Founded by Jim and Mary Thornbury in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1954, Thornbury's Toys was initially a true "mom and pop" shop. After expanding a few times they outgrew the first store located at 117 Breckinridge Lane in St. Matthews and opened a new store nearby at 4101 Shelbyville Rd. in 1960. This store became headquarters. Thornbury's, incorporated in 1965, grew year after year, peaking in the mid 1980's with stores in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, Ohio and Alabama. The formula for success: customer service, high "play-value" toys and bikes, and a strong management team combined with Uncle Jim's entrepreneurial and promotional flair, love of children, understanding of his customers, attention to detail, and loving family. Uncle Jim's motto was "the customer is always right". The company mascot, Thorny the monkey, who pedaled his bike day and night atop the St. Matthews store, also helped Thornbury's stand out.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Popular Toys at Thornbury's

By the time Thornbury's Toys opened in 1954, Lionel trains had been around for 54 years, Tinker Toys for 40 years, Raggedy Ann for 39, Lincoln Logs for 38, Fisher-Price toys for 24, Monopoly for 21, View-Master for 15, Slinky for nine, Tonka vehicles for seven, Scrabble for six, Clue and Legos for five, and Matchbox cars and Mr. Potato Head for 2 years. Of course, all of these toys and games were still popular when Thornbury's opened its doors and they remained so for many years.




What were some of the most popular toys and games to follow? New arrivals on Thornbury's shelves included Play-Doh in 1955, Yahtzee in 1956, Hula Hoops in 1958, Barbie in 1959, Etch A Sketch in 1960, G.I. Joe in 1964, Twister in 1966, Hot Wheels in 1968, Nerf balls in 1969, Pong in 1974, Star Wars action figures in 1977, and Simon, one of the first electronic games, in 1978. The most popular toys and games Thornbury's stocked thereafter included Pac-Man, Rubik's Cube, Strawberry Shortcake, Masters of the Universe, Trivial Pursuit, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Game Boys.

Source: Kovels' American Collectibles 1900-2000 (2007)
Image sources: Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels


Posted by at
Labels:

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2015 at 4:06 PM

    As an employee of Oxmoor and Turfland mall stores, I remember all of these in addition to Gund and Steiff stuffed animals, Madame Alexander dolls, model kits (cars, planes, etc.), and HO gauge trains. Care Bears were also popular; I even dressed up as one for a in-store promotion! Good ol' days. Thanks for the memories. T.C.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)