Further to Bill's recent posts, I know a lot of MC's readers collect Micronauts. I don't but I would like to suggest that Fisher Price released the first one outside of Japan! Controversial I know, so c'mon Micronauters, give me what for!
Fisher Price released a hard plastic range of figures called Adventure People. Two of the range were X-RAY MAN and X-RAY WOMAN. It was 1974 and I think they are Micronaut pioneers!
Takara released Microman in the same year but it was 1976 before we saw the first true Micronauts by Mego. Even Denys Fisher's proper Micronauts Cyborg and Muton came out a year earlier in 1975.
I have a soft spot for the Adventure People as I often found them abandoned at Car Boot sales in the 1990's. I even found a carded X Ray Man and Woman. Happy days.
So what do you think readers, do we have Fisher Price to thank for Micronauts outside of Japan?
pic: rareburg, toy-polloi
Hi I know that micronauts,were released
ReplyDeleteUnder the airfix label in the UK as well sometime in the mid to late seventies
Just to confuse us all even more.
To the best of my knowledge,1977 was the year of the Micronauts' release in the U.S.I began seeing TV commercials for them in the Fall of that year, and requested some for Christmas that year.My mother, now 72 years of age,still tells me how difficult it was to find Micronauts that year.Keep in mind, this was long before internet sales were a reality and that we were (and still are) living far from any big cities.I know the U.S. is a big place, but I can tell you from a Northeastern point of view that the shipments were few and far between.Regardless,my parents made sure I got those Micronauts and I still have them today,in surprisingly good shape.As for the Adventure People, they were released here by Fisher-Price( a Denys Fisher connection perhaps?)although I cant remember when or how long they were available.I seem to remember the space people being available later, with the former releases being a Safari set, a firetruck, and a boat with scuba divers.
ReplyDeleteIn light of your comment Brian I have changed this post. I meant Fisher Price and not Dennis Fisher! Doh!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a little late to this conversation but Micronauts were released (in Canada at least) in 1976. I got a bunch of them for Christmas '76 and, in kid time, it seemed like forever before they were joined in the toybox by Star Wars figures. Fisher Price Adventure people did debut in '75 but the space line including X-Ray Man and Woman didn't arrive until 1980. I had both X-Ray man and Woman and also Clawtron and a helmeted astronaut with mini-craft, maybe a few others.
ReplyDeleteMicronauts seemed to be way more popular here in Canada then in the US for some reason - perhaps they were released earlier and thus able to get a proper foothold before Star Wars mania took over kid culture.
thanks for the insight Sys. I know what you mean about Micronauts debuting early, I had Denys Fishers Cyborg figures a good 18 months before Micronauts appeared and was amazed to see the tiny transparent figures. When the first Star Wars figures arrived, they were static and dull by comparison!
Deletethanks for the insight Sys. I know what you mean about Micronauts debuting early, I had Denys Fishers Cyborg figures a good 18 months before Micronauts appeared and was amazed to see the tiny transparent figures. When the first Star Wars figures arrived, they were static and dull by comparison!
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