I am a great fan of rack toy header art. One particularly rich seam of artistry were frogmen, skin divers and mini-subs. When I was growing up in the Sixties bags of frogmen were everywhere: corners shops, toy shops and beach kiosks [they were the bees knees!]. I suppose the high point was the underwater battle in THUNDERBALL thrilling us in cinemas in 1965 and turning us all into frogmen overnight! It was caught brilliantly in the fim's poster art.
There are loads of examples of diver artwork, with many jumping on the Thunderball bandwagon [or one man sub!], so here are just a couple:
Recently I visited the South England coast and was thrilled to see that the art of the header card is still alive and kicking. Hanging on racks in a beach shop were lots of bags of cool Ocean Explorers. Modern excellence!
Does anyone else like frogmen toys? Pictures, stories, toys, artwork welcomed.
shouldnt that be 'awash' with them ? whats spawned this idea then ? sorry, ill get me coat..
ReplyDeleteFrogmen - love em and subs. Its not referred to as Inner Space for nothing. There were a rash of good undersea films a while back, Abyss, Deepstar Six, Leviathan, Sphere - there was another late sixties/seventies Irwin Allan (?) undersea picture with flying saucer like alien subs and a base under the sea with alien eggs being hatched and goggle-eyed aliens like the gill-man in it - anyone recall that ?
ReplyDeleteYes, had frogman toys. Recall there was a range of orange-suited Thunderball frogmen, possibly by Crescent, and other black'suited forgmen made in Hong Kong. There were also Thuderball-inspired underwater jet units(?) with propellers for use in the boating pond/bath.
ReplyDeleteAnd hurrah to see there is still good art for bagged toys!
Yes!! Great subject. Not Outer Space per se but Inner Space (or Wet Space???). From Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" to "Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea" (film and TV series), to "Thunderball" - all great stuff. I don't actually remember having frogmen as a kid, although there may have been some in the mix of little green army men. I did have a small submarine or two. If I can find the pics I'll send you some of when my friend Randy incorporated those little diver's that raise in lower in the water (using baking soda??) in a Christmas train layout!
ReplyDeleteI recall diver toys that raised and lowered in the water were worked by sucking or blowing on a plastic tube attached to the top, so that the body of the diver filled with air (to rise) or water to sink.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere I have a reissue of the baking soda frogman that came in a box of cereal, that was years ago. About four years ago I came across a baged set of ocean explorers complete with a zodiac boat and a few ocean creatures while on vacation in Florida. We were at a Sea World type water park, I was really glad to see rack toys of little plastic figures still being offered. I tried to keep the header card but my wife threw it out. :/
ReplyDeleteEven more recently I've bought other bags of divers through Amazon.com that came with various subs and boats...one of the subs turned out to be a bootleg of an old MPC or Marx sub! And about a month ago I bought a
"Frogmen vs. radioactive octopus" box set made by "Accoutrements", some of the divers were copies of the aforementioned while a few were original designs. But the reason why I really wanted the set was for the radioactive octopus! It glows in the dark and comes with the tried and true "squeaker"!
Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good glow-in-the-dark octopus with a working squeaker?!
The baking soda powered toys were popular as American cereal box prizes.Cap'n Crunch brought back the diving sub several times in the 70's,and Lucky Charms once had a "sea Creature" that opened and closed its mouth.Has anyone mentioned The Penn Plax aquarium decoration that depicts a diver fighting an octopus? Way cool, and powered by air bubbles.As for the Accoutrements set, I believe a set is available on Geek Approved.I didn't know The octopus squeaks,I display mine in an unopened window box.
ReplyDeleteThe box mine came in was in really bad shape so it was an easy decision to open mine.
ReplyDelete