Introduction

I was born in the 50's and grew up in the 60's as many baby boomers did. The 1960's was a wondrous time to be a child. The fear of WWII had passed, the Cold War was on, but was overshadowed by the fast pace of changing technology. Radio gave way to TV, and toys, which had been little changed in years, started to reflect the impact of technology. Dolls that could walk and talk thanks to creative design, miniature motors, compact batteries, and sound boxes. Battery operated cars you could drive and steer by remote control. During this time, for me one company stood out as the one with the formula for success. Toys that performed multiple functions. Toys with hundreds of small parts. Toys with incredible detail (and lots of chrome). Toys with exciting box graphics, laced with superlatives. Toys advertised on TV. Toys displayed in wonderful display cases at your nearest grocery store. Toys that came FULLY assembled. That company was Deluxe Reading. Whether you knew them as Deluxe Toy Creations, or Deluxe Premium, or Deluxe Reading or Deluxe Topper, or just plain old Topper Toys, you could usually identify one of their toys on sight. In the 60's and 70's my brother and I had a Playmobile, Battlewagon, Tiger Joe Tank, Crusader 101, Johnny Speed, Johnny Astro, Secret Sam and several Johnny Lightning cars. My sisters had the Dream Kitchen, Bonnie Bride, Penny Brite, Suzy Cute, Dawn, and a variety of Suzy Homemaker appliances.  Friends had Jimmy Jet, and Johnny Express. I put this website together in the hopes that others out there who enjoyed these toys can look back, remember them, learn a little more about them, and a little more about the company that produced them

Acknowledgements

Although many of the pictures are from my own collection, a lot are from auction sites. This site is for informational, research and historic purposes only. If I have used a photo belonging to you and you would like it removed, let me know. Alternatively, if you would like attribution for any photo I will add it. Thank you. Special Thanks to Kevin Preston, Nap Pepin, David Holcombe, Don Thompson, Bill Bruegman, Toy Scouts Inc, Deanna, and The Big Red Toybox for their assistance in providing photos and information.