In 1962 the Sanitarium Health Food Company, of New Zealand, maker of various breakfast cereals, released a set of eight plastic figures. These depicted four European and four Maori figures from 19th Century New Zealand. Each figure came in several different colours. I only had one of these, the miner from the Otago gold rush, in orange.
MOONBASE CENTRAL: Sanitarium Miner (projectswordtoys.blogspot.com)
I recently visited a model shop that I seldom get to, and they had a 50 cent (25p) bin full of various plastic animals. Having a look through this, I discovered a second figure from this set, and snapped it up - it was the only such figure in the bin. It is a 19th Century British soldier or member of a local militia. This is the same figure that you found back in 2020, but yours was brown.
MOONBASE CENTRAL: WHAT A FIGURE! (projectswordtoys.blogspot.com)
My example is red. He stands 64 mm high, but is only half-round. Dressed in jacket, trousers, and boots, with cross-belts, and a small pill-box hat. He is holding a rifle or musket across his chest. This figure is actually in better condition than my original orange Miner.
These figures came in at least six different colours; blue, green, pink, orange, red, and brown.
Here are some more examples of NZ cereal toys, from the Museum of New Zealand.
Sanitarium | Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Given that it has taken me over 50 years to add this second figure to my collection, at this rate it will take at least another 300 years to complete the set.
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Not to get involved in a trans-Tasman conflict, but Sanitarium is also an Australian food company!
ReplyDeleteAs a school kid, I was taken on an excursion to see their food factory in Sydney's Northern suburbs. All I remember was their non- meat products, the company was founded by 7th Day Adventists (citation needed). Sanitarium was one of the last cereal companies to continue putting plastic premiums in their Skippy Cornflakes while the oil shocks of the 70s were killing the practice.
This is my favourite book on cereal premiums and features Sanitarium's complete output.
https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Breakfast_Barons_Cereal_Critters_and_the.html?id=wAFttAEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
I noticed a number of ads for the actual book, so it's still available and it also covers other companies like Kelloggs and Nabisco...
Thank you Lewis. I had always thought that Sanitarium was a New Zealand company, but it seems they actually started in Australia. That looks like a very interesting book. There is also a book just on NZ cereal toys, which I once borrowed from the Library. Long out of print now. That trip to the Sanitarium factory must have been wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSorry, the above comments are mine. Forgot to add my name - it has been a long day.
ReplyDeleteI do like these figures and was pleased as punch when I found one at a car boot here in Yorkshire! Thanks for sharing the background to them Paul.
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