TOYS ARE US : Colorforms Learn 'N Play VCR Adventures

I'm pretty certain Colorforms were invented just for me. A more honorable way to put it would be to say that they were invented for people like me - but really, they're for me. 

If you're unfamiliar, Colorforms are vinyl "clings" that you can easily stick and unstick to a surface to create a unique piece of art. They're stickers without the longterm commitment - which dulls the anxiety brought on by real stickers, but also offers no sense of closure or accomplishment. I digress. Ever since 1957, anything and everything that was ever popular culture got its own Colorforms. They had licensing as far-reaching as Funko has today, and it lasted for decades. 

They were invented by Harry and Patricia Kislevitz in 1951, and before it became a brandname, their Colorforms were simple, colorful geometric shapes. And even more than a little plastic Winston Zeddemore or Lydia Deetz decal, the concept of "shape and color" turned me on immensely - much as it does to this day. Incidentally (or was it fate?) my first set of Colorforms were exactly that - with a twist of modern technology. 

You ever get that "generic child's gift" from a relative who knew nothing about you? I've gotten a few, and when you're 4 years old, you're less picky. Regardless, I was given such a gift by such a relative for Christmas in '87, and it became a formative treasure that I immediately recognized as such: Colorforms Learn 'N Play VCR Adventure from Karl-Lorimar Home Video.

A movie that came with its own props that I could have & hold?? Why couldn't this be more common? The video is called Journey to the Magic Jungle (which apparently was only Volume One) - a 30-minute puppet show that follows Max and Suzie into an imaginary wilderness in which they use their bag of Colorforms to get them out of various conflicts. Additionally (and this is the important part) they have a map that instructs them to find 4 "special shapes" scattered throughout the tangled vegetation that are meant to somehow save the jungle.

Whatever, the plot isn't important. What was and is important were the illusive shapes that they'd find at the end of each short scene; they looked like precious stones, crushed and pressed into hard candy.

I needed these in my life - I still do. Alas, they were not included with the video. What it does come with is a sheet of characters and objects depicted in the show (one of which I have tattooed on my arm), a sheet of generic neon-colored shapes, and a cardboard background representing the "magic jungle" environment. Seen below is the first published creation from the youngest member of Bennett Media. 

These artifacts are a wonderful celebration of some of my most concentrated nostalgia. And in broader, more objective terms, Colorforms were like bold, arresting tattoo flash before I knew or appreciated what that was, and time has only cultivated that assessment - sometimes in the most physical manifestations.

But for this particular set, it was all about this video. For whatever amount of camp it seems to have, that's because it's basically for toddlers - I can't say it's inherently "dated" because everything still works (especially those shimmery shapes). For however long they'll allow it to be, the entire tape's been uploaded to YouTube. Skim through it at the very least, but you'll be poorer for not indulging in the handful of musical numbers. And if nothing else, watch the opening Karl-Lorimar logo to experience a sound and visual that will make you question whether or not you're currently in the middle of a fever dream or a waking nightmare. Welcome to the jungle. 

- Paul