DID YOU GET MOST OF YOUR NEW TOYS AT CHRISTMAS?

Did you get most of your toys at Christmas? Or did you get more during the year?

For me Christmas was the number one toy bounty, when I re-stocked the toybox with all the new stuff. It was also the time for a couple of big things like a new bike or a go-kart.

I did get a few things during the course of the year but not the boon I received on December 25th.

Was this your experience readers or not?

Let's Go Round Again

The Nuclear Ferry Top by S.K.K of Japan, has featured prominently on the blog before, but is something which has never made it into my collection before. Like buses, two appeared last week on ebay and I was lucky enough to buy them, fitting neatly into two of my collecting niches of space toys and spinning tops!

The top is small, about 3" diameter and all pressed steel, with lithographed images of the ferry passenger shuttle, a general USA rocket and a Von Braun style space wheel, of the type made by Strombecker in 1958.

Image courtesy of Fantastic Plastic

As with many tops of this kind, after it is wound up and released from the plastic spinner, it makes a delightfull humming sound, dropping slowly in octave as it decellerates.

The Nuclear Ferry itself has appeared in many guises, but is probably most well known for its original appearence in Life magazine in the full page painting by Robert McCall in 1964.

The image on the spinning top bears a striking resemblance to the brightly coloured interpretation on the header card for some childrens toy watches, also Made in Japan by an uncredited artist.

Looking at these images, it reinforces my suspicion that Life magazine and other, similar international magazines, may have directly influenced toy makers in the far east. If you look at another spread from a later issue of Life, we can see the clear origin for Mattel's famous Moon Suit and Space Bubble, but also probable inspiration for other toys as well, such as the Moon Walker by Yonezawa and the Eldon Space Survey 3d Kit, with 'Moon Beetle'. Its entirely probable that the yellow six wheeled vehicle proposed by General Motors in the centre of the spread, may have influenced the design of the SWORD Scramble Bug.

Due to its huge readership and wide circulation, Life magazine would be freely available in the colonial Hong Kong and may have been used as a barometer for current trends in the West.

CHOCOLATE TOOLS

Blimey, I saw these online and had a total tool recall. 

Chocolate tools to be exact.

These were a staple at Christmas, which I think came in a type of selection box.

Pretty basic in design, there were more detailed and precise choccy tools around but I liked these simple ones.

Do you remember them?

HORSING AROUND

As Scott mentioned them too, I too love the look of this Breyer Black Beauty plastic horse.

It reminds me of those fab Palitoy horses available for Action Man I had in the 60's. In fact I may have had some Breyer figurine horses as well as a kid, straddling as they do both toys and models.

Black Beauty was of course a TV show, based on the original book, which aired in 1972. I was 11 at the time, on the cusp of what was called the first year at Secondary school back then [now Year 7].

The theme tune to TV's Black Beauty is unforgettable really. Remember it?

Black Beauty shouldn't be confused with that other equine TV show, Follyfoot, an international hit, which my Missus watched on the Continent. In an odd twist of fate, Follyfoot village is about 40 minutes drive from Moonbase!

I never had any of the annuals from these shows but I often see them in charity and antique shops.

I did find a beautiful boxed black horse kit at a car boot sale years ago, Black Fury by Aurora.

Did you have any horses, plastic or otherwise? Maybe you still do?

IS THIS THE CHOICE OF THE MYSTERONS?

 I recently saw this MSV on Ebay restored by Chillypepperpike of Eastbourne. Unusually its been restored in black and brings to mind Captain Black of the Mysterons perhaps. I like it.

What do you think?

MAYBE THERE'S A MEG!

A kid said to me t'other day that when the meteor took out the dinosaurs it didn't take out those underwater. They survived.

He went on to say that for this reason it's clear that monsters like Megalodon are still kicking around in the depths of the Mariana Trench. Nessie was hinted at too!

It always amazes me what kids believe.

What do you think?

DO YOU STILL GET XMAS PRESENTS?

Now that we're all growed up, us baby boomers, do you still ask for Christmas presents from your nearest and dearest?

I don't mean those impromptu Xmas gifts that you never asked for but do you still issue a wants list or drop big hints?

Now I'm typing I suppose another questions is whether you actually still expect anything at Christmas?

The Missus and me have for the last few years just got each other a book to unwrap on the big day - to a maximum of £10.  This year with belts tightening it feels right.

As usual, any spare cash we have will go on gifts for our Grandchildren and Godchildren.

What do you do readers?

COOPER-JARRETT INTERSTATE DOUBLE FREIGHTER

 

Another familiar Lesney Matchbox toy; the Inter-State Double Freighter.

Produced from 1962 until 1967, and scaled at 1:100.

It comprises of a blue Hendrickson V-12 tractor with two silver trailers and a dolly joining the two.

The yellow & blue decals on the trailers read ‘Cooper-Jarrett, Inc’ (There are rarer versions in orange & black lettering that read , ‘Cooper-Jarrett International’, with a globe logo in the middle)

I can’t say I know a lot about the Cooper-Jarrett Inc. There’s plenty of images on the web showing Cooper-Jarrett trucks but not much info. I’m assuming it must have eventually been fairly well known internationally. All I’ve found so far is it was a small New Jersey trucking company that after turning it’s last profit in 1977, saw market forces take a down turn which led to the company going bankrupt, and eventually closing in 1981.

For us fans of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson’s TV series, this is another toy that was used as set dressing in Thunderbirds, usually seen trundling across London Airport’s apron in front of Fireflash!