Sunday 23 December 2007

Merry Christmas from Toyland

Yesterday I was caught rummaging around in a junk shop when I should have been doing my Christmas shopping. Lo and behold, I found a stash of mid 1950's John Bull magazines underneath a pile of obscure Victorian song sheets. Imagine my joy when I opened the December 7th 1957 issue and saw this advertisement for Dinky Toys. Or perhaps you can't. I suppose you have to be as grizzled as I am to know what all this was about, but Dinky Toys were the creme de la creme in diecast model vehicles. Forget Corgi Toys with plastic windows, forget Spot-On with its obsessively correct detail, these were the ones. Bronze green telephone service vans, deep blue BOAC coaches, yellow and green Austin taxis and one I still lust after- the Morris J van delivering Capstan cigarettes. Seen here flowing colourfully around Eros, they were the staple of my Santa Claus lists, and many a Christmas morning breakfast was spent manoeuvering the latest addition to my collection around the pork pies and mustard pots. And for the fetishists amongst you, there was simply nothing like the first whiff of new paint as you rolled the new toy back out of its bright yellow box. Merry Christmas everybody.

5 comments:

Ron Combo said...

What? You used to eat pork pies for breakfast? That explains a lot.

Peter Ashley said...

Yes, and I'll be going to Melton Mowbray tomorrow to buy a few Dickins and Morris examples. And a Colston Bassett Stilton. Should have them tucked away by the time Santa comes.

Diplomate said...

just to let you know - I've bin out for a pre christmas drinky and eaten the biggest pork pie you've ever seen - ex Culpins - bloody fantastic and sturdy enough to prop your car up ......... whoops, have a good one.....

Peter Ashley said...

Now then. Info for everybody. Dickinson & Morris, (of the Ye Olde Porke Pie Shoppe in Melton) made a big fuss a few years back about Melton pies only being able to bear the name if made in Melton. The EU agreed. Imagine my horror to discover that most of D&M's output is now made in Leicester by, wait for it, GINSTERS. You're a lucky man, Diplo, to have secured a Culpins.

Diplomate said...

roll on the sausage, sort of thing