Hello, my name
is Jack and I love Gayla kites. Specifically, the kites they made in
the 60's through the mid 70's. From 1972 to 1977(from age 5 to 10), these kites
were an obsession of mine. Since this was just before the dawn of
video gaming(Atari), my days were filled with flying and fighting with them or over them. It was really all I could think about. What's crazy is that
nearly 40 years later, much of the details about these kites are
still etched in my brain. I am now an avid collector of these kites.
I am hoping to use this blog to establish value and to help determine the year and relative rarity of each of these kites. I have noticed on ebay a lot of misrepresentations of these kites. Specifically the kites packaged from 1975 though the early nineties. This would include the Sky Spy, the Baby Bat, The Gordo, and The Sky Raider. I will include all the ways to date these kites in later blogs.
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| Vintage Gayla Kites |
Amazing site. Thanks for posting all this cool stuff. I loved Gayla kites as a kid and still do.
ReplyDeleteBrings back memories I loved these kites as a boy living on the beach in Willoughby Spit.. we used them to have kite fights..
ReplyDeleteI hope to contribute some day some of my rare collection of early Gayla kites to help get a standard established for this wonderful hobby of days long passed. I remember late 1968 thru 1973 flying the Invader, Firebird and Bats in the small park where I grew up just outside of the city of New Orleans, Thank You, Adam.
ReplyDeleteYour memories are like mine. All I did when I was a kid was flight gayla kites. Every day after school I could not wait to get home and go to the park, my house roof, or the street to fly my kite. Men, when all of my friends when to play baseball or basketball, all I did was fly kites. Evey time I saw a kite stock in a tree, I went up and got it out and keep it for my self. I am 43 and I still have dreams about gayla kites. I enjoy your story and trust me, you are not the only one who flew gaylas all your chieldhood, I did too. Is too bad they do not make the gaylas as they used to. I love your collection, hopefully I will start my own. Take care, Carlos.
ReplyDeleteHi my name is gustavo im from argentina and im a plastic kite collector. your collection is fantastic congrats for this.
ReplyDeletei let you know that i have some delta plastic kites from hi flier 1978 repeated and I would like to be able to make an exchange with you or some collector of kites.
my email adrees is insoc2007@yahoo.com.ar, thank you
Hi Gus, Thanks for your interest in my collection. There are a few non Gayla kites that I had an interest in, but I already own them! Good luck in your pursuit of some of these gems.
Deleteim looking for the hardest kite to ever get,and its like the Sky-Spy from gayla,but is made by Hi-Flier,its called the Eye-Spy.i had a blue one with a red keel and the spars were wood,the material was velon.
ReplyDeleteI just love to play the multiplayer fighting games i love kite fight game This game was amazing to play in online.
ReplyDeleteHello, stumbled upon your website searching for the Sky Raider. I have what I believe is a 1964, still in the plastic, unopened in new condition, everything intact. Would you be interested it? I can be reached at thibodeau.andrew@gmail.com. Thank you! and Thank you for the bundle of info you provided on here!
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ReplyDeleteI have a couple old Gayla kites in original BOXES to die for... Boxes a bit rough but kites are minty! 😀
ReplyDeleteI have a couple old Gayla kites in original BOXES to die for... Boxes a bit rough but kites are minty! 😀
ReplyDeleteI have a couple old Hauls kites in original BOXES to site for... Boxes a not rough but kites are minty! 😀
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ReplyDeleteVery enjoyable website. I also enjoyed Gayla kites, though it was during the late 70s and early 80s. I had the Sky Spy and the Baby Bat. That old Gayla package cardboard shows an image of Wyatt Brummitt's classic book, "Kites" - this book was a huge favorite of mine when I was young.
ReplyDeleteBrings back great memories. I always purchased a Gayla kite. They used to be everywhere. I grew up in the 70's, born in 67. Gayla Kites, Duncan Yo Yos, Lionel Trains, and the real Schwinn bikes were great. My first Schwinn was a yellow banana seated one and I put one of those tall red flags to be seen on it. Good Old Days. I never see Duncan Yo Yos anymore.
ReplyDeleteLove your site, very informative. I grew up in Airdrie Alberta in the 70's and I have great memories of having lots of kite battles. We called them "dog fights". I bought a Bat kite and had the time of my life flying that thing. Thanks for sharing your beautiful and envious collection.
ReplyDeleteLove your site. I grew up in Plano, Texas in 1960's-70's. Some of my best memories are flying Baby Bats down at the school at the end of the street.
ReplyDeleteso cool ,I flown Gayla kites , stil got a few , see you got a puffer kite too
ReplyDeleteWhy dont I see much about the Fantanzma Gordo!!! I thought that was one of the best graffics with the eagle. Is the 1975 one hard to find? is it costly? would love to get one.
ReplyDeleteThe gordo's are fairly common... I think they have been re-issued as well..... They had a very long run, from 75 to at least the late 80's
DeleteI've been looking for the plastic glow kites, Red,Green, and Yellow. They had the big winged horse they were neon .
ReplyDeleteI think I have one of those...Its a diamond kite made by Hi Flier, correct?...I might have more than one...I have it stored away... I will look into it and let you know...
DeleteI have 2 of them...an orange one and a yellow one....both have never been opened.
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ReplyDeleteHi, are you interested in selling one? I'm not a collector, I want to fly it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I will sell you one. $30 includes shipping for either onee..... and these are not just glow kites, these are the Giant Hi-Glow with the pegasus... send me you email and we can setup a transaction...
DeleteHi, Looking for The Invader kite, that I used to fly with my dad.
ReplyDeleteI now have a little girl and when we go to the park there is one
kite flying and she loves it. So, while the wind blows, I'd like to find one. nospam me and also no spam at the following, should you
have one.
Thanks,
Spike @ spikeiskewlnospam@yahalsonospamoo.com
Love these kites,big part of my childhood.I have 2 1975 kites for sale. Contact me at yortomega@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for a specific kite, maybe you can help me. It was 1983, and I got a plastic delta kite, possibly a Gayla, with a dragon picture on it. The dragon looked like a brass dragon from the AD&D Monster Manual.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, the memory has stuck with me for all these years.
I'm about your age (born 1968) and my favorite was a yellow Sky Raider with a white keel. I used to fly it in a big field in front of my elementary school before I moved to a different town in 4th grade. I go back there often in my mind.
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