The Rocket Man

The Rocket Man
Starring: Charles Coburn, Spring Byington, Anne Francis, John Agar
Film release: 1954

A little boy comes into possession of a ray gun that compels anyone caught in its beam to tell the truth. He uses it to prevent his orphanage from being shut down by creditors and to help a cute couple fall in love.

ORBIT Play A Way Cards

ORBIT play A way CARDS: space ship, originally uploaded by Ribambelles & Ribambins.

ORBIT play A way CARDS, originally uploaded by Ribambelles & Ribambins.

Tin Litho Atomic Ray Gun on eBay

Atomic Ray Gun Space Rifle w/Orig Box
She's going, going, gone tomorrow! Isn't she a beauty? Now why can't I have nice, completely unnecessary things like this in my home?

They Came from Out of the Toy Box

With the imminent possibility of an outer space menace threatening to invade American soil, your first priority is to assure your family's survival. “A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them."

It is with the highest priority that we teach our sons and our daughters these words:

"Watch Out!" "Always be alert" and to "Always be prepared."

Ideally we should begin our children's training at the youngest possible age...

We do this through their toys.

Tom Corbett Space men Figures - These two are definitely up to no good

Tin litho Target Game to become a sure-shooting Space Ace

Captain Video space men figures

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This Flying Saucer featurette is also published on the blog Atomic Living

The First of its Kind

In 1954, History is made... in polystyrene.

The first ever "flying saucer" plastic model kit is produced (and patented) in 1954. In fact, it's the very first space-themed and science fiction kit ever available to the good citizens of Earth. This little hunk of plastic embodies all that America's best and brightest scientific research has gleaned together about these strange visitors from another world.



The Lindberg "Flying Saucer" kit reveals all: the aerodynamic inverted dinnerplate shape, the pair of turbo thrust rockets mounted on the smoothly curved silver hull, the rotating rim studded with jets, the futuristic cockpit bubble... and yes, the presence of a little green man at the controls of the whole unearthly device.

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This Flying Saucer featurette is also published on the blog Atomic Living

Rocket Rider

rocket man, originally uploaded by hastingsgraham.

An astronaut spaceman rides in the cockpit of a Space Patrol Scout Ship on display at the 15th Annual American Toy Fair in New York City. March 10, 1953.

Space Race

Space Race, originally uploaded by Space Commander.

Space Boy in a Bubble Helmet

space boy, originally uploaded by hastingsgraham.

What a lucky lad. He means business as he's out to save the solar system with his official Space Patrol bubble helmet and Super Beam Signal Ray gun. Notice that the wallpaper in his bedroom is space-themed with rockets, planets and stars.

Space Dog Pluto

Space dog Pluto
Iron-on transfer
Walt Disney Productions

Electric Robot & Son

In the 1950's Electric Robot and Son were manufactured in the U.S.A. by Louis Marx in response to the immensely popular Robert the Robot by rival manufacturer Ideal Toys. Electric was just different enough from Robert to avoid copyright infringement, yet the strong similarities undoubtedly appealed to young buyers with smaller budgets.

This toy robot was molded with a black plastic body (there was also a rare silver-brown version) with moveable red head and arms was electrically powered by two batteries, allowing Electric to illuminate his bulb eyes, run along on manually steerable rubber wheels (forward and reverse), and make loud buzzings through a morse code button on his back (a nifty code guide was inscribed on the back of his head). Also on his head is an extendible antennea with an adjustment knob, knobs for right and left arm movement and from his chest opens a small draw with tools (aka the tool chest for a hammer, wrench & scewdriver).

Completing Electric's gadgetry is a smaller "baby" version of himself, all red, and clad in a silvery diaper who the proud Father could swing from one of his silver clawed graspers.

Into Outer Space

Advertisment for the new selection of authentically recreated Strombecker space craft model kits, after those seen in Disney's "Man in Space" designed by Wernher von Braun.

from the Royal Air Force Flying Review, October 1959

The XSL-01 Assembly Sheet

Assembly instruction diagram for the Revell 1/96th scale model kit of thier XSL-01, dated 1958.

The XSL-01 spaceship was designed by rocket scientist Ellwyn E. Angle of Systems Laboratories Inc. The design has a detailed manned top stage with full interior with a removable top, main and booster stages (dertachable to recreate all phases of the flight from Earth takeoff, lunar landing and the return to Earth), flight and ground crew and fully detailed launch gantry. The kit includes the "XSL-01 Operations Manual" instructing each phase of piloting this spaceship in spaceflight.

Phoning Outer Space

"Operater, give me Space, dahling...."
"Hello? ahh Dahling! How is everything on Pluuuuto?"

Tales of Tomorrow

The attacking spaceship looks like it was taken straight from the fantastic Pyro Plastics Space Fleet X-300 Space Cruiser toy!

"Tales of Tomorrow"
Volume Number 6
published by John Spencer & Co., London
(February) 1953
112 pages