Great idea for a thread, Jeff!
Brad, I would have LOVED your pedal-driven firetruck!
Milo, boy do I remember HotWheels! Those orange tracks made great weapons. Remember the funny purple plastic connectors? I think my brother and I had some elaborate figure eights with ramps.
I have a few memorable ones:
--A toy Aston Martin from the Bond film "Goldfinger". It was little, but it did stuff: a button would pop out guns in front; another button would pop up a rear shield; a third button would eject the villain out of the roof! Way cool. I have to admit that I bought one at a flea market a few years ago. Yes, it seems, you can buy back your childhood.
--Another favorite was also a car: the 60s TV version of the Batmobile. It had a rocket thingie, a fire exhaust, and a cutting wheel out the front. Plus, very cool "fins" and bluish turquoise bubble glass. My brother and I played with this endlessly. No, I haven't bought one lately.
--As the kids got older, my parents would get us a "kids" group present. Most memorable was a pinball machine. It was small and tinny, but it worked great, with bells and lights and bumpers. Plus, no quarters necessary!
--The last memorable present I recall was also a "kids" group present: our own phone line. My dad was always on call, and as we kids got older, we were constantly on the phone and getting interrupted, so we got our own phone with an extra-long cord for privacy. I still remember the number.