Weebles were a toy craze for young children of both sexes in the 1970s. They were egg-shaped creations with a weighted base, hence the advertising slogan:
Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.
Because no matter how destructive the child, no-one was able to break the plastic egg shape in order to disable the self correcting mechanism.
Accessories
The Weeble accessories all had a rounded out space which you plonked your toy into. The list of adventures a Weeble could have would take place in the Weeble house, caravan, school, aeroplane and there was even a hair salon. Each structure would be accompanied by swings, roundabouts, baths, chairs which all added to endless innocent fun; all before children learnt to manipulate the limbs on a Sindy, Barbie or Action Man, toys which could all quite easily fall over.
Weebles on TV
In one memorable episode of Are You Being Served?1 the clothing department of Grace Brother's, on a departmental swap, end up in the toy department. In the centre of the floor instead of a mannequin is a little Weeble village which Mr Humphries, the token gay character, starts to play with, only for Mr Lucas, the wild man of the store, to start an invasion of the quietness with an Action Man. As this was one of the BBC's top rated shows at the time it not only gave the toys extra publicity but also caused the Great British public to forever hold the Weeble dear to their hearts.
Decline
However Swap Shop2 on Saturday mornings quite often showed the growing pains of childhood as Weebles were quite often attempted swaps for a Barbie or Action Man.
As with all toy fads, Weebles slowly disappeared from the shelves and with the advent of new technology they vanished forever. Weebles may have gone but they are by no means forgotten.
1 This was a classic of British 1970s television and was set in a department store. It followed the British tradition of smutty jokes and double entendre.
2 This was a children's programme where the nation's kids could swap items via the television.
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