pay $50 to $100 for incomplete sets and $150 to $275 for more complete working sets, with top condition boxed versions sometimes reaching $300 to $400 depending on rarity and accessories. | ||||
| Dec 6 | EZ Curls | 1969 | $3.99 | $25 | The Easy Curl Quick Hair Setting Kit was introduced by Kenner in 1968 as a child size hot roller set powered by a single 60 watt light bulb in a thermostatically controlled roller warmer so girls could style their hair like their moms, with room for eight wax filled rollers plus clips and a styling booklet all stored in a compact case. Unlike something like Creepy Crawlers, the toy is credited simply to the Kenner design team rather than a single named inventor in surviving ads and writeups. Contemporary pricing is not clearly documented in the sources, but based on similar Kenner electric toys of the era it likely sold for around $5 in the late 1960s which would be roughly about $45 in todays money by inflation comparison. Today collectors typically pay about $15 to $25 for working but incomplete or well used sets on sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace, and from about $30 to $50 for boxed or more complete examples on Etsy and other vintage toy sellers, with especially clean complete sets sometimes going a bit higher. | ||||
| Dec 7 | Kodak Instamatic X 15 Color Outfit | 1970 | $34.95 | $65 | The Kodak Instamatic X 15 Color Outfit was introduced in 1970 as part of Kodaks long running Instamatic line, designed to make photography simple by using the 126 drop in film cartridge and a rotating four sided flash cube that required no batteries. The X 15 kit typically included the camera, a camera strap, a Kodak Color Film 126 cartridge, and at least one Magicube or Flashcube so families could take indoor and outdoor photos right out of the box. The original retail price was about $15 which equals roughly $120 in todays money, and the X 15 quickly became one of the most popular point and shoot cameras of the decade because of its reliability and ease of use. Today collectors usually pay about $20 to $40 for working kits without the box and $50 to $100 for complete boxed outfits in clean condition, with near mint examples sometimes selling higher depending on film, accessories, and display quality. | ||||
| Dec 8 | Battleship | 1967 | $4.99 | $25 | Born from the old pencil and paper naval guessing game Battleship became a living room classic when Milton Bradley released its plastic board version in 1967. Kids loved calling out coordinates and shouting Hit as red pegs filled the grid and a clean early set today still brings $20 to $60. | ||||
| Dec 9 | Big Wheel | 1969 | $14.99 | $120 | When Marx Toys introduced the Big Wheel in 1969 it instantly ruled American sidewalks with its low riding plastic frame and giant front wheel. Sold for about $20 it became a symbol of 1970s childhood and surviving vintage riders today often bring $50 to $150. | ||||
| Dec 10 | Stretch Armstrong | 1976 | $10.99 | $175 | Kenner shocked the toy world in 1976 with Stretch Armstrong a muscular hero who stretched like warm taffy thanks to a secret gel created by Jesse Horowitz. Kids pulled him to impossible lengths and originals in good condition now sell for $1,200 to $1,800. | ||||
| Dec 11 | Spin Art | 1968 | $4.99 | $35 | Spin Art kits turned kitchen tables into color filled studios during the 1960s and 1970s as kids dripped paint on spinning cards to make psychedelic masterpieces. The simple craft machines cost just a few $ and vintage sets today typically bring $20 to $60. | ||||
| Dec 12 | Cabbage Patch Doll | 1983 | $24.99 | $45 | The Cabbage Patch frenzy of 1983 began0ulledtd>t bri=rent golfll e 983pullelioeated>bagean0Mctd><>| 1983 | $24.1oi/y of 11983 | | Cabba/=ypitd> | Cabba/=yp-5ppgDc t1o/ioce/bOc/oibonbptmL a0Mct o tmi2paoce/twr in -owe-lb2op/tOpmL atba/r1oyt2op=op vbp= i5twrtvp L "rbyt2opOpiopbtp=oR iytva=e0 tmL a00p in lDondo/loitc tepocedo tmi2Ooa/r1oyt2ope mL opOpirbtce/rwwe-i5Sp/er o/eespoa/rfpi/ontielwwdepit19h 0oiOoa/o tmepit3 Oi=SSp/errt:=e0iopbtpD=pirbe-//w:=Ooafop/ |
