A recent thread was enjoyably hijacked to the subject of such things as X-Ray Specs (http://cdn-www.cracked.com/articleimages/wong/comicads/xray.jpg) and Sea Monkeys (http://tomheroes.com/images/COMICAD%20sea%20monkeys.jpg). Let's continue it here, where it presumably belongs.
When I was a kid I was fascinated with electric walkie-talkies, which I had been allowed to use on a hike, once. Now we don't use them as much, since a lot of people have cell phones. I asked my parents for one several years in a row, but they never complied, preferring to give me something they could also give to my sister, who was a year and a half younger than me, the fiends! Imagine my excitement when I found an ad for a set of walkie talkies for just a buck and a half (as I recall), plus postage. Naturally, I sent for them.
After a wait of what seemed like an eternity (maybe six to eight weeks), they came. The box was suspiciously light. Inside I found two pressed tin gizmos that half-heartedly tried to look like real walkie talkies, connected by a four foot string that had to be kept taut for proper reception! I'd made superior things out of paper cups! Shock, disbelief, embarrassment, and lesson learned.
That's disgusting, and so obviously false advertising. My childhood was the 80s (that which I remember), leading into the 90s, so x-ray specs and sea monkeys weren't the popular things then. I went through a yo-yo craze though. That was cool, even though I was carp at it, lol.
I don't recall any specific rip-offs, although I did have presents I hated. One year my parents bought me a cricket game (I hate sports, and have never had any interest in them, really) which I hated, although my neighbour loved it, and would ask to play it almost every time he came round. Grrrr!
The following year I made sure that not only did I specifically state what I wanted long before Christmas (Santa had died a while before this), I shopped around for the cheapest price. Space Marine was definitely not a rip-off, as I had hundreds of hours of fun out of it.
Lots of hate here, so i'll say LOVE to balance it out. ;D
Nice balancing there, O Blue Bunny.
I was looking for an ad for a notorious rip-off submarine toy and came across this fun site:
Top 10 Outrageous Comic Book Advertisements (http://www.toptenz.net/comic-book-advertisements.php)!
This shows both Sea Monkeys and X-Ray Specs, plus the famous body building ads of yesterday, when nobody thought twice about taking money from impressionable little kids. I guess there are more restrictions in place nowadays, but this sort of stuff still happens.