This was maybe the best toy of the 70s in some ways. Loved this game to death. We would play this for hours. Now comes the sad part. When I saw they were making them again around twenty years ago, I had to order them (for my son, of course!). I got it, and it was like Rock ’em Sock ’em Cheap Miniatures. They are small and very cheap now.
Marx released this great toy in 1966, the world’s first boxing robots with “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots,” a game designed by Marvin Glass & Associates. At the time, the toy became hugely popular during the 1960s and ‘70s.
You would control the robots by joysticks, and you would counter the other person’s moves by dodging the oncoming punch. You would maneuver your robot and hit the other robot at just the right angle, you’ll be able to “knock his block off!” In other words, the robot’s spring-loaded head is knocked loose and pops up, signaling the end of the “round.”
When that happened, you would just push his spring-loaded head back down and go again. The great thing about the game is you do not need batteries… you just pulled it out of your closet or from underneath your bed and played.
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This was a pretty cool game. I never had it myself but played it a few times at a friends. I recall seeing the commercials way more than anyone actually owning the game. Perhaps not as widely available or a higher price point.
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I played and played this…it was very well made…but not now! I do remember the commercials as well.
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I remember this toy, so fun!
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I remember the commercials too! But don’t think I ever knew anyone that had it.
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I would love to have one now…an older one…NOT a new one. They suck…cheaply made and fraction of the size of the real ones.
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Loved ’em!
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Another subject…old toys like this.
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Absolutely…see ya’ in about a 1/2 hour.
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Great fun, and what a super name for a toy! Presumably this would be made into a computer game now, probably lacking a lot of the original’s charm.
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Exactly…
Kevin you are right…I never really thought about it but…a super name for this toy. I still remember playing it for hours against my friends….or if I could rope my older sister in playing.
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Yes, getting the right name is half the battle. It just wouldn’t be the same if it was called, say, Biff Bang Wallop.’
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those were the days, right? My brother had them, I don’t think he ever let me play with them though, but I did think it was sort of cool. Around same time, remember Battling Tops? He had them too and those I did play with him, loved watching those psychedelic designs on the tops spin around!
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Oh the Battling Tops! I forgot about those. Yea I loved the Robots fighting…what kid wouldn’t like it? I need to refresh my memory on the Batling Tops…it’s been a while but I remember them.
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Growing up, my spoiled neighbor had this. They should be used to settle global differences and save us all the time and money.
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YES! That is a great idea!
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I never got to play with them, but I remember the late Michelle Trachtenberg playing Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots with her therapist in Harriet the Spy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1x6i73klIs
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Thank you for the clip….that is great. Husband and wives probably have played this as well.
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my brother had these and I loved them!
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I had to rope my older sister to play once in a while.
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Def remember at least the commercial. Not sure we ever had them in the house. A true classic. Sorry the reissue of them was so disappointing.
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Thanks Lisa…yea they were cheap and small.
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A damned pity they cheaped out. Going from heavyweight to cheapskate/lightweight in one foul swoop.
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Yep! It so sucked…I was looking forward to playing it and it broke within an hour or so…
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I wonder how much an original in good working condition (complete with box etc.) would go for in an auction?
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I’ve seen some in great condition go upwards to $325 or so
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I loved this as a kid. I loved it so much, I bought it for my oldest sons, too!
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Were the new ones cheaply made? And small? I love the real ones
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Here’s one of my favorite childhood toys: $600 asking price on Bay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175840400384?_skw=tonka+aerial+sand+loader&itmmeta=01JS2TPVPEFH1SQSK8VK85VG25&hash=item28f0e79400:g:OsQAAOSwFDVkgPig&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAABAFkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1cxijbkNQpxGV5gQXTVg6cwMVijYXd%2FciIfE1SBDOwxcWDrqvaMqFqoEeDgZ%2FLKdWKwr8BzYaxmbk%2FC8VC8%2FyBxj2XCpG%2FJLWHn9hhicxoMCwN8%2FufCVCm0eRw3kOwUbMgf7FWBlNdkmv%2FzfcMeXs0DMiX3NkeitaR%2FYQOtkJ16yLT2soXmgm7KZro4hJyZJZwvrWuef1FcBNwRnTYB9KCX7jlNyxd9burjZoci9ZHeX4JTd5KevF8m%2Bl%2FUZFxB3S%2Bngb%2BVP0ldwHurG0nsBS7JPtoebIsmOWIoQOygZE4AsDw5L%2Brs6fx7VNdk0uArsfU%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7K729rIZQ
While it was a called an “aerial sand loader”, I played with it in the house with dried beans – much less messy than sand.
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Thank you! I love real toys like that. I bet it was built like a tank. The closest thing I had as a kid were Tonka Trucks but they were not that detailed.
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We didn’t have those here, they look like they were fun. It reminds me of table football and subbuteo.
I can imagine your disappointment with a small version – things are never allowed to stay the same, are they?
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We had table football and hockey…and I have an air table…I guess it would be soccer or hockey with a puck.
Yea…I’m so happy I grew up when I did. I was so disappointed in that small cheap version.
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I had them and loved them. It was remarkabl how durable they were!
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Yes they were…the new ones not as much…but I put the original through hell and it was still working when mom got rid of it later on.
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Never played with them, but remember the commercials. I had the Battling Tops that were mentioned. I remember the green one I named Dazzling Dan and the Light Blue one Twinkling Tim.
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Oh Battling Tops…I remember those. Someone else brought them up and I haven’t thought of them since the 70s
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Do you remember the Gyroscopes that you would wind a string around and pull so they would spin? I had one and I loved it.
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I didn’t when you said it but I looked it up…YES I had one or two of those. At first I thought you meant that tube you looked through.
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