Mystery Century 21 Productions T Shirt

Woodsy

Another loft find. No idea of its date. Is it a TV21 comic giveaway or prize ? Or is it later , possibly 1980's ? Does anyone know?

Will O

One Good Turn

 Inspired by kind Timmy Toad's comprehensive photos, and playing to my strengths, I scratch-built the missing parts to the C21 Tank last night.

I left the motor/ wiring for another day when I get more (any) powers! 

The missing parts where all connected to the bridge winder and supports; a steering wheel and three rods. These allow the bridge to be 'steered' off the tank's turret and onto the ground. Timmy's photos made that clear to me for the very first time so thanks TT!

I raided the bits boxes and found these bits.

A few snips later and a steering wheel of sorts.

This old drumstick made for a perfect brace rod.

Some glue and paint and I ended up with this passable turning wheel.

The tank was ready to build bridges anywhere. 

Any good?

Next stop, Madison County!

First Phase of the Moonship

 

Well it's starting to look slightly like my work area at home here at the German flat.

I've stripped off all the decals from my airliner and done as good a clean of the glue residue as I can without access to lighter fluid. 

I've cut out a windows decal strip for each side and finally today repositioned the front landing gear, which is currently drying.

I'm considering a new and wider windscreen next.

Some progress at least in my downtime here

IT COULD BE WURST! THE HOT DOG KING TOY VAN

I like this Hot Dog King van from Multiple Toymakers I saw on auction. We've seen other vehicles in this range before including the ice cream van. They went on to influence the Century 21 Toys Topo Gigio Ice Cream and Camper vans.

Anyone for a hot dog?

TOPO GIGIO ICE CREAM VAN ARM MYSTERY

This Century 21 toys toy was on auction this summer. I saved the description and pictures because I was perplexed by something it said about arms and a website. Have a look. Do you agree? Is one of the ice-cream girl's arms often missing?

Item description: "Topo Gigio Spanish/Italian cartoon figure from the sixties. Ice cream van with friction drive motor and box. Van in good condition with just some minor imperfections on plastic.

Girl in back missing arm but according to website a lot of these arms are missing perhaps they were missing from the factory. I think these are now rare made in 1967 by Gerry Andersons Company 21ST Century toys.

Its says on box Topo Gigio by Maria Perego 1967.Made in Hong Kong. Box in not bad condition a bit scuffed and a couple of tears on end flaps."

Other pictures in my archive don't back this theory up. Both arms are present!

Have you got this toy? Are all the arms there?

VINYLNET CENTURY 21 RECORDS DISCOGRAPHY

This maybe of interest of you're a Century 21 Records collector. Its a list of their releases, LP's and EP's. Being a century 21 toy collector, their records are not something I collect. Do you?

https://www.vinylnet.co.uk/label-discographies/century-21

A MASTER SPACE MODELLER: SIMON ATKINSON

Space Models of Feltham, Thunderbirds, Simon Atkinson and a scale model of the Century 21 studios. Lots of vintage stuff here on Simon Atkinson's superb and a superb modern project, which I think Scoop reported on from a con, the studio model.

http://www.satkinsoncreativearts.com/thespacemodelsstory.htm

https://www.satkinsoncreativearts.com/century-21-studio-project

2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY, CENTURY 21 AND HATCHETTS NIGHT CLUB

This is a bit of research I did on Moonbase a few years back about Century 21 and 2001. It was fun to do and I was pleased with it so here it is re-posted. 

I am fascinated by the Hatchetts London Night Club and the Project SWORD connection to 2001 A Space Odyssey.

Stanley Kubrick's seminal film had its World Premiere on April 2nd 1968 at the Uptown Thearte, Washington DC in the USA.

On April 4th 1968 it opened at New York's Loews Capitol.

Cinemas put up displays to draw in the crowds like this one in New Jersey.

Ushers dressed in space-age uniforms like these in Seattle.

The film premiered in the UK 50 years ago today on the 10th May 1968 at the Casino Thearte, Old Compton Street, London. It followed in Finland and Holland on 20th September and 3rd October respectively that same year. The film was promoted in LIFE magazine.

The film opened throughout the rest of the UK in mid-May 1968.

It may have also played in other CINERAMA-type cinemas throughout London including those along Piccadilly, although this is supposition on my part. 

At 67 Piccadilly, Hatchetts Playground nightclub opened earlier in the year. With guests like Shirley Bassey and Barbara Windsor it was THE place to be in swinging London. Capturing the futuristic mood of the time, Hatchetts' waitresses wore space-age uniforms too.

The foil-like uniforms were a noticeable feature of the nightclub's opening party.

They were also worn for the launch of 2001 A Space Odyssey. Looking at this photograph I recognise cinema seats in the foreground. Whether this was in Hatchetts itself I haven't been able to find out. The 2001 brochure remains a mystery for me too. Its completely different to the 1968 press kit.

At the same time Century 21 Toys were making links with the movie.

In particular, Project SWORD toys, which were displayed at Hatchetts by three of those silvery playground waitresses. 

Looking through the above photographs, I think the SWORD girls above were these three Hatchetts girls pictured below. I have been unable to find out their names. The middle girl appears in the 2001 A Space Odyssey brochure event photograph above.

I have been unable to find any further references to Project SWORD toys displays in nightclubs, cinemas or toy stores as suggested by the articles above. There was a proposed Project SWORD promotional and bus ticket campaign planned for November 1968 but it is not known if this was linked to the 2001 A Space Odyssey campaign. 

If you would like to look at more photographs of Hatchetts then please go to this huge archive by Jonathan Marks, who's father owned the club. I have written to Jonathan to inform him of the link to Century 21.

Jonathan's page also mentions one other notable event at Hatchetts, the use of the club as a disco setting in the opening titles of the 1960's cult horror flick Scream and Scream Again. Starring Vincent Price, the scene featured pop group Amen Corner. You can see a clip here using Hatchetts' dancefloor:

Fortunately for us Project SWORD toys survived the ravages of time but sadly, Hatchetts Playground didn't. Here is a clip on You Tube of what it looks like now.

If you have any more information about the links between Century 21 Toys, Hatchetts and 2001 A Space Odyssey I would love to hear from you.

_______________________________________________

This article was inspired by some initial internet searches by Bill Wotan Bulloch.

My grateful thanks to these online sources: Jonathan Marks imgur site, Incinerama.com, visual memory.co.uk, quadbod.co.uk, cineramahistory.com, cinemaretro.com, ww1.hdnux.com, You Tube, Voices of East Anglia, Bill Bulloch, imdb, wikipedia.

PYE'S BENJAMIN TO CENTURY 21

Billboard Magazine

December 14th 1968

THE PRISONER & CENTURY 21

It seems that apart from it's own in house productions, Century 21 also handled the merchandising rights for, amongst other things The Prisoner, and at some point several story ideas landed on the desk of Alan Fennell, editor of TV Century 21.

I can imagine a Prisoner comic strip story, during that time might have helped the reader answer a few questions regarding the more obscure aspects of the series.

I'm speculating, rightly or wrongly, that the TV 21 scripts might have concentrated more on the fantastical side of The Prisoner, rather than the allegorical aspects.

Science fiction themes did feature quite heavily in the series. Apart from'Rover', the mysterious autonomous  guardian of The Village,, there was cloning, mind transfer, and rockets!

However it was not to be in any event. Mr Fennell felt that The Prisoner wouldn't have sat well with the comic's content and so the scripts were rejected.

It does lead me to wonder what did Century 21 licence regarding The Prisoner. I've heard stories that Patrick McGoohan was averse to any merchandise or comics related to his series, and was reluctant to get involved in that side of things.

The only thing I can think of that Century 21 did relating to The Prisoner was a painted front cover on TV Tornado drawn by Mick Anglo.

In fact, the only piece of official merchandise I can think of that was released at the time of The Prisoner's first showing was the Dinky Mini Moke, painted to look like the Village Taxi.

'etre vous voir'

CENTURY 21 BOOK ENDS

In 1989 we went to the East Yorkshire Coast fishing town of Whitby for the first time. Like Bram Stoker in the previous century, I was completely enchanted by its narrow alleys and the sound of the sea. I was 29.

I was quite happy just soaking up the Dracula atmosphere [Stoker wrote it and based it there], when I stumbled across an old book shop called Cuvvins. Cuvvins had a huge section of childrens' annuals and in amongst them was... yes, .....a Project SWORD annual, which I proceeded to buy for around £2.95 [a must for the SWORD fan].

This was the first time I'd seen the SWORD Annual since owning one in 1968 and I was blown away. Up to this point all I could remember was that I'd had a load of SWORD toys as a kid. The Annual brought the whole thing back to life again and armed with it I set about trying to find out more. 

A couple of websites and a blog later I am still learning twenty six years after getting that first SWORD Annual back.

On our latest trip to Whitby last weekend things came almost full circle. I didn't find another SWORD Annual but I did get a TV21 Annual from 1973. They're Like two book ends spanning the half-decade! Yet despite being called TV21 on the cover, I don't think there are any Gerry Anderson-related stories in my new annual at all!

In just six years the glories of Project SWORD, Thunderbirds, TV21 et al had faded into obscurity. What a sad end to an amazing Nineteen Sixties publishing phenomenon.

comicvine

CENTURY 21 THE PAPER DOLLS 'COPPER' CUT - OUT BOOK 1968

During one of my regular cyber forays I came across this Century 21 item which is completely new to me, the Paper Dolls Cut Out Clothes Book [ Worthpoint ] . This one pictures a lady called Copper. The Paper Dolls were a late 60's pop band believe it or not. I had to look them up as I've never heard of them! Here's the Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Dolls_(band). Copper is really Sue 'Copper' Marshall. The name Paper Dolls must have a gift to those cut-out doll guys at Century 21 Publishing!

The mod style reminds me of the girls in UFO so I can see why they were Century 21 stablemates, along with other groups like The Monkees and Dozy, Dave, Beaky, Mick and Tich, who also got the cut-out doll treatment!

Here are the Paper Dolls singing Something Here in My Heart and Someday courtesy of You Tube and here's a selection of record covers all on the PYE label. PYE were connected to Century 21 Merchandising. They appear to have also been popular in Japan.

I have been unable to find any reference to Century 21 Publications and the other two group members, Tiger and Spyder, but I imagine they are out there. Has any one got the other two cut-out books? The Worthpoint 'Copper' listing ran as follows:

VINTAGE "THE PAPER DOLLS" C UT-OUT CLOTHES BOOK COPPER DATED 1969 BY CENTURY 21 PUBLISHING LTD.THIS IS A RARE PAPER DOLL CUT OUT BOOK OF THE 1960's GIRL GROUP "THE PAPER DOLLS." THIS ONE IS OF COPPER ( SUE MARSHALL).

AS YOU CAN SEE THE DOLL HAS BEEN MADE UP. IT IS DOUBLE SIDED WITH A PIECE OF CLOTHING FOR THE FRONT AND BACK. THERE IS ALSO 8 PAGES OF BLACK & WHITE PICTURES OF THE GROUP IN THE CENTER.

THERE IS ONLY 1.5 ITEMS OF CLOTHING MISSING, 

CENTURY 21 TOYS NEW PICTURES: THE MOBILE BRIDGE AND COMBAT TANK

FEATURING THE

CENTURY 21 MOBILE BRIDGE AND COMBAT TANK CIRCA 1967

AND THE VERY SIMILAR WHITE MARX SPACE TANK

FROM THE FERRYMAN COLLECTION