Boxed, battery operated tin toy robot, made by Daiya in Japan for the American toy distribution company Cragstan for the American market about 1955-1965.

Boxed battery operated tin toy. The astronaut has a robot like body (suit) and a human head. It is mainly red with silver detail on its joints. The hands are made of yellow plastic and hold a ray gun. The astronaut is wearing a helmet similar to a fighter pilot and is encased within a clear plastic dome. The battery pack is on its back and look like oxygen tanks. When activated the toy walks, stops, raises its gun and fires with a flashing light and a rata-tat noise. The boxed has a plain card bottom and printed lid. The main image is of a young astronaut firing his gun.

This object was acquired for the V&A Museum of Childhood's exhibition Space Age: Exploration, Design and Popular Culture, which opened on 22nd November 2007. It was bought at Christie's in November 2005 as part of a collection of robots and space toys. The collector, Paul Lips, ran an antique toy shop in Milan from the early 1990s, where he became particularly interested in space toys. The collection covered what he believed to be their golden age: 1955 to 1965.


After the Second World War, Japan became the pre-eminent manufacturer of tin toys through direct financial support from the United States for its toy industry, and through preferential access to US toy markets. Importantly, Japanese manufacturers were able to perfect small battery-powered motors, which gave Japanese toys a superior range of movements. One of the most celebrated subjects expressed in tin toys is space and space travel. Many highly imaginative toys were produced in the era of the Space Age (1957-1972), inspired by the widespread optimism of the times, and by a fresh public appetite for all things space.

made by Daiya in Japan for Cragstan American toy distribution company.

B.38:1 to 3-2005