[GTOnly70]

Woolworth's toy department in 1964. A bit before my time, but I remember similar scenes in department stores (Kmart, Kresge's, WW's, etc) in the early '70's. How much would those nice boxed toys bring on Ebay today?

Yeah, I'm getting old...

[Tim Younker]

I want the car hauler with the cars.

[400 4spd.]

I DO remember those days! We had a Woolworth store within walking distance (2 miles?) of my house and to a little a kid it had a huge toy department. (Remember when kids could walk?) My car fixation was fed there by scouring all of the Matchbox cars they had. I could always find the latest additions, and the best part is they came in boxes, not blister packs. One of my first and favorites was a red/orange '64 Grand Prix. By the late 60's I graduated to the Hot Wheels red line cars. Then model cars in my early teens, of which I still have a few.

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by Tim Younker

I want the car hauler with the cars.

Yeah, the steel ones with the early 60's Ford truck pulling the trailer! Plastic was lame.

[sdbob]

Looking for Smith Miller and Doepke construction toys in the store pic. 64 -10th grade looking at new GTO! THOSE were the days.

[400 4spd.]

Were those the metal framed cranes with winch operated buckets, etc?

I found a picture of the same Grand Prix, with the box!

[GTOnly70]

I was probably in the minority as I always preferred the Matchboxes to the Hot Wheels because I thought they were more realistic looking. I guess that's why I now prefer stock cars to hot rods... Still love my redlines, though (especially on my 65 Goat!).

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by Tim Younker

I want the car hauler with the cars.

I had the car hauler with the cars. I don't remember it, but Mom had a Christmas picture of me with one. I was two, so it would have been 1964.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by GTOnly70

I was probably in the minority as I always preferred the Matchboxes to the Hot Wheels because I thought they were more realistic looking. I guess that's why I now prefer stock cars to hot rods... Still love my redlines, though (especially on my 65 Goat!).

I had both. Sadly, most didn't survive my childhood.

[GT182]

I grew up with a Woolworth's Five and Dime store in town that later became WT Grants. That's until Ames reared it head and put them out of business. Same happened to Ames when Wal-Mart reared it's ugly head.

Woolworth always had the cool toys and plastic models. Almost as good as a hobby store.

[Stuart]

My brother had one of those car haulers when we were kids, it had three plastic Ford Falcons on the back. If you're ever in the Mound, MN area with some time to kill, their historical society has a great collection of old Tonka trucks and Tonka memorabilia.

I had been playing with Matchbox cars for years before Hot Wheels came out, so I always favored them first. Having said that I did get a few of the original redline Hot Wheels cars - a Mustang, a Cougar, a VW Beetle and I think a couple others. I still have them all (both Matchbox and Hot Wheels) in my Hot Wheels suitcase.

[Bet Winner]

I was born in Sept '59 and had the yellow Tonka car hauler with the plastic cars.

My Mom bought me a Matchbox car occasionally. I still have the cars but not the boxes. I also had a Mr. Machine and Creeple Peeple and collected Odd Rod Cards/stickers. I still have all the Odd Rod cards in plastic sleeves.

[GTOnly70]

Here is the book department. Notice the rack on the far left - full of Mad books. I used to love Mad - still have all my old books and magazines...

[stags]

Used to love going through Woolworth, and WT Grant, back then. All my model cars, and a Visible V-8 came from the Woolworth. A lot of pet turtles & chameleons too. My younger brother preferred critters to cars. Remember having lunch and ice cream at the counter as well. Those pictures bring back good memories.

[The Boss]

Originally Posted by GT182

I grew up with a Woolworth's Five and Dime store in town that later became WT Grants.

That's what we had in town. I can remember going with my Mom - she would shop on the main floor and we would take the big staircase to the lower level where all the toys were.

I still have a lot of my big metal toys in fact my Heiliner scraper sits on the hearth in our family room year round.

[Greg Reid]

As much as I loved trucks, cars, tanks, and those types of toys.... I know exactly where I would have been in that store....Right along that back wall where all of the airplanes are hanging.

[sdbob]

Smith miller trucks were diecast.Had Mack tandem dump. Doepke were mostly stamped steel. Had Cat dozer,cement mixer,Unit crane with clam shell bucket.

[Simple Man]

Originally Posted by Tim Younker

I want the car hauler with the cars.

I had a similar car hauler. It was Tonka, and had one red, and one turquoise Camaro as a load.

[bird72]

As a kid in Rutherford, NJ, Woolworths was the only store in town to buy toys. By age 8 or so, I was going there and buying models and Matchboxes. The pic of a store is not the one, but the narrow storefront looks about the same. Matchboxes are from then, and yes, bought at Woolworths, probably 1964-66 appx.

[tigergto]

The one thing I remember best about our local Woolworths was the lucnh counter that served Banana Splits. Every now anf then they would have balloons hanging with a small piece of paper inside. Those papers contained the numbers 1-39 cents the max for a Banana Split. You would pick a ballon and pay whatever was on the paper. Most of the time it was 39 cents. Lol.