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Made of super hard plastic, the coins reverberate when they drop inside Mr. T’s cavernous head making this a better percussion instrument than bank. Which is best given how cheap this 10″ lump o’ Mr. T is made… You literally have to cut a hole in the bottom to get the coins out. Which means, of course, you can never use it as a bank again as there’s no way to re-insert the plastic which is surely jagged, sharp and misshapen after using an ice pick or whatever else it might take to puncture the exceedingly super hard plastic.

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Made by Ruby-Spears Enterprises in 1983, this is a relatively rare piece of Mr. T. memorabilia with jewelry and other assorted bling, T-shirts, games, coloring books and A-Team vans far more locatable. I pity the fool among Mr. T collectors who doesn’t own this piece of gorgeous super hard plastic molded to a T perfection.

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Made of super hard plastic, the coins reverberate when they drop inside Mr. T’s cavernous head making this a better percussion instrument than bank. Which is best given how cheap this bank is made… You literally have to cut a hole in the bottom to get the coins out. Which means, of course, you can never use it as a bank again as there’s no way to re-insert the plastic which is surely jagged, sharp and misshapen after using an ice pick or whatever else it might take to puncture the exceedingly super hard plastic.
Made by Ruby-Spears Enterprises in 1983, this is a relatively rare piece of Mr. T. memorabilia with jewelry and other assorted bling, T-shirts, games, coloring books and A-Team vans far more locatable.

10 Responses to “Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Mr. T Bank”

  1. Ludovicah

    Ohh spectacular shaker though. I had a piggy bank when I was a kid that was full of money and I refused to smash it.. no idea where it went. I never had the money.. maybe one of my siblings took it? no idea!

    Reply
  2. StoryTroy

    This officially trumps my Planet of the Apes bank, lost in trade by my mother in a bid to save $100 on a Kirby vacuum cleaner.

    I pity the fool who would trade Mr. T.

    Reply
  3. The In Crowd

    On the contrary, the Mr. T Bank is easily reusable!

    I used the same method I used with my Incredible Hulk bank, a similar sort of ‘bust’, though significantly larger.

    You poke a hole in the bottom, and then use a pair of rugged kitchen scissors or shears to carefully cut out a vaguely circular piece, large enough to allow coins to fall out or be retrieved, and ‘intact’ enough that it will fit back into the hole that you’ve made.

    Using a piece of duct tape (or electrical tape, whatever) over the ‘plug’ you’ve cut works just fine to reseal the bank. If you try to make your initial cuts at an angle, it will keep that plug from disappearing into the bank – – most of the time. (Think of how you carve the ‘lid’ in a Jack O’-Lantern)

    Then you just need to be a little mindful any time you pick up your coin-filled bank after that, aware that the tape could come loose and your bank could leak. Cradle it from the bottom.

    My Mr. T bank first belonged to a friend of mine who was a big A-Team fan. I was helping him move out of his apartment once, and was very saddened to see him pitch Mr. T into the dumpster as he was sorting through what to take and what to leave behind. Knowing he was stressed about moving, I didn’t give him grief about it, but I did go back and retrieve the bank for myself later. It sat in my bathroom for years – – on top of the toilet, glaring at me while I’d pee. Now it’s in storage with all my other valuable possessions, waiting for the day I can once again afford to live the way I’d choose.

    My Incredible Hulk bank (also currently in storage) stands almost 2 feet tall, and can easily wear hats or headbands or neckties or whatever else is needed. Over several years I filled it with pocket change until it was almost too heavy to lift. Coins were up to Hulk’s eyebrows when I finally emptied it, back in the mid ’90s. I rolled the change and bought my first DVD player and the complete Python’s Flying Circus box set with the proceeds.

    Reply
  4. Allee

    @the in crowd – LOVE the detail you’ve provided. I know that I, like you, could cut the bottom out in such a way that the piece would fit back in and stay there with the help of duct tape but that would probably give way if the head was picked up fully loaded. With a toy for a celeb as big as Mr. T was in ’83 you think they could have gone the extra inch and stuck a rubber stopper in there.

    Love that you had the sense to retrieve Mr. T from your friend’s garbage. I would (and have) done the same.

    I hope you get Mr. T and Hulk and all else out of storage and get to live among your prize possessions soon. And thanks again for your great comment.

    Reply
  5. Kitsch and Curious Elaine

    No, you don’t have to cut a hole!
    Old tin moneyboxes/banks never had holes – what you had to do was to put a wide blunt knife into the slot (like a palette knife or butter knife maybe). Then you turn the bank upside down at an angle, so the coins fall on the knife blade and slide out of the slot.
    Takes patience but not too hard when you get the hang of it.

    Reply
  6. White Trash Peg

    Holy crap! I got one of these for Christmas in the early 80’s and have always wondered where it went =) My mom never throws anything out, but I have a feeling she made an exception for Mr T (who was gifted to me by my smart-assed older brother)

    Have you seen the commercials for the Mr T flavorwave oven? That is some pure kitsch too

    Reply
  7. Dawna Bates

    I did a Mr. T cake for my husband at our wedding. We found this exact same Mr. T bank at a flea market on our second date and have had so much fun with him, we take him everywhere! I was trying to think up a fun groom’s cake and my gaze fell on Mr. T…well I pity the fool who doesn’t make him into a cake! Here’s the link to my cake page so you can see him for yourself!
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152070780351564&set=a.10150429827226564.358210.273482816563&type=1&theater

    Reply
    • Allee

      That cake is FANTASTIC!!! you should definitely post him in The Allee Willis Museum Of Kitsch. he;s award winning FOR SURE! AWMOK.com.

      Reply