Walking in a retro wonderland – Kenner toys

Kenner Products was founded in 1946 by three brothers of the Steiner family in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, who named the toy company after the street upon which their original office was located. The first Kenner toys included construction sets, projectors, the Easy-Bake Oven, and Spirograph.

Spirograph. Kenner. US. 1975.

1970s

The early 1970s saw Kenner gain the license for the already popular Play-Doh. Other toy lines such as Chip Away sets, Dusty and Skye dolls, S.S.P. (Super Sonic Power), T.T.P. (Turbo Tower of Power) and Duke the Action Dog became popular Kenner hits throughout the decade.

Kenner SSP Racers. 1971. US.

Duke the Super Action Dog. 1974. US.

Bionic power!

In 1976 Kenner held the license to produce and sell toys for the hugely popular Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman TV shows.

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TTP – Turbo Tower of Power

TTP (Turbo Tower of Power) was a toyline sold by the Kenner company during the 1970s. Sets consisted of motorbikes and cars that could be propelled along tracks by a pump-action launcher (the Tower) and made to perform stunts. Sets included the TTP Car Stunt Set, Cycle Action Set, Deluxe Thrill Set, and the Wild Riders Competition Set with motorcyle rider Flyin’ Freddie. Cars and cycles were also availble to purchase separately.

TTP Turbo Tower of Power. 1974. US.

TTP Turbo Tower of Power Wild Riders. 1976. US.

See also: Kenner’s SSP Super Sonic Power toyline

Thanks for looking 🙂

Chip-Away sculpting sets

This 1972 advert from toy giant Kenner presents a comic strip view of their sculpting product Chip-Away Sets. You simply ‘chipped away’ at the soft outer layer of your block to reveal the pre-sculpted figure hidden inside! Once the outer layer is removed the figure is ready to paint with brushes and paints included in the set.

US. The Unexpected. 1972.

US. The Unexpected. 1972.


Chip-Away set as seen in the 1972 French Meccano catalogue général.

Chip-Away. France. 1972.