This week we have an "also ran" of sorts. In 1969, Topper Corporation, a fairly successful toy company out of New Jersey, decided to cash in on Mattel's Hot Wheels craze that had started in 1968. Their answer to the Hot Wheel was the Johnny Lightning.
TOY HISTORY SIDEBAR: Topper Toys started out as Deluxe Toys (later Deluxe Reading Toys) in 1951. In 1966 they changed to Topper Toys (because they "topped" the others) and released both the "Johnny" and "Suzy" lines of toys. "Suzy Homemaker" is still well remembered. I suppose the Womens Liberation movement did them in and in 1971 they went out of business. In 1994 the name was purchased by Playing Mantis toys and a few were re-released. They also released a ton of new cars with much better tooling and style that the originals. The Topper cars are really the most interesting to me, though. Now back to our regularly scheduled post...
Johnny Lightnings lacked the style of Hot Wheels, but one thing they did win on is speed. They had a place under the nose that hooked onto a catapult device that could fling the cars faster than gravity or an electric Super Charger! Great, until you got hit by one!
I have about three of the Topper cars. I don't go out of my way to find them, but I'll pick one up if I run across it. My latest one is this:
This is the Topper Johnny Lightning "Smuggler!" (See the barrel in the back) It's typical of the original cars; kind of clunky and angular, but with a certain weird charm. I actually kind of like it.
Note the oval "Topper" logo under the nose. That's how you know it's an original. Well, that and the really banged up paint from being turned into a high speed projectile by that catapult.
That's about it for this week. If you hapoen to stumble across a weirdly styled Hot Wheel, flip it over and look for the oval! You might have just found a real live Topper Johnny Lightning!
Until next time, keep searching for treasure!
I vaguely remember the Johnny Lightning name and I think I remember seeing ads on TV. I do like the shape of your Smuggler car; sort of triangular. A cross between a drag racer and the Batmobile. I was already in my mid-teens when the Hot Wheels craze started, so I never got into it. But a couple of my younger brothers did, so we had Hot Wheels and lots of HW track in our house. Thanks, Stu.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple more that I might feature later...
DeleteIt's funny, most Hot Wheels knock-offs just didn't have the "cool factor" that Mattel had. The Smuggler isn't bad, but as you said, it is kind of clunky and angular. Interesting, though!
DeleteYeah, I remember being not real impressed with them as a kid. Hey, we kids could spot a knock-off! Now they have a...certain charm, I guess. Even though I wouldn't buy one as a kid, I'll pick them up now. Have my standards slipped? Probably!
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