I got several of those rip-cord cars for Christmas. The most entertaining pitted a ’57 Ford against a Chevy station wagon. I’d rip the cord and my goal was to launch my car straight onto the ramp and up into the air, high enough to smack head-on into my friends car flying in the opposite direction. If all went well, there’d be a huge SMACK followed by the sound of parts flying everywhere. This must have inspired future auto designers to include crumple zones in the modern car.

The commercial for Smash Up Derby clinched it for me. Every kid on the block knew every single word by heart. Especially catchy was the little jingle, “Crash, Bang Crack ‘em up, put ‘em back again”. You were really doing your job if you crashed so hard that you had to tape one of the parts back on.

I hope some day there’ll be a resurgence of toys using real objects in the physical world to create pleasing destruction. You can’t conger up this kind of fun on a video screen, in 2 or 3-D. I can’t wait to look for a set at next years Pec Thing.