Hi Woodsy
as I mentioned earlier, I have come across some more information on Honey West dolls by A.C. Gilbert, from 1965.
As I know nothing about dolls I do not know how accurate this is, but I thought it might be of interest, and might lead to further information from the Moonbase doll experts.
Are these sets real, or put together by someone ?
Some of the packaging refers to Honey as the TV Private Eye-full.
The first items are from a site called Action Figure Resource. They show a boxed doll with an ocelot, but I am not sure if this is original, as it does not seem to be mentioned on the box, and I can not imagine such an item being over looked. There is also a large set, with the doll and various accessory sets, but the wording is different.
There is a carded accessory set with an ocelot, from Worthpoint
and from the 1966 J.C. Penney Christmas Catalogue on
http://www.wishbookweb.com/FB/1966_JCPenney_Christmas_Catalog/files/assets/basic-html/page-241.html#
Finally, a modern collectable doll in 1/6th scale, with ocelot. I think this is by a company called Phicen or perhaps Executive Replicas, and is from 2015, but not totally sure.
There is a lot of Honey West material out there for her fans, but finding it after all these years might be a problem, and the modern collectables are likely to be expensive.
Paul Adams
New Zealand
New Zealand
The images are not visible to me.
ReplyDeleteSorted now I hope Kev. Ta.
DeleteThe Gilbert sets are genuine vintage toys which would've been available in toy shops at the time. Nice to see the deluxe vintage box set, which is a first for me. Phicen/Executive Replicas produce high end collectors action figures, including a superb version of Vampirella. I didn't know about the Honey West figure, so thank you, nice work, Paul :)
ReplyDeleteIts a carded set I've never seen before Tone. is the doll still the 12 incher? Yes, thanks Paul.
DeleteI'm sorry ... an ocelot !
ReplyDeleteReally, an OCELOT !!!
Mish.
Yep. Notalot. Winalot. Whatalot. Ocelot Mish! Honey's a cool cat!
DeleteYes, an ocelot. His name is Bruce, and he is Honey's pet. From the episodes of the TV series I have seen so far, he is usually mauling someone. Honey is frequently to be seen wearing some item of what I assume is ocelot clothing - the doll comes with ocelot topped boots. Another point, the doll has longer hair than Anne Francis does in the series.
ReplyDeleteIts funny how femme fatales were and are marketed as feline in nature and look Paul. the ocelot is there to make sure we get it. catwoman was the ultimate feline femme. I remember an old MacDonalds toy figure that came with a panther in the 90's.
DeleteHi, all. I hope this finds everyone well. I will confess to being a HONEY WEST fan. I think Anne Francis and John Ericson were superb and made an endearing team - and that the show itself was/is sophisticated, escapist fare. I once went so far as to create a website devoted to the show - although it is pretty much semi-retired, now, and will probably be taken down sometime soon. If you are interested, you can view it here: [http://www.thechampions.info/hwac/index.htm]. I should warn you that there isn't much about the toys there -- but then there weren't many toys! I once read that there were different "editions" of the A.C. GILBERT HONEY WEST doll, although I have learned to take such revelations with a pinch of salt. That said, I did once see a photograph which featured three different versions of the head side-by-side... The likeness in your photo is a lot closer to Francis herself than the versions I have seen for sale on eBay and in collectibles magazines. To answer your question: the Bruce toy did not come with the Honey West doll; it was sold separately. Very often, on eBay, sellers offer boxed versions of the doll with many of the accessories included - and I would imagine they represent the surviving bits and pieces
ReplyDeleteof the original owner's collection. The large package you show - with the doll and all the accessories - came up on eBay as a "store display" many years ago. Two final bits of trivia: the Honey doll actually makes an appearance in the show, in an episode called "The Fun Fun Killer" (4/3/66). Honey is searching a laboratory in a toy factory, sees the doll on a bench, and does a "double-take." Secondly, according to one account I have read (again, this may or may not be true...) a major contribution to the demise of toy company A.C. Gilbert was a James Bond "Road Race" set they brought out prior to Christmas 1965. It has been stated that they rushed the production of the set in order to have it in stores at the same time "Thunderball" debuted. Consequently, they were forced to sub-contract the manufacture of the components to numerous companies. Unfortunately, almost all the sets were defective, and were returned by unhappy customers, triggering the demise of the company. Best to all, Mark.
Yes thanks for the insights Mark. You know your honey! We are just beginners here but enjoying the ride. I looked at your site. You've been at it years, from 2005! Wow! Such a shame it'll finish. We can promote it a bit here if you want? So many great blogs disappear and one that saddened me to was the demise of the spy toys blog Code Name Spy Toy by Vince Jones. https://codenamespytoy.blogspot.com/ As for the different Honey heads Mark, I only discovered such a thing last week and have yet to blog anything about it. The appearances of the doll on the TV show is amazing mirroring and I love the fact she does a double take! That's so cool! Thanks for the info about the fall of Gilbert toys. That tale rings a bell and I'm sure I've heard that before about the road race set disaster. I never had one as a kid. I read that Anne Francis wasn't first choice for the TV show. Is that right?
DeleteHi, Woodsy. I suspect you're referring to the assertion that Aaron Spelling's decision to make "Honey West" was inspired by an encounter with the Honor Blackman episodes of "The Avengers", and that he offered the lead role of Honey to Blackman. Well... Season Three of "The Avengers" did have a very limited showing in the US at some point - although John C. Fredriksen states in his book on "Honey" that Spelling saw the show on a visit to the UK. I've encountered this claim in two or three pieces on "Honey West" over the years, but I've never EVER seen it in the form of a quote linked to a member of the "Honey West" production team. Sadly, the only people who could have confirmed this (Spelling and Blackman) are no longer with us, so unless some documentation turns up, it's unlikely we will ever know if it is true.
DeleteYes, it is the Honor Blackman thing I've read. It said that she was committed to Goldfinger so couldn't take it up. But as you say, we'll never know for sure! Thanks for your insights.
DeleteThank you for that amazing piece of information. I have just watched The Fun-Fun Killer, which was episode 25. Honey is investigating the Whiz Bang Toy Company factory, and in the Testing Laboratory she initially walks past the doll, which is on the corner of a desk, then turns back to it and even briefly picks it up. How great to see the doll actually appearing on the show.
ReplyDeleteThis is also the episode in which the killer robot appears. Actually, there are two robots, one is real, and the other is the villain in a robot suit. This could almost be an episode of The Avengers, being set in its own bizarre world, in which toys become weapons.
Regarding Femmes Fatales and cats. In the opening credits there is a close-up shot of Bruce the ocelot, which fades to a close-up of Honey - the eyes being in exactly the same place. She is a cat. I love this show, just wish I had seen it in the 1960s.
I have just had a look at this great Honey West site, packed with detail on the books and the TV show. Most interesting was a set of six British paperback editions by Mayflower-Dell in 1966. These had photo covers, but showing a model rather than Anne Francis. The notes state that the first two at least refer to the US series being intended to air in Britain. The first says 'Soon to be seen on T.V. screens throughout the country', while the second has 'soon to be seen over here'. A couple of points, there were at least plans to show the series in Britain. The reference to 'throughout the country' is odd, as the BBC covered the whole of Britain, suggesting that perhaps it was intended to screen on the ITV network, which was made up of separate stations covering different areas - with different stations for weekday and weekend transmissions. Did any of the ITV stations actually show it in Britain, even on a limited scale ? Another piece of the jig-saw to find.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting why Honey doesn't appear to been aired here in Blighty. On many websites about honey's history there's often mention on Emma Peel and how she blew away US audiences eventually when the Avengers aired in the States. Maybe the makers of Honey thought she didn't stand a chance in the UK after Emma Peel kicking and chopping her way into everyone's psyche and she did it first here. Honey was first in America. At the heart of it all will have been money not honey. There's an interesting article by a spy film buff that talks about the Emma/ Honey tussle https://drunktv.net/2019/10/24/honey-west-1965-tv-series-review/
DeleteHoney West was shown in the UK, at least in the Granada region as I watched it as kid. It's been reshown recently in the UK on Talking Pictures TV along with Burke's Law , the series which carried the pilot. They advertised a box set of the series for sale on there.
DeleteThanks Scoop. That sorts that one out. I don't recall it but your memory's better than mine! Did you like it?
DeleteI watched the odd episode but as a youngster I considered it a series aimed at girls, so I was never a fan. I've got the back door pilot , Who Killed the Jackpot which introduces her character and Sam Bolt, which isn't bad as its a Burke's Law episode, and I do have the new Burke's Law episode on VHS which features Anne Francis as Honey Best but that's about it.
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