Cephalopodcast

I came across this picture while Googling around and it brought on a flood of nostalgia. It was my first cephalopod, a toy included as part of a Fisher Price Adventure People playset. Specifically, it was in the Aero-Marine Search Team playset, which the folks at This Old Toy are kind enough to extensively document online.

I also had the Sea Explorer playset, and now that I think about it, these toys provided some of the first inspirations and positive experiences I had with the ocean. Of course, I was not actually playing with them in saltwater. Instead, I was dunking them down in the lake. But I remember them being sturdy, well designed toys that provided a lot of fun play time and sea adventures (up until the cheaper Star Wars action figures came along).

Another neat thing about these toys from the 1970s was the number of female action figures included in the sets. I used to get teased for playing with Mary, but there was just something about her. I think having her in the set subtly suggested that women have just as much a role in science and adventure as the Daves do. I also remember Mary fit in the “sea sled” better than Dave did.

You can still find these older sets on Ebay and elsewhere. Sadly, even though some of playsets of today have more detail, they don’t seem to be doing as much to to break out of the molds.