Super City (toy) facts for kids
The Super City toy was a special construction set made by Ideal Toys in 1967. It was a bit like Lego, using small plastic pieces that you put together to build cool structures. But Super City was more focused on making buildings and allowed for more detailed designs. Kids could build tall skyscrapers, science labs, and even factories!
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What Was Super City?
Super City pieces were mostly plastic frames. These frames connected at their edges using special grooves and studs. Different wall panels could then fit into these connections. The frames were usually square, but there were also some half-square rectangles and triangle pieces.
Building with Super City
You could connect the square frames at right angles using grooved columns. The panels that fit into the frames were often thin, textured, and colored plastic walls. Some were clear, colored plastic windows, letting you see inside your creations. There were also some cardboard pieces with printed signs.
Special Pieces
The set also had many unique parts. These included shop windows, curved "bow" windows, house doors with pillars, clocks, flag poles, garage doors, and even revolving doors! You could also add balconies and canopies to your buildings. Other cardboard parts included helicopter pads and "building extenders" to make your structures taller. Most roofs were meant to be flat, but some sets came with cardboard roofs for more house-like buildings.
Why Super City Didn't Last
Even though Super City allowed for amazing buildings, it turned out to be too tricky for younger children. The small pieces and detailed connections were hard for little fingers to manage. Because of this, the toy was slowly taken off the market starting in 1968.
What People Thought About Super City
The famous writer Douglas Coupland once talked about Super City. He said that anything built with Super City looked like a building designed by famous architects such as Craig Ellwood, Richard Neutra, or Wallace K. Harrison. He even said that Super City was "the best building kit ever made, possibly even better than Lego."
