A Lucky Pick Up - Inside A Vintage 1980s Sad Sam Honey Pyjama Case

There are some things that just totally typify the 1980s for me - one of them is the pyjamas case. No single bed was complete without one. Isn't it sad - do they even make them anymore? I had a plush mouse with a huge skirt (!) to look after my pyjamas in the 1980s. Haha

I was doing my usual stock hunt the other weekend at a house clearance when I happened upon a huge skip bag full of plush. Nothing exciting until I found Sad Sam's Girlfriend Honey - she's huge! She felt solid, so I had a quick peek inside the zip and spotted some real gems. I paid and took her home for a good wash.

The contents were better than I was expecting - vintage 1980s tee shirts. Two of them Snoopy. My favourite!

Have you ever found anything exciting in thrifted items? I've found some great stuff...hmm? Maybe another blog post there :-)

New Financial Year Business Goals 2016-2017

For my I have the start of a new year where I set myself personal goals, but I always like to set myself some business goals at the start of a new financial year which for me is the start of April. Here are my plans for the coming year

• Increase my shop inventory
• Design and have my own pin badges made
• Increase my Instagram followers and continue to comment and interact more
• Build a business website
• Try and blog at least twice a week
• Approach more business' and publications to collaborate with and source toys for
• Streamline my own collections
• Take more pictures
• Research and cost for garden office

How about you? Do you have new financial year goals or resolutions?

My Best Ever Pica Pica Vintage Hauls Part 3 - The 1980s Disney Collector

This was my most recent eye popping find. Last year I happened upon a house clearance sale disposing of a whole lifetime of collecting. The other dealers were most interested in the huge piles of Christmas collectibles and handbags, but for me it was the Disney. The family had obviously been huge fans and were regular visitors of all the American theme parks during the 1980s and early 1990s but what was most exciting for me was the condition. Everything was in it's original carrier bags and there were multiples of everything - not just one keyring but 20 all in a carrier bag...not just one coin purse, but 12 in a carrier bag. Like I said, EYE POPPING. Some of the best items were from this great print range by Australian artist Ken Done.

I bought these spoons because I loved them - I have a pot full. I can't find anything out about them. are they simply teaspoons from the cafes and the collector saved them? I'd love to know

After again making a huge pile of awesomeness came the most exciting news - there was more! I'd been pleasant with the sellers and struck up a conversation. It turned out it had been a huge house - they had another two lorry loads at least from the same collection. Over the next two weeks I proceeded to get two more car loads of stock from them. I love it with my job that I never really know what I'm going to find next. I'm going to put that original 1985 carrier bag in a frame to remember just how great a find this collection was.

My Best Ever Pica Pica Vintage Hauls Part 2 - The G1 My Little Pony Motherlode

Here we are for part 2 of my best ever hauls of stock for Pica Pica Vintage. This time I was at a carboot sale outside my local area. I'm terrible - I can't drive past a jumble sale, car boot sale or charity shop without stopping for a little peep. I was visiting my Mum in Sussex in 2011. I was already quite satisfied with my finds so far at the sale until I caught a glimpse of all those pony tails all jumbled up in a box together. I abandoned my route up and down the rows and ran over worried that someone else might have spotted what I'd seen. Without digging in the box too deeply, I asked the price for the whole lot. I could have cried. They were all mine. I'd just bought nearly 200 vintage My Little Ponies.

They were all in good condition, and luckily only in need of a little TLC to get them ready for my customers. I really wish I'd taken pictures of them all lined up drying in the garden in the sunshine. It was of my most lucarative collections I've ever bought as there were some real gems including rare accessories and Europe and UK exclusive ponies. All of my collectors were really pleased. By the time I'd finished sorting everything out I even found some ponies were complete with all their original accesories. I still sometimes dream about that find.

Do you have something missing from your collection? Just send us an email vic(at)picapicavintage.com and we'll do our best to help!

Collectors Guide - Know Your My Little Ponies 1980s to the Present

If you're looking to start a collection or replace your old lost toys, We love My Little Pony. Here's a rough guide to the toy line so far:

Generation 1 (G1) 1982 - 1995
This is by far the most popular line with collectors. For pure nostalgia and style they are great. There is literally something for everyone with the original Earth Pony line, the Big Brother clydesdale ponies to the clear glitter ponies. Prices start at around £6 for one in good condition, but you can expect to pay over £100 for international exclusives and variations.

Generation 2 (G2) 1997 - 2003
How can a toy line get it so wrong? This version was a disaster with hardly any commercial success in the USA and discontinued there in less than a year after launch. Their strange skinny bodies and hippo like faces had none of the charm or cuteness of the original line. You can pick up G2 mint in pack ponies for less than £10. However due to their unpopularity some of the later play sets and ponies are still quite valuable due to their rarity!

Generation 3 (G3) 2003 - 2009
After a pony hiatus, they were back. They'd learnt their lesson and came back with a chunkier pony with lots more in common with G1. This generation was targeted to a younger age group, so everything was more solid and less fiddly with no small pieces and less accessories.

This was the first line that the artists really got into - there are some great customised ponies in this generation. The value in this generation is in the charity exclusive and convention exclusive ponies.

For new or younger collectors this is a really great place to start. They can be picked up extremely cheaply with prices starting at as low as 50p a pony online if you buy job lots.

Generation 4 Friendship Is Magic (G4 FiM) 2010 - Present
Lauren Faust took the reigns for the cartoon series for this generation. With a pedigree in Powerpuff Girls, it's easy to see the parallels. This series has pulled My Little Ponies back in front of a brand new audience and for the first time has really encouraged the new wave of male collectors, even coining the Bronie title for the once neglected male fans. The toys are super cute and already a big hit with collectors. Keen eyes will already see play sets and ponies in store exclusive deals in Argos and ToysRUs. The mold for these guys is smaller than it's been before with a more Japanese / Kawaii cutesy style. With values already creeping up I can see this as a good bet for a future collectible.

Woo hoo - 4500 Happy eBay Customer Feedbacks :-)

Thank you, lovely customers ;-D Here's to many more happy collectors!

My Best Ever Pica Pica Vintage Hauls Part 1 - MEGO Dolls & Mint In Box Fisher Price Toys

I've got a great nose for a bargain and I've really tried to fine tune my eye to spot the best vintage toys for my customers. I've been running Pica Pica Vintage for 6 years now (with two bouts of maternity leave thrown in for good measure) but I've actually been thrifting ever since I can remember (sheesh - over 25 years?!) I was THAT contrary child who didn't like 1980s neon pink Barbie dolls. I spent my childhood searching out 1960s and 1970s Sindy dolls as i preferred their more realistic clothes and furniture. They had brunette hair that was more like my own. Maybe this was where my love affair with vintage began?

Anyway, here is part 1 of some of my all time favourite finds of the past 6 years. Isn't it a bummer we only think to take more pictures now? I really wish I'd have had the thought to take pictures at the time.

Ones early morning I was feeling down heartened to have only found some 1980s McDonalds toys - still good for my inventory, but nothing to get too over excited about. Suddenly I spotted the corner of a box. Straight away it was the bright blue and red of vintage Fisher Price. Soon I amassed a huge pile including the Fisher Price record player mint in box along with several other sets including the airport which I was really pleased with. I had a word with the stall holder and asked if it was ok to start a pile. I always find this polite and also showing that kind of courtesy will show you're a serious buyer and could even mean you get first dibs on things that haven't been unpacked yet. This haul made me take a trip to the cash point for more money and three trips back to the car with a trolley of toys. This collection turned out to all date from the 1970s / 1980s and had been looked after perfectly with most things never having been removed from their boxes.

The final cherry on the cake was finding a carrier bags full of 1970s poseable MEGO figures. I carefully took them all home to research. Unexpectadly, in my bag of familiar Marvel characters was the ultra rare Zorro figure. No listings on eBay existed with him in his full outfit including his cape. I was delighted to sell him to a London collector for over £100. If only he'd had his sword. The thing is, everything owned by this collector was so well looked after it probably was there and I missed it. One of the things I love most about my job is that I'm always learning. I'll know what his sword looks like for next time

My Collections - Vintage Fisher Price Little People

I used to collect (read: hoard!) a lot of vintage toys. The saddest thing about this though was that there were too many to even display properly, so they were all sat in boxes. This was part of the reason I founded Pica Pica Vintage as a way to thin out my collection.

My biggest collection was vintage Fisher Price - the mid century style paper decals really speak to me and I have such a fondness for those Little People that fit just so perfectly into little hands in a way that they've never managed with subsequent attempts at replicating that original toy line.

This year I've been more about really drilling down and thinking properly about how I want my home to look. I will say that the Marie Kondo book has definitely been an inspiration, but my friend really made me laugh in saying that by buying the book we'd just be cluttering up the house even more! Haha. All that being said, it has made me think and as a result I completely down sized my collection - only keeping one of each of the figures and listing everything else in the shop.

I find this little group of guys much more pleasing to look at now and I honestly prefer the money in the bank rather than sat sadly in boxes in the loft.

If you're looking to add to your Fisher Price collection, some of mine can still be found here in the shop

#MarchMeetTheMaker Instagram Daily Challenge with Joanne Hawker

One of the things that's made me take a bit of a personal hiatus from Facebook is just how amazing and supportive the Indie Business community is over on Instagram. I'm at home all day with my children when I'm not working and when I am working I have no colleagues. Being able to chat to like minded folk in the same boat is not only encouraging, but frankly, essential!

I was so happy when I found this list of daily photo prompts posted on a stream on Instagram - not only are the prompts very inspiring, but it's been a great way to meet new people and open up about the workings of my business and hopefully get me into a better routine of focusing my social media presence and growing my business.

It's not too late to join in - you could easily catch up as today only marks Day 4. In case you're not using Instagram, here's my first 4 days:

Day 1 - Brand
Pica Pica is the Latin word for magpie. I love magpies - and it's my job to hunt out vintage toy treasure for my customers
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/picapicavintagetoys

Day 2 - You

A rare selfie from me (I'm not much of a selfie taker) If you place an order through my eBay store, I'm the one that found the vintage toy, cleaned it, listed it, packed it and posted it. When I'm not looking after the children I'm working on my own sewing or crochet. Current guilty pleasure is Sons Of Anarchy

Day 3 - Workspace

This is one small corner of the box room at the front of our house. I have another room that stores most of my inventory. This is my space for listing and packing. I thought I could have tidied it and made it look neater, but I'm actually in the middle of a really busy period for me and this is what it actually looks like

Day 4 - Tools

Essential items for me are a mini screwdriver set. everything battery operated must be tested first. I love Bic Biros for taking notes. Cute tape measure. If you're using something everyday, may as well be cute, right?

I really hope this might have sparked your interest to play along. Find me on Instagram @pica_pica_

Take a look through other makers taking part #marchmeetthemaker

Find Joanne Hawker, the creator of this great prompt series:

@joannehawker on Instragram

Show And Tell - My Madballs Collection

Here's a brand new feature where we're going to be showcasing the amazing toy collections of our lovely customers.

Madballs were launched by AmToy in the mid 1980s, part of the American Greetings group. Their gross out humour was on a par with Garbage Pail Kids, so of course children loved them and parents hated them. There was also a cartoon series and computer games based on the toys. During their lifetime people complained of injuries as a result of the hard materials used to manufacture the balls. They later changed to a softer foam. The distinction between these materials is important to most collectors. 

Madballs are back again with versions of the original characters available to gross out a whole new generation. Lets get the ball rolling and meet Johnny and his collection (Haha. Sorry!)

Name 

Johnny James Walker

Age
 36

Location
Sydney, Australia 

When and why did you start collecting?
Madballs were my favourite toy as a kid in the eighties I revamped my obsession about 10 years ago and here we are, I used to have a lot of movie props/collectibles but now its just the toys.

Favourite item in your collection and why?
My favourite is Fist Face the purple foam 1985 Madball pictured.

Latest addition and where you got it?My last toy was a while ago I think it was Snake bait loose also pictured. I find these treasures on ebay, esty  or Parry's Game Preserve.

Something interesting or a fact about your collectionThere are foam balls and rubber ones most collectors try to get one or the other. I'm different I like both. I also love similar handmade items like my crab and my snail.

Your holy grail item you dream of findingI would love to find another Splitting Headache Madball or another Screamin Meemie baseball bat these 2 items are super rare. I own 1 of each but id buy another if I saw one.

Thanks Johnny. I especially love the display case that means they're all able to be on show. Such a great idea. 

Do you have a toy collection you'd like to share with us? Send us an email - we'd love to hear from you :-)

Shopping Small - Why we love our customers

Dear Indie Shop Customer,

When you Shop Small, you're not just paying money to a company, you're putting money straight in our actual pocket.

For me, you're paying towards our dinner. You're paying for that car repair that comes from nowhere and I have no idea how we're going to afford it. The relief in the beginning of small business when you hear that email ping on your phone in the supermarket and realise that someone has made an order that will pay for your shopping. Most importantly you're allowing me to have a job that allows me to be here everyday and look after my children at home.

We try hard to add extras to your order that only an indie business can - a hand written note, maybe a flyer or postcard that we've designed ourselves (it hasn't come from our art department because we don't have one) We've packed your order while our babies nap in the next room. We picture that you'll love opening your parcel.

The fact that you've chosen to persevere with our clunky website or slow payment processing - we love you for that and we're more grateful than you realise.

Thank you for every penny you've sent our way,

Lots of love,

A Small Business Owner

Some of my favourite Indie Business'

Lucky Dip Club
Dotty Cuckoo
I Like Cats
Retro Kids

Blue Monday - My methods to beat the January Blues

So today is Blue Monday - apparently statistically the most miserable day of the year. Touch wood, besides the super cold weather we've had no disasters. That said, I have found the start of the year and getting back into the swing of things hard going. I feel this is mainly due to over doing the cheese, chocolate and cherry coke over Christmas...Anyhow - these are my go to ways to get over the January Blues. What are yours?

1) A nice walk out doors. I love winter clothes and often forget how nice it is to put on a big scarf and take Beasley the dog for a walk. We're lucky enough to live near some lovely views. It really blows the cobwebs away.

2) Happy Mail. I love writing and receiving letters or sending a nice surprise in the post to a friend. Another thing I like doing is looking through the worldwide eBay sites and ordering cheap stationary or craft supplies from abroad. It takes so long to arrive I'll have forgotten what I've ordered by the time it arrives! Mail surprises are especially welcome in January as that's when the first dreaded credit card statements arrive after getting a little carried away Christmas shopping (maybe that's just me)

3) Hand sewing. This is my number one go-to relaxing craft. I've posted about it before. I'm in pretty deep on my La Passacaglia quilt. Even if I only manage to get a few paper pieces put together it really does lift my mood.

4) Cleaning. Yup, really. Sometimes getting really stuck in and clearing a pile of laundry or hovering  the whole house and putting everything away. A tidy house makes me so much better. My favourite cleaning music is The Supremes or 1960's doowop.

5) Lists. Sometimes if I feel overwhelmed with business planning, family life or things in the house the best thing for me to do is to break everything down into managable lists. That way I can see a clear picture of everything that needs doing. Even just crossing a couple of things off a list makes me feel so much better.

Fingers crossed your Blue Monday broke the rules and was awesome xxx

All blue toys are currently available in the Shop

Tutorial - How To Clean A Vintage Fisher Price 134 Activity Center

Maybe you've bought one online, or you're cleaning up an old family toy that's been sat in the loft for years. Over the years we've sold lots of these and the nostalgic feel of vintage Fisher Price toys seems to be more popular than ever right now. Before you throw away those toys that you thought were too dirty to be loved again, take a look at our tutorial to give it a thorough deep clean to safely pass it on to the next generation.

1. Before we start you'll need a mild detergent - washing up liquid is perfect. You'll also need a soft sponge, an old tooth brush and a screwdriver. Luckily most Fisher Price toys are put together with screws. The plastic may be brittle, so don't be too rough. Carefully remove all the screws and put to one side.

Whoops - have you had a disaster? Moldy decals or you've accidentally soaked one too much? Luckily replacements are available. Use the toy number (in this case 134) to order your replacements online.

2. Carefully take all the components out and put them to one side on a tray. Make sure not to lose any of the small pieces like the yellow piece that dings the bell or the small spike that clicks. 

In a bowl of warm soapy water wash each piece one at a time. You don't want to fully submerge anything especially the pieces with paper decals. Wash all the pieces using the soft sponge and toothbrush to get in all the corners. Don't scrub the paper decals or the clear plastic to avoid damage. If you do accidentally get water trapped in one of the toys, wrap it in kitchen roll and stand it upright in a radiator to dry out. Ideally leave everything to fully dry naturally to avoid putting anything back together damp and causing mold.

3. This is the main body of the toy and has no decals.You can safely submerge this piece and give it a good clean. You may need to change the water in your bowl to do this as this is the part that always seems to hold the most dirt. In this one we found old coins, crayons, stones and paper shreds pushed

 in!

4. Now to clean the front. This side has paper decals, so you don't want to keep this in water for any longer than you need to. You may need to use the cotton ear buds / q tips to get inside the edges of the dial. We used the toothbrush to get inside the run for the tortoise and the hare. It's best to now let everything you've cleaned air dry in the sunshine for a few hours...or, if you live here in the UK, leave it on the draining board to air dry :-)

5. Now that everything is bone dry, it's time to put all the pieces back together. Here is a picture of where they all go back in case you've forgotten :-) One thing worth noting is the mirror - flip it over so that the best side is showing. Check everything is in the right place before putting all the screws back in. Start with the screws in the corners first.

There you go - all fixed and back together! If you're giving the toy to a child we recommend using an anti bacterial spray on kitchen paper and giving it a wipe over. These principals can be used for most vintage Fisher Price. Just send us an email if you need any further help.

This one is fresh and clean ready for it's new owner :-)

Found - The 1990s called and they want their neon friendship bracelets back

As part of my job running Pica Pica Vintage I buy a lot of random boxes of toys - job lots and collections. I save the best vintage things for my collectors and customers and then the remainder gets donated to charity, saved for our Christmas shoe boxes and only then, if it's really of no use to anyone that's the only time I actually throw something away.

Often I'll find little notes or items that are so typical of the era that the toys are from - a few weeks ago I found this:

Just a little neon string bracelet that instantly transported me back to the 1990s. Neon rope friendships bracelets. I gave up having a cake at break time at school so I had the money to buy my friend one as a present on the way home. I probably would have changed into my cycling shorts and a dolphin tee shirt when I got home. Did you have them?

New Pica Pica Vintage Stock Update Week 41 2015

New stock winging it's way to the shop this week :-)