National Book Month - Day 3: Marx Fort Apache - The King of Playsets

As toy collectors, the first toy for many of us may well have been the plastic green toy army men. If you were lucky enough in the 50s through 70s, you may have had a playset from the Louis Marx Toy Company. Until about 1970, Marx was the biggest toy company in the country.

I had two Marx playsets.  The first was Navarone.

And the Prehistoric Dinosaur playset.

If you are a fan of plastic army men or the Marx playset, then you definitely have to look at Playset Magazine. They are one of the few remaining print magazines focused on toys, specifically the Marx line and other similar toys during the Atomic age. They are currently on issue 91 and going strong. Their DVD documentaries are fantastic as well. The owners and editors of Playset Magazine (Rusty and Kathy Kern) are in the movie/documentary business so they are true professionals and the magazine and videos show it.

They did a two volume hardcover history of Marx Toys about two years ago. The run was so successful, they just released a book focusing on Marx's best selling playset of all time - Fort Apache. The book shows off each variation (there were many) along with packing lists and other neat information on how the playset evolved.

The book - Fort-Apache-King-of-Playsets - goes for $39.95 for the soft cover and $59.95 for the hard cover.

So if you like plastic toy soldiers or playsets, check out Playset Magazine and their books and DVDs.