HANDPAINTED BY ARTISANS

 

I recognised this mouse on this display I saw online! Although its not mentioned on the card it's clearly Topo Gigio next to the tiger [is that a TV tiger too?]

Last Christmas, I used exactly one of these key ring Topos to finish my Century 21 Toys Topo Gigio Ice Cream Van. It became Mrs' Gigio who serves the ice cream at the back.

Did you have any key rings readers?

Do you remember Topo Gigio? Was there a famous mouse when you were a kid?

MAKING A MRS. TOPO GIGIO

 My latest fixer-upper from Bill is a Century 21 Toys Topo Gigio Ice Cream van.

Before I attempt the van I've been down a rabbit hole, one marked 'creating a figure'.

The van needed a female Gigio sat in the back serving.

As luck would have it I had a spare rubber Topo kicking about.

Making it up as I went along, this was about half-way in the transformation. Topo's now got long Papier Mache hair and after going under the knife, bent knees! The Christmas clown looks pleased anyway!

and so, the final result.

I give you Mrs. Topo Gigio!

I've never doctored an existing figure to make a new one before so it was a steep learning curve and it took ages, It was also a lot of fun! Have you done anything like this readers?

Now to the Ice Cream Van!

TOPO THE MORNING!

 Bill has very kindly donated some old toy fixer-uppers to me

It'll give me something enjoyable to do whilst the Missus is recovering watching Judge Judy!

Here they are, battered and bruised, waiting for some TLC.

There's a lovely soft plastic Tudor Rose Tractor

A large interesting Marx remote-control Police car

A fabulous Clifford Joe's Diner van.

and last but not least, a marvellous Century 21 Topo Gigio Ice Cream Van.

Oh what fun!

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?

CENTURY 21 TOYS TOPO ICE CREAM VAN

Got these great new shots off an auction of the Century 21 Toys Topo Gigio Ice Cream Van, which we've featured a good few times already on MC.

Do you like it?

KOOKIE KAMPER

 

Here's another lovely camper van by Multiple Toymakers! The Mickey Mouse Kookie Kamper.

Century 21 Toys got hold of this vehicle and stuck Topo Gigio in there inside a Project SWORD style box too!

Kooky!

Do you have one?

TOPO TOR ROCKET

If you like Topo Gigio then Dreams of Space have posted a wonderful picture book. There's even a plastic TOR rocket toy in Topo's place too!

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2021-09-24T13:16:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=5&by-date=false

LITTLE TWINS AND POOCHY HOT PIZZA AND SODA VAN

I don't think we've had this Pizza and Soda Van on Moonbase before.

Its a Multiple Toymakers variant on their ice cream van.

Here it is complete in its nifty case along with the three figures of the little twins and poochy.

Century 21 Toys also issued the van as a Topo Gigio ice cream van in a Project SWORD style box.

MULTIPLE TOYMAKERS' KAMPER AND HOT DOG KINGS

 One of the less well-known Century 21 toys is the Topo Gigio Camper. I've blogged it several times.

Since seeing it for the first time more American versions of the camper have turned up on online by Multiple Toymakers.

They are all Kings of some sort.

This week I found another, the marvellous Kamper King.

Its stablemate is this neat Hot Dog King.

The Ice Cream King and the Topo Gigio Camper can be seen using the labels below.

Anyone know these toys?

DREAM CAMPERS

I like camper vans. I've never had one but we have rented a VW camper once for a week on the Isle of Wight, which was great fun.

I've not found many toy campers on my travels. No Big Jim for instance. I would like the Topo Gigio Century 21 Toys model.

I have bought and sold quite a few Barbie campers over the years. Huge things, they occassionally turn up at car boot sales with all or some of the accessories, which Mattel loved to throw in.

I've just sold this incomplete beast - the Golden Dream Motor Home from 1988 - and have the task of boxing it up and wrapping it this week.

Its not my favourite though. That has to be the 1976 Star Traveller, the Mattel release which captured the full massiveness of the Winnebago experience. How anyone could drive one of these is beyond me but then again I think our UK roads are smaller than American ones! They must be! Has anyone driven a Winnebago?

I managed to find an almost complete one of these at a car boot years and years ago and it was a sod to post. I might as well have driven it there it was that big! ha ha

Much smaller are these manageable Hot Wheels eagle-eyed collector Paul has seen in NZ.

Hi Woodsy

Another Hot Wheels 2021 model that was already available in late 2020, is the Barbie Dream Camper. A new casting of a motor caravan, which is based on a much larger, doll-sized toy camper. The copyright date on the baseplate is 2020. It is, of course, pink, with the Barbie name on the sides, and even a front Barbie number plate. 

One of five models in the HW Getaways series. The body is self-coloured pink plastic, but the baseplate and lower edge of the body are metal. There are no cab windows, but the right side of the body, moulded in translucent blue plastic, hinges down to show off the white interior. Hot Wheels have previously done other Barbie models, as Mattel own both Barbie and Hot Wheels, including a Corvette Stingray, again in pink. A nice, and well detailed model.

Paul Adams

NZ

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?

TOPO GIGIO ANNUAL 1968

Century 21 Topo Gigio 1968 Annual 

Courtesy of Bernard Dunne.

CENTURY 21 TOYS TOPO GIGIO FIGURE

 I've been collecting Century 21 Toys toys for years. I have a few now including a loose Topo Gigio.

I'm always thrilled when I see boxed examples and eye up enviously.

Here's an old auction Topo with his somewhat battered box and instructions.

The box and instructions list the other 4 carded outfits you could get.

Both Century 21 Merchandising and Toys are mentioned on the instruction sheet.

Have you got any Topo toys?

PS. SWORD collectors may notice the red and yellow of the box typical of SWORD toy boxes. Topo's friction vehicles actually had the SAME boxes as SWORD toys.

THE ORIGIN OF THE CENTURY 21 TOYS TOPO GIGIO CAMPER VAN?

Century 21 Toys [C21] issued three small Topo Gigio plastic vehicles.

They've been featured here many times.

A while ago I established a link between the C21 Ice Cream Van and a Mickey Mouse one released by Multiple Toymakers of the US in at least 2 different boxes.

http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2017/06/toy-ice-cream-van-two-please.html

Well, this summer I found a further Mickey Mouse link. This time with the 6 inch Multiple Toymakers Micky Mouse Kooky Kamper.

I'd like to see the US box for this if you can help!

So, it would appear that either C21 or MultipleToymakers copied each other and swapped one famous mouse for another. My own gut feeling is that C21 followed Multiple Toymakers, as Mickey Mouse was much more famous than Topo Gigio I would have thought.

I'd now like to find a Multiple Toymakers Mickey Mouse Hot Rod if anyone can help?

Simon's Topo Gigio's

Simon S sent me pics of his Century 21 Toys Topo Gigio figures.

Have you got any figures like this readers?

MICKEY MOUSE OR TOPO GIGIO? WHO SERVES YOU YOUR ICE CREAM?

We've seen this Mickey Mouse ice cream truck before.

Multiple Toymakers released it once before in a different package.

The one above is a window box with a neat playground backdrop. I saw it ages ago on Worthpoint.

Its of interest to me as its the same toy as the Century 21 Topo Gigio ice cream truck, which I've blogged about before a few times.

It's interesting that the same toy was released by two companies but with different famous mice characters!

Maybe it was a case of Mickey Mouse in America and Topo Gigio in Europe?

Here's the Century 21 ice cream truck.

TOPO GIGIO: TOP MOUSE OF CENTURY 21

Checking the Argentinian auction site Mercado I came across these two Topo Gigio figures.

This one appears to be a soft plastic figure with a set of cloth clothes.

Nicely boxed too.

Here's another one in an open fronted box.

Followers of Century 21 Toys will recall that they to released their own Topo Gigio plastic figure along with a a handful of outfits.

I wonder if the Argentinian figure is the same one?

I've blogged about the Century 21 toy before and here he is from years gone by on Ebay including the C21 box.

Here's his Goalkeeper gear

Here's his fireman outfit

Anyone got anymore C21 outfits for Topo or the boxed doll itself?

SPACE FLOTSAM AND AUCTION JETSAM 17

Its snowing outside and I'm laid up with my 6th cold of the winter. Never had as many!

Browsing my photo archive from last year here are a few images I don't think I've had on MC before. Not sure though.

Its a motley crew of online space flotsam whose only connection is that I liked them when I saw them.

Mostly from Ebay and similar online auctions 2017 I think.

*

LP simple clones. Spain

Blue Box Secret Missiles Base. Lovely!

LP Under Sea War-Car. More lovely!

I love those deep sea diver figures at the back! and the harpoon gun looks cool. There's even a bag of small harpoons!

Mini Space Force by Imperial Toy Corp. 

We know them better for their Apollo Moon Exploring toys.

UFO custom Mego-like dolls.

UFO Base set no.5 by Imai including a gorgeous little Project SWORD Moon Prospector

Agente Espacial dart gun set. The toy gun is a copy of the Lonestar Stingray pistol.

A fine collection of Topo Gigio. I wonder of the Century 21 Toys figure is in there?

Millon Electronico Cosmonauta pinball. Spain.

 I just like the rocket design on the artwork. The astronaut looks almost LP like too.

Journey to the Seventh Planet poster,

The rocket is a deadringer for the Project SWORD  Task Force 2.

and finally Skull Head Butt, a custom toy of our old friend from Night of the Demon.