Strawberry Shortcake, Star Wars, Dark Tower, and More in 1981
From the November 23, 1981 issue of New York Magazine comes this fun article that’s all about the toys and games of the time. In “The Toys Most Likely to Succeed” writer Bernice Kanner highlights the most popular toys of the time, with Kenner the clear leader of the time with both the Star Wars and Strawberry Shortcake brands performing remarkably well.
“Strawberry, based on a greeting-card character, came to life as a doll in March 1980. “The basic concept is that she’s whimsical,” says a Kenner spokesman. But she is also a real marketing achievement: She was born into a complete world with four friends from the start. Four new characters entered that world this year.”
The Dark Tower boardgame from Milton Bradley also gets a mention in the article, with Kanner writing:
“In the other [Dark Tower], you’re after the three magic keys that will unlock the black, plastic minicomputer tower and help fight off brigands and retrieve the magic scepter.”
Dark Tower isn’t one of the best games in the world, but the electronic tower and the way in which you journey around the world — not to mention all of the cool plastic bits — are quite neat and I consider myself lucky to have a copy of the game here at home. This should be revived as an app!
The article touches on a few other toys, but hidden inside near the end are a few real gems about The Black Hole toys and an industry professional talking about toy advertising guidelines/standards of the time. You want to read the article!
Related articles
- Star Wars Insider Catalog Page from 2000 (battlegrip.com)
- Tracking Down the Star Wars Galaxy Magazine (battlegrip.com)
- Star Wars ReAction Figures – Yes or No? (battlegrip.com)
The Dark Tower board game was a childhood favorite. The artwork on the board and in the little tower windows was pretty awesome. I’ve been dreaming of someone re-making this game for years.
It’s been probably 30 years since I played Dark Tower, but I still remember the sounds that tower made. It was so exciting to see this electronic device interact with you — time’s have certainly changed!