# Help Me Recall This 1970's toy... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 13, 2002, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-recall-this-1970s-toy/142533 "2002-12-13T16:51:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-recall-this-1970s-toy/142533/1 "2002-12-13T16:51:20Z")
Do the male SDopers (esp.) recall a construction set with snap-together gurders? Allegedly, the TV ads pushed this toy showing how you could build a skyscraper, and also there was a bridge kit of the same types of pieces. When I got the kit as a gift, the pieces had no means of snapping together. This is probably why I have forgotten what this toy was called. Due to the trauma of finding out my favorite birthday toy was a failure…and all the therapy…I’ve blocked it all out! 😉 [nervous twitch] Just kidding! [/nervous twitch] 😃 I wonder if anyone else experienced this? Although, one friend had a set which worked properly. (Note: This was not a Ronco item, but always pushed on TV come Xmas.) Any takers? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-recall-this-1970s-toy/142533/2 "2002-12-13T17:17:32Z")
[Would that be it ?](http://users.rcn.com/ed.ma.ultranet/gpccclub.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jimson\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@Jimson\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimson_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-recall-this-1970s-toy/142533/3 "2002-12-13T20:24:51Z")
Girder and Panel was the first thing I thought of too. I think the current owner of my boyhood home is still finding those little black girders. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-recall-this-1970s-toy/142533/4 "2002-12-13T21:32:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by detop \* > \*\*[Would that be it ?](http://users.rcn.com/ed.ma.ultranet/gpccclub.html) \*\* That makes me think of _Ruprecht’s_ Erector Set. I have an image in my my mind of wrenches and screwdrivers with _corks_ on the ends. ---
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-recall-this-1970s-toy/142533/5 "2002-12-13T22:18:02Z")
What about constructs? I thnk that’s what it was called. It was pieces of grey plastic of varying lengths with blue knobby things that would connect the pieces of plastic together. ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-recall-this-1970s-toy/142533/6 "2002-12-13T22:29:14Z")
Nope, that’s what I thought too (girder and panel), I had one of those and played with it for hours, of course I got rid of the panels and just used the girders for the most part ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-recall-this-1970s-toy/142533/7 "2002-12-13T23:39:28Z")
There was a toy that sounds something like what you describe. It was called “Rivetron” or something similar. You had these blue, rubber “rivets” which you used to fasten the various parts together. The problem was, that the “rivet gun” was great at inserting the “rivets,” but not so great at removing them. Eventually, you skipped using the gun to pull the rivets and used your teeth. They recalled the toys after a couple of kids choked to death on the “rivets.”