Sketchbook Time Travel: 80s Toy box Edition

Lately my sketchbook has turned into a bit of a time machine.

I’ve been drawing objects from my childhood — 80s toys, packaging, gadgets, little plastic things that held memories and once felt incredibly important. As I started researching, digging through old photos and vintage toy websites, I unlocked even more nostalgia for things I’d completely forgotten: glow worms, baby sea ponies, a cosmic Moon Dreamer doll, flutter ponies (I liked ponies!)

From my earliest memories of toys, I loved how bold they all were — bright yellows, tomato reds, chunky shapes, big buttons, loud packaging. Plastic magic! I can still remember how things felt in my hands and the sounds they made when you clicked them together.

Sketching these pieces feels different from my usual finished work — looser, quicker, more instinctive. I start from memory and use reference second, which gives everything a slightly wonky, storybook version of itself. It’s a reminder that creative inspiration doesn’t always come from big ideas — sometimes it comes from tiny, remembered objects: a cereal box, a sticker sheet, a toy part with no clear purpose. Right now, I’m leaning into that kind of drawing: sketchbook first, polish later (or never).

I’d love to know — if you opened your own childhood toy box, what would you hope was still inside? Ponies? 😆