Takara Penny Racers for $1.22/Each in 1981
March 29, 1981. Takara’s Penny Racers appears in this Caldor advertisement block from the Hartford Courant and instantly triggers the “maybe I should check eBay” reaction. Awesome little toys, and the best part of the ad is that it is the earliest one we’ve uncovered yet for the Penny Racers, giving us a rough idea of when the toys started first appearing in U.S. stores.