Moon Explorer
Mechanical Toy
ca. 1965 (manufactured)
ca. 1965 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Battery-operated vehicle in the form of a fantastical spacecraft, made from tin-plated mild steel. It is colour lithographed and is predominantly red and white, with details in other colours. The spaceship is broadly rocket-shaped with a clear plastic window at the front, behind which an astronaut sits at a control panel. The sides have white stripes with the words 'Moon Explorer'printed in black. There are four round windows printed in blue on both sides. The front of the spaceship has a silver bumper and at the back there are three fins. On the base are three wheels and the opening for the batteries to be placed inside. The original card box has a plain base and the top is printed with an image of the spaceship flying through space, with a blue background.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
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| Title | Moon Explorer (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour lithographed tin-plated mild steel, pressed |
| Brief description | Boxed battery operated tin toy spaceship, Moon Explorer, made in Japan by Masudaya, ca. 1965. |
| Physical description | Battery-operated vehicle in the form of a fantastical spacecraft, made from tin-plated mild steel. It is colour lithographed and is predominantly red and white, with details in other colours. The spaceship is broadly rocket-shaped with a clear plastic window at the front, behind which an astronaut sits at a control panel. The sides have white stripes with the words 'Moon Explorer'printed in black. There are four round windows printed in blue on both sides. The front of the spaceship has a silver bumper and at the back there are three fins. On the base are three wheels and the opening for the batteries to be placed inside. The original card box has a plain base and the top is printed with an image of the spaceship flying through space, with a blue background. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'MOON EXPLORER' |
| Object history | 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. |
| Historical context | 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. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.50:1 to 3-2005 |
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| Record created | November 27, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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