Whilst delving deeper into the history of the Finnish toy manufacturer and importer Telex, I came across this advertisement in our main newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, date November 18th, 1958
The grainy illustration is clearly taken from the box of the Palitoy Dan Dare Cosmic Ray Gun (1953).
(Palitoy Dan Dare Cosmic Ray Gun photo - courtesy of internet)
Incidentally, this discovery may shed some light on the surprise find I made last summer at the Loimaa car boot sale. Laying among all the bric-a-brac on a simple plywood table in bright sunlight, I spotted the same Dan Dare gun (yellow version)
(Loimaa photo)
Missing some bits but with body intact, it really seemed so out-of-place not only in regard to all the other items, but also in regard to everything I previously knew about Finnish toy imports. My first thought was that the toy must be a homecoming gift from Britain for some lucky lad.
The ad above, however, puts the question in a different light. Was Telex importing the original Palitoy gun, box and all, or did they produce their own box for the toy? The gun is marked "Made in England" on the grip.
The Finnish launch comes full five years after the gun first came on the market in Britain, which is a long interval between issues.
Dead stock perhaps?
Arto
Helsinki Base
Given the popularity of DD, it would make sense to repackage the Palitoy gun for another market, even if the ship had sailed in UK. Its an iconic shape too! Bill
ReplyDeleteVintage advertising is a great source of information on old toys and kits. Finding it is the hard part. Great find.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys, it was a double surprise first finding the toy and then the ad for it!
ReplyDeleteA fascinating discovery, and my first guess would be that Telex bought off remaining inventory of the Dan Dare gun and reboxed it. SFZ
ReplyDeleteAnd now we only have to find the box!
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