Space Station Man Made Earth of Space Age
Mechanical Toy
ca. 1962 (manufactured)
ca. 1962 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Boxed battery-operated toy space station, made from tin-plated mild steel, other metals and various plastics. The toy is shaped as a ring with one central connecting tube, meeting a central tower that houses a plastic satellite dish. Around the perimeter of the ring are plastic windows into the space station, showing the engine room, rest & recreation room, control centre, communication room and a dining room. The actual workings of the toy's motor are visible in the engine room. Between each window is a printed roundel showing the NASA logo.
The box has a plain card bottom and a printed top. The top of the box has an image of a space station floating in space with several astronauts working on the outside, two planets and a red spaceship.
The box has a plain card bottom and a printed top. The top of the box has an image of a space station floating in space with several astronauts working on the outside, two planets and a red spaceship.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 4 parts.
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| Title | Space Station Man Made Earth of Space Age (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Tin-plated lithographed mild steel, pressed, other metals and plastics |
| Brief description | Boxed toy space station made by Horikawa in Japan ca. 1962 |
| Physical description | Boxed battery-operated toy space station, made from tin-plated mild steel, other metals and various plastics. The toy is shaped as a ring with one central connecting tube, meeting a central tower that houses a plastic satellite dish. Around the perimeter of the ring are plastic windows into the space station, showing the engine room, rest & recreation room, control centre, communication room and a dining room. The actual workings of the toy's motor are visible in the engine room. Between each window is a printed roundel showing the NASA logo. The box has a plain card bottom and a printed top. The top of the box has an image of a space station floating in space with several astronauts working on the outside, two planets and a red spaceship. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Space station man made earth of space age, New action toy, non stop mystery action battery driven motor, blinking lights, space noise, see though actions, and revolving antenna'. (Text printed on the box) |
| Gallery label | Space station, 1950s
The design of this toy was very forward thinking and has become a design classic. It shows ideas of compartmentalised living which was being experimented with in real life architecture ten years later. |
| Object history | Purchased at Christie's Fine Toy sale, 05 Jan 2007, for Space Age: Exploration, Design and Poplar Culture (temporary and touring exhibition, opened November 2007). |
| Production | Horikawa produced two versions of this toy, at either end of the decade. The first, produced from about 1962, featured more metal in its construction; the second had more plastic. It was available in either blue or red. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.3:1 to 4-2007 |
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| Record created | November 6, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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