Kids of the 80s: do you remember these?

[WeeM]

I was fondly remembering these and wondered if anyone else does…my DD would love doing this sort of crafty thing now!

It was a cardboard 3D model that you built and there were loads of sections/pieces that came flat in a book format and you pressed or cut them out. There were loads of different ones but I remember having a ghost house and an old Victorian M&S shop. The pieces all had little numbered tabs that you folded and glued together. I sat making them for hours on end then played with them afterwards.

wish you could still get them!

I remember these!!

You can still get similar. Usborne do some I think.
I used to make my own.

Oh I bet they were usborne in the 80s actually! I maybe got them from the school book club now you mention it!

I loved these! I had a whole town / village but I wasn't allowed to play with it too often because I needed help with it and my sister was younger so would ruin it.

I love that you made your own!!

This one is on Amazon. (Not Usborne but they also do some).

I’m not sure I remember them. But there is a very cute range of similar sounding toys made by Eugy - they’re very fun to put together! (Think I like them more than my boy!)

You can still get them but they come in boxes and are called 3d models (you still have to push the pieces out of the cardboard sheet) ds is currently building hogwarts

I had one of the Pollock's Toy Theatres, maybe your DD would like those? You built the cardboard theatre then put on the play with the cut out characters. I think the script was in the book, along with all the bits to make the theatre.

www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/categories/toy-theatres/

I've seen similar in the craft magazine sections in wh Smith/ supermarkets, not recently mind.

I had a life size skeleton that you had to make up like this

excited that these still exist-might get one for myself lol! Those wee theatres look lovely. I had tried to look online earlier but whatever I was Googling clearly wasn’t a good search term 😂

I'm sure I've seen that sort of thing still available somewhere - probably the gift shop of some historical building or other.

Or you can download them from various places and print them out yourself. These are aimed at model railway enthusiasts and are quite sweet: www.wordsworthmodelrailway.co.uk/townscene.html

I remember them. They were quite straightforward to make up and very charming. Some were Marks and Spencer exclusives: the Edwardian M&S and the Victorian house were, I’m sure. I can also remember the ghost house, a Norman castle and a rather more elaborate Victorian house model which may have been from another source.

You can find similar items on Etsy if you search for cut-out buildings. I’ve just looked and there’s even an original uncut M&S Victorian house - only for rather more than they cost back then.

They were always available at major heritage attractions e.g.: Shakespeare's Stratford would have tudor houses, Tower of London would have a castle. So your memory is OK!

Yes I saw them in Liberty London last Christmas. Still sold!

I had the Edwardian house one. I loved it so much! Played with it for years.

@WeeM I just typed in "make your own cut out houses" into Google 🙂

Never had one but now I want one! I don't have space for this kind of thing ☹️

I got my DC some dinosaur ones from the range. They have loads of craft stuff like this. Alternatively try Hobbycraft.

I've seen miniture versions if these about mainly at garden centres and gift type shops... will see if I can find a link.

www.amazon.co.uk/Miniature-Houses/s?k=Miniature+Houses

I love them and would love a whole village of them but sadly no where to store them!

Yes! You could get them In Waterstones children's department. I made a Victorian shop with my dad one Christmas.

They are really cute but they are wood so I’d struggle to find a home for them too! The ones I had were really just thick paper and most of it I think went together with slots (or glue if it wouldn’t hold) so you can in theory fold it down and put it away (or leave it up to gather dust lol)

I remember the M&S shop, it was lovely! I also had a Victorian house. I bought the haunted house mentioned unthread but it was really complicated and didn't appeal to my DS unfortunately.