A History of Girder and Panel Sets
Before we get started, I'll mention the three archived newsletters from my
long-gone Girder and Panel Club.
Take a look at some of the back newsletters if you are really into Girder and
Panel details and history.
Girder and Panel
News Issue #1 contains an listing of all the sets with suggested prices
Girder and Panel
News Issue #2 describes the Hydrodynamic sets in detail
Girder and Panel
News Issue #3 describes the different colors of girders and beams; the Girdermatic sets
Please note: , as suggested in my archived newsletters.
None are published any more. The "club" no longer exists !!!
The Classic Girder and Panel Series: 1957 to 1968
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Early 1960's advertisement from a national magazine such as Life or
Saturday Evening Post.
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The initial Girder and Panel sets were inspired by the construction of a new
office building in Cincinnati, OH, home of Kenner Toys. Kenner president
Alfred Steiner was intrigued by the modern steel beam and girder structure of
the new building, and the steel and glass wall panels that were later applied
to that framework. This led to the development of girder and panel
construction sets.
Most adults today who had Girder and Panel sets back in the 1960s remember
the famous building and turnpike sets. The sets were unforgettably characterized
by hundreds of red plastic girders and beams, green masonite baseboards,
yellow electric motors and pulleys, grey plastic road pieces, and bright
orange, yellow, and brown plastic wall panels. The all-time best-selling
set was the motorized #8 set: Combined Girder-and-Panel Bridge-and-Turnpike
set
Somewhat lesser known are the Skyrail sets (#17 and #18), which
had a battery powered monorail run from building to building on a steel
electrified rail, and the Hydrodynamic sets (#11 and #12), which
consisted of 1 or 2 motorized pumps in a large flat plastic tank, and many
many different types of devices and tanks which transported water. The
concept was that the base tank unit served as the foundation to a Girder
and Panel factory building. As large new subdivisions started to spring
up around cities in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Kenner reflected the
trend in the Subdivision sets (#14, #15, and #16) which built brick
or colonial-clapboard homes, with patios, swimming pools, barbecue pits,
TV antennas, and landscaping.
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Sales catalog page from 1965 |
Sales catalog page from 1965 |
As even more modern steel and glass buildings appeared
in cities and industrial parks, Kenner updated the older girder and panel
theme with the Modern As Tomorrow sets (#21, #22, and #23), which
included curved glass entrances, a new type of opaque painted wall panel,
modern stylist roof panels, and interior office panels. They also started to package
the smaller sets in tall "cans" made of cardboard with
metal or plastic tops. Parents must have appreciated this space-saving
move, as the older sets such as #8, Hydrodynamic and Skyrail were to
large they could only fit under a bed!! Set #26 was the last of the wide
flat box sets. |
Least known (and probably least seen today) were the last 2 sets
of the
original Girder and Panel series, called the Girdermatic
sets (set #32 and #33). All sorts of unusual pieces never seen before in
any other Girder and Panel set were introduced. Girdermatic would build
conveyor systems, double-motorized gantry cranes, oil derricks, amusement
park rides such as a ferris wheel, etc. The masonite plates were replaced with
apple-green metal straps (weird!), and the motors were mounted in a new
apple-green housing. If you like, take a side trip to a look at
the Girdermatic full
color project book. |
Wards catalog page from 1965 |
Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Wards sold Girder and Panel
sets in their Christmas catalogs. The ad featured on the left is from a
Wards catalog from 1965. It features the rarely seen Girdermatic sets,
numbers 32 and 33. Notice in the picture the unusual balancing beam beside
the boy, and the ferris wheel on the left edge of the picture. The unusual
oblong elevator cab can also be seen on the tower over on the left.
The Girdermatic set was a last desperate attempt to give the girder and
panel line a new look, with many new parts allowing the child to go beyond
the usual home or office building, or bridge or turnpike ramps.
Very few Girdermatic sets have been seen for sale in
the 20 years I have been collecting girder and panel. It probably speaks
to the fact that few sets were sold, because interest in the girder and
panel line of sets was waning. |
The General Mills Era Series: 1974 to 1979
This is the 1100 piece Girder and Panel Sears Tower Set, #72001.
It is often confused with the World Famous Buildings set #72011, which had 700
pieces, and which is quite easy to find.
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Kenner went through a lot of changes as a company in the late 1960s.
The company was purchased by the General Mills Fun Group, a division of
the famous breakfast cereal company. General Mills was on a buying spree
in those years, and even purchased the famous Lionel Electric Train Company,
which was now in bankruptcy.
Girder and Panel production had stopped by 1968, and the line was dormant
for the next 6 years. In 1974, the Sears Tower building in Chicago was finally
completed. Kenner worked with Sears to produce a special Girder and
Panel version of the world's tallest building. The set was priced at $25,
and came in all black girders and black framed flexible clear acetate panels,
making a very realistic 5 foot high model of the Sears Tower. These sets
are very rarely seen, and bring prices upwards of $400 in excellent condition.
Finding a set in excellent condition such as the one pictured to the left is a
long and expensive quest!! |
| On the heels of the Sears Tower set, Kenner revived the Girder and
Panel line with a series of inexpensive (and arguably "cheap" quality)
sets based on the original idea. The green masonite base boards were replaced
with small interlocking plastic plates, containing the holes for the girders.
The wall panels were flexible printed acetate sheets, not the oddly colorful
orange and yellow wall plates. The sets had no motors, and elevators were
crudely designed to run on a plastic rod OUTSIDE the building !!
The following is a list of sets made when Kenner was owned by General Mills.
Several of the Kenner sets were packaged for Sears Roebuck Co. under the name
"Little Learners."
72000 Girder and Panel Building Set (1974, 340 pieces)
72001 Sears Tower set (1974, 1100 pieces)
72011 Little-Learners World Famous Buildings (1975, 700 pieces)
72030 Girder and Panel Building Set (1977, 225 pieces)
72031 Little-Learners version of the 72030 set
72050 Skyscraper Set with Working Elevator (1975, 520 pieces)
72051 Little-Learners version of the 72050 set
72052 JC Penny version of the 72050 set
72070 Bridge and Highway Action Building Set (1977, 400 pieces)
72071 Little-Learners version of the 72070 set
72080 International Airport Action Building Set (1977, 325 pieces)
72081 Little-Learners version of the 72080 set
72090 Action Bridge and Skyscraper Building Set (1977, 800 pieces)
72110 KENSTRUCT Building Set (1979)
72120 KENSTRUCT Skyscraper Set (1979)
72130 KENSTRUCT Interstate Highway Set (1979)
72140 KENSTRUCT Super Set (1979 pieces) |
Set number 72000
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Girder and Panel Comes From Canada: 1992 to 1996?
After Kenner ceased production of the 72000 series of Girder and Panel
sets in 1979, ending the long run with four "KENSTRUCT" sets, the Girder
and Panel trademark appears to have been abandoned by the company. In 1992,
Irwin Toys of Toronto, Canada applied to the US Trademark Office for the
assumption of the abandoned trademark, and obtained it. Irwin then began
a new line of Girder and Panel sets unlike any before. The classic girders,
beams, and wall panels were still fundamentally the same, but many new plastic
items were added to provide accents to the buildings. Sadly, there were no motors in any of the sets.
Irwin decided initially to use steel-gray girders, and they added some
interesting new diagonal pieces to make slanted roofs. Their initial release
was three sets, entitled "Town Centre," "Cityscape" (also produced as "The
Architect" for Canadian sales, and "Deluxe Skyscraper." All had an internal
lighting system run by 2 AA batteries. These sets were on store shelves
for the 1994 Chrismas Season, and it appears that the "Deluxe
Skyscraper" sold well. The two low end sets sold poorly, so that Town Centre
and CityScape sets are occasionally found below cost at some discount and
toy stores a few years afterwards.
In 1996, Irwin produced a second line of sets starting with the Gas
Station set shown in the table below. These sets appeared to have very
limited U.S. distribution (for example, I only found a few at children's
museum gift shops, and a few at Lionel train collectors shows). They were still available
in Canada until about 1998, for example at Toys R Us "bargain aisle" in
stores in the larger Canadian cities. Some of the small sets actually include
2 little figures called Girder and Panel, with a small car for them to
ride in.
Irwin Toys Girder and Panel Sets
| Set Name |
Set number |
Pieces |
Price |
| Town Centre |
55000 |
213 |
$10 |
CityScape (initially called
The Architect, in Canada) |
55120 |
298 |
$18 |
| Deluxe SkyScraper |
55130 |
550 |
$28 |
| Gas Station |
55101 |
133 |
$15 |
| Fast Food |
55102 |
133 |
$15 |
| Police Station |
55201 |
299 |
$30 |
| Fire Station |
55202 |
299 |
$30 |
| City Centre |
55301 |
591 |
$50 |
| Emergency Centre |
55302 |
589 |
$50 |
Same
image in full detail - 75K
Irwin's Girder and Panel Gas Station - Box Top
Note the French bilingual packaging, and the Canadian
gas price in litres
Same
image in full detail - 75K
Irwin's Girder and Panel Gas Station - Box Bottom
Top models show different ways to build the gas station
Lower models are examples of the other Irwin Girder
sets
I have a number of Girder and Panel sets available for sale, write with
your interests.
If you would like to contact me, send
me an email, or if you'd like to write a real letter, send it to me
at:
The Girder and Panel Collectors Club
P.O. Box 494
Bolton, MA 01740
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