Pinoy Kollektor: 65. 1970s ACTION TRANSFERS by SHELL, a fun childhood plaything.

Before Shell, the gas company, used Ferrari collectible cars as promotional items, they used Letraset Action Transfers in the 70s to lure kids and their parents to their gasoline stations. These transfers were printed in the Philippines by Colorex Printing House under the copyright of Letraset Limited, England.

As a third-grader myself at the time, I can attest to the sheer joy that these action transfers brought me. I would beg my dad to fill up at Shell just so I could get my hands on them. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy to complete the entire series. There were so many designs to collect, from the Western Stage Coach Hold-up to the Whale Hunt (which, by the way, was a personal favorite of mine - I mean, who doesn't love a good cartoon Moby Dick reference?).

The objective of these action transfers was simple enough - transfer the action picture onto the panorama board by rubbing the picture film to create your own unique adventure picture. But getting it right was no easy feat. You had to be delicate and precise, or risk tearing the film and ruining the entire transfer.

Looking back on those simpler times, it's hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia. Life was uncomplicated, free from the distractions of modern technology like PCs, DS Lites, and PSPs. Nowadays, kids have so many distractions that they wouldn't know what to do with a good old-fashioned action transfer if they see one.