What Happened to SSP Racers? | Crash, Bang, Smash 'Em Up

You jammed the T-stick into the roof of the car and pulled so hard your shoulder hurt. The gyro wheel screamed. The car hit the kitchen floor and shot across the linoleum like it had somewhere to be and was already late. It reached the far wall in under two seconds. Your mother said if you do that one more time I am taking it away. You did it one more time. In 1970, Kenner released the SSP Racer — Super Sonic Power. A plastic car with a heavy gyro wheel inside and a toothed rip cord called the T-stick. You jammed the stick in, pulled as hard as your arms could manage, and the car launched across any surface at a speed that made your mother question her parenting. Three dollars and ninety-five cents. Every boy in America had one. It was the great equalizer. Your model was your identity. Tommy had the Black Jack. Greg had the Sidewinder. You had the Laker Special — the fastest car Kenner ever made. Forty years later you still know who had which SSP in second grade. You brought them to school and raced in the hallway at recess until the teacher banned them and you brought them again the next day. Then came the Smash-Up Derby. Two cars designed to explode on impact. A blue '57 Chevy Nomad and a red '57 Ford. You and your friend stood at opposite ends of the kitchen, pulled the T-sticks, and watched the cars shoot toward each other. CRASH. Wheels flew left. The hood flew right. A door hit the ceiling. You picked up every piece, clipped them back on, and did it again. That was the lesson: things break, you fix them, you go again. Kenner was bought by Tonka in 1987. Tonka was bought by Hasbro in 1991. In 2000, Hasbro closed the Kenner name forever. Nobody has made an SSP Racer since. No reproduction. No revival. The toy that every boy in second grade brought to school in his backpack is gone. But the T-stick is still in a drawer. You know which one. What was your SSP? Tell us in the comments. #ssp #sspracers #kenner #smashupderby #70stoys #nostalgia #beforeitvanished #tstick #lakersspecial