Annual Sioux Falls Toy Show Showcased Treasures From The Past
Toy lovers of all ages converged on the Ramkota Exhibit Hall over the weekend for the 45th Annual Sioux Falls Toy Show, and for a couple of days, the place basically turned into the biggest toy box in South Dakota.
Dakota News Now reports that more than 400 tables filled the hall, stacked high with everything from antiques and collectibles to die-cast cars, action figures, and toys that instantly transported visitors straight back to childhood. If it rolled, bounced, transformed, or made that familiar click-clack sound from decades past, chances are it was sitting on a table.
The Sioux Falls Toy Show has built up a reputation over the years as one of the largest toy shows in the region, and judging by the crowds wandering the aisles, that reputation is well deserved. Kids, collectors, casual fans, and yes, even plenty of wide-eyed adults acting like kids browsed table after table looking for that one item they just had to have back in the day.
For many of us who grew up in the late 60s and throughout the 70s, and maybe never fully grew up, the toy show was a full-on nostalgia trip. Back then, toys weren’t just toys, they were entire adventures waiting to happen in the backyard, basement, or on the living room floor.
Who can forget some of the iconic toys from the 60s and '70s, like Johnny West Old West Dolls, Tonka trucks built tough enough to survive a South Dakota winter, the legendary Big Wheel, the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle, Mr. Potato Head, Hot Wheels, and, of course, the always mesmerizing View-Master?
The 1980s also had their fair share of memorable toys. Like the widely popular Cabbage Patch Kids, Care Bears, My Little Pony, Teddy Ruxpin, Transformers, Game Boys, and those early Nintendo systems that convinced an entire generation it was perfectly reasonable to spend an entire Saturday indoors.
If you grew up in Sioux Falls, wandering those tables over the weekend more than likely felt a little like stepping back and wandering the aisles of old, classic Sioux Falls toy stores like Kay Bee Toys, the Pirates Den, Toyland, Ace Hardware, Lewis Drug, Toys R Us, and more—all great places where kids could dream about their next birthday or Christmas.
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So if you missed it this year, don’t worry. The Sioux Falls Toy Show will be back. The show typically makes a stop in Sioux Falls during the first or second weekend every March.
Maybe you'll have your Rubik's Cube solved by then?
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Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz