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Cool and Collected

Collecting pop culture toys, comics, and collectibles collections

January 9, 2012 By Brian 23 Comments

I found King Kong at the DC Big Flea (along with a ton of other great vintage toys)!

The DC Big Flea rolled into town again this weekend and it was crowded with people searching for vintage treasures, but I wonder if any of the other attendees was as happy to see this guy as I was…

DC Big Flea - Rom Spaceknight vintage toy action figure

I remember having one of these large Rom figures as a kid. I wonder what happened to him.

Mitch M.’s booth is always my first stop at the Flea. He always brings a great selection of vintage pop culture items to the show and Rom was just one of the highlights, but my absolute favorite item out of the hundreds of booths at the show was this amazing Munsters lunchbox and thermos. I might need to start saving some pennies to add this lunchbox to my collection…

DC Big Flea Vintage Munsters lunchbox

If you know me, you know of my love for all things King Kong, so when I saw this poster in Henry Karp’s booth, I was more than a little excited…

DC Big Flea - king kong teaser movie poster 1976

I can’t tell you how difficult it was to pass up on this King Kong poster.Β I already have an original poster for the ’76 release, but mine is folded and a little worn, but this one was in excellent condition and it is the teaser version of the poster. Very tempting, but I just couldn’t do it (this time).

You gotta love vintage Soakie bottles, like the ones on this shelf…

DC Big Flea- vintage soakies

I always save the best for last when I visit the Big Flea, and that booth is operated by Brent Stokes, who always has a huge selection of vintage toys and cars, and he is always busy selling something (e.g. his prices are right!).

DC Big Flea - bedknobs and broomsticks action bed

Brent is always gracious with his time and I learn something new from him at every shpw. For example, did you know that this Bedknobs and Broomsticks Action Bed is highly sought after? I sure didn’t, but apparently it is an early battery-operated toy that was only available in a small number, so collectors crave it. And hey, it’s Angela Landsbury on an “Action Bed.” Rowr.

Check out this vintage Star Trek CSF Controlled Space Flight toy from Remco still in its original box…

DC Big Flea - vintage remco star trek enterprise

…and this sweet Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Seaview Submarine Set…

DC Big Flea - vintage voyage to the bottom of the sea seaview submarine

I remember drooling over that submarine when I saw it at the York show in November. Someday, someday.

DC Big Flea - marx gman gun

This Marx Sparking GMan Gun was also in its original box and the graphics on this thing were incredible. You can bet no kid ever played with this gun! I think I saw one of these on a recent episode of American Pickers.

Brent kept bringing items down from the shelves for me to photograph, and I can’t thank him enough for that, and also for introducing me to Dave Hart, who hooked me up with a free ticket to hisΒ toy show later this month in Timonium, Maryland (I hope I can make it but my son’s having a birthday party which might be tricky to skip).

At one point, Brent was trying to tell me how rare these Beatles figures were, but I was distracted by thinking how great the Alfred E. Neuman bust would look in my collection…

DC Big Flea - vintage beatles nodders

This vintage tin Space Patrol car was beautiful, and if I had unlimited funds, you can bet my house would be full of vintage space toys like this one…

DC Big Flea - vintage space patrol tin toy windup

The DC Big Flea is great because you really never know what you will find. There are probably only a half dozen toy and pop culture-specific booths but if you look a little, you can sometimes find some gems lurking amid all the Hummels and milk glass. Here is what came home with me this time around…

DC Big Flea - toy haul

Most of my purchases were at a single booth where a guy had boxes of trading cards for a dollar apiece, and after moving around a few things, I saw he also had waxpacks for a buck each, but not just any wax packs, he had King Kong wax packs! Needless to say I bought them all, and I even bought a big stack of empty Kong wrappers. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know that I could give you a good answer. From the same booth, I also picked up a few old Mad Magazines (including the King Kong issue!), and a Gremlins movie magazine.

DC Big Flea - Marx nutty mad and a vintage king kong windup

The Nutty Mad Chief Lost Teepee is a prime candidate for Adam Pratt’s handiwork. And look, another King Kong! This one is a vintage windup King Kong from Hong Kong.

DC Big Flea - mad magazine king kong by Don Martin

Pages like this one by Don Martin are the reason why I can’t stop buying old magazines, even if they smell like they were found in a port-a-potty on a hot summer day.

All in all, it was another fun day at the DC Big Flea, and I’m already looking forward to its return in March! Who’s with me?

Filed Under: Shows & Events Tagged With: D.C. Big Flea

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dex says

    January 9, 2012 at 11:40 am

    I love photo articles like this because there’s alwasy something that I see that I forgot I owned as a kid. In this case, it’s the Star Trek ship. It’s amazing that seeing a photo can trigger such vivid specific memories.
    I had a ROM too but I’ll never forget that!

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 9, 2012 at 11:45 am

      Yeah, that Remco Enterprise makes for a great display piece. I’m not a Star Trek fan, but I wouldn’t mind having that ship on one of my shelves.

      Reply
      • Jeff Irvin says

        August 4, 2016 at 9:53 am

        I know this was a few years back but does Mr Stokes have a website to purchase some of his items from? Thanks, Jeff

        Reply
  2. Stacey says

    January 9, 2012 at 11:47 am

    Nice haul! I’m glad I’m not the only one who came away with some King Kong stuff this weekend, even if it means that I’m going to be on the hunt for more Crestwood House Monsters books.

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 9, 2012 at 11:52 am

      Nice! I remember those Crestwood books from elementary school! I might just join you on your hunt. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  3. kngfu says

    January 9, 2012 at 12:10 pm

    Looks like another great time. I have the Ringo figure from that Beatles line. Any takers?

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 9, 2012 at 12:12 pm

      Not me, but if you have Alfred, I might be interested. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  4. Jboypacman says

    January 9, 2012 at 1:12 pm

    I want to go Brian! Every time you show these events i drool lol.

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 9, 2012 at 1:15 pm

      Well, come on down Jboy, and I’ll give you the tour! πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  5. Ron says

    January 9, 2012 at 1:23 pm

    Great stuff, wish we events like this came ’round Western NY. That wind-up King Kong has a place in my collection too, one of my favorite things.

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 9, 2012 at 2:03 pm

      Glad I’m not the only one who finds charm in those things. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  6. Liz says

    January 9, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    If you are into Wax packs this guy online has a pretty good deal most of the time on his that he sells. Keep checking because he may turn up with more King Kongs

    http://www.etsy.com/shop/WonderlandToys?ref=pr_shop_more

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 9, 2012 at 1:46 pm

      Thanks Liz! That guy has a lot of great stuff in his shop. I’ve already bookmarked it. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  7. Colin says

    January 9, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    Was the Rom complete? He looks beautiful!

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 9, 2012 at 2:08 pm

      I’m not sure if he was complete or not. I left him high on the shelf, knowing I wasn’t going to bring him home with me.

      Reply
  8. Paxton Holley says

    January 9, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    They made Bedknobs & Broomsticks toys?! I love that that action bed exists. Were there more in the line? So, so Awesome, Brian. I love seeing stuff I never even knew existed. Especially for one of my fav Disney movies.

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 9, 2012 at 3:37 pm

      I honestly don’t know if there were other Bedknobs & Broomsticks toys. I wonder if there were toys for Escape to Witch Mountain? πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  9. Mike says

    January 9, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    Great stuff. I myself am drooling over those Beatles dolls. They would look great in my tiny Beatles collection.

    Reply
    • kngfu says

      January 11, 2012 at 9:37 am

      Want to buy a Ringo:)?

      Reply
      • Mike says

        January 11, 2012 at 5:00 pm

        Depends on price, I would be most intrested.

        Reply
  10. Jboypacman says

    January 9, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    You never know Brian i just might. : )

    Reply
  11. Russell says

    January 10, 2012 at 9:14 am

    From the pictures the Rom toy looks incomplete. It’s missing his ray gun and the top of the box? That toy has been on my “to buy” list for quite a while. I used to read the ROM comics avidly as a kid. I had that King Kong toy when I was a kid, I’m sure of it. I kind of remember him sparking. Does yours spark?

    Reply
    • Brian says

      January 10, 2012 at 9:21 am

      Yep, when you wind him up, he walks and spits out sparks.

      Reply

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