This is a retrospective of toy cars - like Matchbox and Hot Wheels - that I collected when I was growing up. I was elementary school age when I played with these cars, which means I got them in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

First things first: These cars are not for sale. So don't contact me about buying them. I'll cry bitter tears. I also don't plan on buying or collecting any more and adding to the stack of worries that I already have. Instead, me share fond memories of these cars.

My cars are generally around 1:64 scale. A standard car is about 3 inches long. This differs slightly from ho scale, which is 1:87. But I have some ho scale traffic signs that I used with my cars. I had a few layouts as well, and I would create elaborate storylines involving all these toys. My best stories were when I pretended the buildings in the layouts were burning down. I would introduce each inferno by waving my hand above the building and saying, "Sizzle sizzle sizzle!" Also, one day, my dog hawked a loogie onto the corner of one of my layouts I had set up on the floor, and I laughed so hard I thought I'd bust a gut!

Sure beats Domino Rally!

Also, these cars are very simple playthings. They don't have battery-operated or electric parts. You can open the doors or hood on a few of them, but mostly you just roll them along.

This project divides my cars and related goodies into categories...