Before the invention of the Toys R Us super-store, there were a lot, and I mean a lot, of smaller family owned local toy stores. You could usually find them at the greatest of all1950s inventions, the local shopping mall. My favorite was King Norman's Kingdom Of Toys at the Westlake Shopping Center in Daly City.
Fun stuff I remember buying there include Adams Novelties (fake barf; 'disappearing' ink; the whoopie cushion; etc.), Beatles Cards, Hot Wheels Cars, my GI Joe and all his gear. There were "Ugly Stickers" that were the absolute rage for a while in the mid 60s -- Long before Garbage Pail Kids and PokeMon. There were little green army men and all sorts of games like "Time Bomb," "Operation" and "Twister." And one of my favorites was a Munsters-themed "Colorforms" toy.
King Norman's sponsored a Mattel Toys "Hot Wheels" demonstration one Saturday that I was determined to see. Unfortunately, Like most 8 year-olds, the concept of time was still new to me. I walked all the way down Southgate Avenue only to see the Mattel people putting the tracks and cars away in truck. Although disappointed, I still got to spend some time in the toy store!
The King himself was actually Norman Rosenberg, a navy man who settled in San Francisco after World War II. His first store was on Clement Street in San Francisco where he worked the counter with his wife and business partner, Doris. By the 1970s, they had 21 stores. From 1954 to 1961 King Norman even had a Saurday morning kids show on KGO - TV, that I don't remember ever seeing. But for me, the King Norman's toy store in Westlake was like a wonderland.
Most, if not all of the stores are gone now, but Mr. Rosenberg is still alive to the best of my knowledge, retired in his 80s and living in the South Bay. His wife, Doris, a native San Franciscan and a big force behind their business enterprises, passed away in January 2008.
