Lakeside Toys first introduced Barrel of Monkeys in 1966. It only took seconds to learn, but the challenge could keep players hooked for hours. Inside…
Browsing: Pop Culture
Born in Newcastle, New South Wales (Australia) in 1930, Barry’s Public School education led him to a music scholarship at the University of Sydney and…
In the early 1930s, as pinball machines dominated arcades, a variation called ‘pitch and bat’ games emerged in the US. These games launched a ball…
War stories had been a staple part of British boys’ comics for decades. DC Thomson had enjoyed success with The Victor (published since 1961) and…
“B-11”. “nah!” “A-3” “D’oh . . . You sunk my battleship!”. In this “classic naval combat game” the open seas were cluttered with ships of…
Battling Tops was as close to watching gladiatorial combat as most kids got (except those kids whose dads took them to illegal cockfights!). Once you…
Bayko was the invention of British engineer Charles Plimpton who patented it in 1933. Originally called ‘Bayko Light Construction Sets’, the name ‘Bayko Light’ was…
One of the most frustrating things about almost every pinball game is the gap between the two flippers. No matter how good players are, they…
Nine hundred years after the original 1086 Domesday Book was started, the BBC began the ‘Domesday Project’. Using computer and laser disc technology, one million…
Cambridge-based Acorn Computers was set up in 1978 by Chris Curry – who had previously worked for Clive Sinclair – and Hermann Hauser. The company…
When the Bean Bag emerged in the late 60s and 70s it was heralded as the furniture of tomorrow for the well-heeled of today. It…
Referred to by collectors as the “Original Nine,” the first line of Beanie Babies debuted in Chicago in 1994. The arrival of the bead-filled plush toys…
Anxious to repeat the success of their comic, The Dandy, Scottish publishing house DC Thomson introduced The Beano just 35 weeks later in July 1938. It was practically a…
The traditional Chelsea Boot was adapted for The Beatles by the London footwear company Anello & Davide in 1961 when the band commissioned four pairs…
In the beginning, The Beatles – or rather The Quarrymen – were just another group that hoped to make a few records and some money.…
First published in August 1963, The Beatles Book was the official magazine devoted to the Fab Four, with a remit to keep their fans informed about…
“Don’t fret cat, it’s all bells. We got no bread baby, but that’s not our bag anyway. So dig the crazy scene and don’t be…
Launched on 29 January 1985 by the BBC and Polystyle Publications, Beeb was an attempt to create a weekly comic that would compete with ITV’s Look-In and replace TV…
The 1950’s revelled in the outrageous works of art created from hair, and the bubble-like bouffant was teased to even greater height and tamed into…
The Beezer was published by DC Thomson between 21 January 1956 and 21 August 1993 (when it unofficially ‘merged’ with The Beano). Regular strips included: Baby Crockett…