Monday 15 December 2008

Boglins


Around this time of year eighteen years ago I began to ask my parents for a Boglin, I didn't stop asking for one until I was really too old to be asking for one (I played with my GI Joes until shamefully late in the day as well, I'm something of a late starter). But every Christmas and birthday I'd end up disappointed, because of my dad's policy of not endorsing the purchase of 'plastic nasties' for his kids (that's what he called basically any toy that was any fun or made to look any fun on CITV commercial breaks). I think because he is half Scottish and an outdoors-y type he hated anything that was expensive and glamorous-looking while not really serving any purpose, while I've spent my life having the exact opposite feelings on that matter. I think he expected me to play with wooden tops until I was ten and then ride my bike across the South Downs every day until I could play county rugby and sail yachts single-handed. He is actually a very reasonable and liberal-minded man but I think we both feel like maybe there was a mixup in the maternity ward all those years ago. Anyway, I digress, look at how much fun Boglins are in the advert below. If I was to go into business as anything I would get into the toy industry, capitalism works so well on kids because they like things and colours and colourful things, so if you get any of those elements together and put them in a nice box or put them on the tv you have a sure fire winner. There are no toys that kids don't like.

12 comments:

Lixo said...

What a great advert!

Conroy said...

Boglins fucking ruled, i badly wanted one, but never got one, just like quad bikes. I did have a huge gi joe collection though

videotime said...

I got my teeth pulled out by the worst dentist north london had to offer (he didn't wait for the local anathestic to work and ripped out 2 milk molars with me screaming like a burning puppy).
My mum felt so mortified and ashamed that she sent me to this shithole nhs mess, so we walked out of the dentists and into the toy shop 5 doors down from dr giggles (it used to be next to the camden town odeon) and she let me buy two mini boglins in slime?!
a shitty harrowing experience became a childhood pay day.

videotime said...

actually i looked them up, I got 2 baby boglins that came in plastic green eggs.
What a great toy.

COMPLETELY ADORABLE said...

i had a massive gi joe collection, i still have them, i will take some photos of them when i go home for christmas

Conroy said...

i sold all my fucking gi joes at a bootsale to buy a megadrive, what a sell out, i even let quick-kick, destro, snake eyes and flint go. Post up some gi joes, i need it

JIRO said...

I bought an Action Force (we aren't American) helicopter with my birthday money once and it was filled with 30 figures, it was a secret special prize for one lucky kid at Toys 'R' Us, that was one of the best days of my life.

Did anyone else notice the Boglins in Fifth Element when someone was getting rid of the bugs under the spaceship, I always thought that was abit odd.

videotime said...

Jiro you lucky bastard I earned my payoff with blood and pain!

Conroy said...

video time, you got delt out, those little boglins aren't even the real deal! You are right jiro it's action force, i only went along with gi joe because nobody seems to know what i'm talking about when i mention action force

COMPLETELY ADORABLE said...

that's because they rebranded them as gi joe here after having them as action force for a bit. i'm not pretending to be american, they really were called that here for ages. look it up

COMPLETELY ADORABLE said...

that comment kind of sounds like i'm angry about this, which maybe i am a bit...

Anonymous said...

I too was denied Boglins by practical parents. When I was 10 I wanted one of those kits that you could make jewellery out of clay with, instead I got Clay To Win a lame clay-based version of Pictionary.