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When I was I believe 9 y/o - 1968 - there was a toy I wanted so bad I just thought I would die. It was a case that folded open to be a fort. There were two versions. One was an old west army fort and of course all the figures were cowbys, soldiers and indians. That one looked pretty cool. But the one I wanted, no, the one I ached for, was an English castle filled with knights and their attackers, the Vikings. There was a Viking ship and a catapult and dude with axes and swords and bow & arrows and battering ram.....in short, everything a boy needed for a good time.
Every day after school the commercials would come on advertising (I thought of it as taunting) these things. Of course I asked for one for Christmas but from there I could only hope. I snooped around the house for a couple of weeks, looking in the closets and such but the stuff was well hidden that year. On Christmas Eve I couldn't sleep, I just laid in bed waiting. I could hear my mother in the living room putting out toys and I heard something that sure sounded like a metal case being opened. From that point there was no way I was sleeping and my mom could hear me tossing around. Finally, about 4 AM she hollered, "Oh, all right, you might as well get up. Merry Christmas".
The great thing about it was that this toy completely lived up to my expectations. The figures were all in great poses (the little green army man shooting from the prone position was very dull), the castle had great details, the Viking ship really looked like a Viking ship. The most fun toy I ever owned and probably my most fun Christmas until I had kids of my own.
I've tried over the years to remember the name of those forts. I've looked online but have never come across it. Any of you guys as old as me remember that thing?
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