Fashion Plates was introduced by Tomy in 1978 and was billed as “the kit that helps young designers, 6 and up, create fashions. Hundreds, thousands, even millions of fashionable combinations can be created.” The set included an open frame that clamped down on a base that held a set of raised plastic plates that contained various fashions and models that could be mixed and matched. Kids would configure the mix of plates they wanted to use and then place a piece of paper over them before clamping the frame down, which held the paper tightly in place. Using a charcoal-type crayon held sideways in a holder, kids would then rub over the paper to transfer the raised areas from the chosen plates to create an outline of their original design on the paper. At this point, they could color their model’s clothes, as well as add textures and patterns from the reverse side of the plates, making it a truly limitless toy with unlimited combinations. ‘More Fashion Plates’ was a later expansion pack of 15 extra plates that added more models, clothing, and texture design options.
Wait, but what about Little Van Goes? Oh yeah, Little Van Goes was a spin-off of Fashion Plates aimed at boys who wanted to design their own custom vans. I had one of these, and just like my sister with her Fashion Plates, I spent hours creating custom boogie vans and giving them wild colorways. Another boy version of Fashion Plates was released as well – Mighty Men & Monster Maker – which allowed kids to design their own superheroes and monsters. If you wish you still had one of these sets, you’re in luck, as Tomy made a shit load of them and as such, they’re easy to get your hands on in various marketplaces. Be warned, though, these sets were not as easy to use as the commercials made you think, and it took quite a bit of practice to get your mojo dialed in to get just the right amount of detail in your rubbing without flooding the paper with extra charcoal.
