T.h.i.n.g.s.

T.H.I.N.G.S. are small mechanical games made in 1987 and distributed through the late 1980s by Milton Bradley Company. The name itself is an acronym for Totally Hilarious Incredibly Neat Games of Skill.

These games require no batteries with which to operate. Rather, they use winding mechanisms to begin play. Once a game has been wound completely, the player then has a limited amount of time with which to finish the game before it winds down.

Each T.H.I.N.G.S. game has a unique goal which the player needs to accomplish. Some of these goals include; getting barrels across a bridge that's being lifted & lowered by an angry gorilla, collecting astronauts with a magnetized crane before an alien catches up to them, putting an eggshell on a dragon before it wakes up, collecting rings as a knight with a lance, etc. Since the games will end in anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes (depending on the game), all the games are made to be relatively challenging.

Rarely seen today outside online auctions, due to their tiny pieces being easily lost, T.H.I.N.G.S. have become somewhat of a cult collectible amongst gaming enthusiasts & nostalgia driven members of Generation Y.

Known releases under the T.H.I.N.G.S. brand include...
Astro-Nots
Dr. Wack-o
E-E-Egor
Eggzilla
Flip-o-Potamus
Go-Rilla
Grabbit
Jack B. Timber
Sir Ring-a-lot

References

* [http://www.inthe80s.com/toys/things0.shtml inthe80s.com article on T.H.I.N.G.S] (with pictures)
* [http://www.x-entertainment.com/updates/2008/01/26/milton-bradleys-things/ x-entertainment.com article on T.H.I.N.G.S.] (with pictures)