Anyone born in the seventies or eighties will know that those were the golden years for collectable, mass-produced toys. It started with nouveau Barbies and Micronauts who were quickly joined by Star Wars, Cabbage Patch, Transformers, Strawberry Shortcake, Smurfs, Masters of the Universe, GI Joe and my personal favourite, Centurions. Anyone?  No? 

These were the toys that launched humble regional toy makers like Mego, Kenner and Playmates into the stratosphere as international toy dynasties. 

Today, new toy lines still abound on the shelves at major retailers, however, many of the old-school toy shops are gone from the suburbs and the hype around the next series of toys is not quite there.   

Thankfully, the fraternity of classic toy collectors is still going strong.