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    TV Toys
    TV Toys
    TV Toys
    Ebook87 pages30 minutes

    TV Toys

    By Anthony A McGoldrick

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    About this ebook

    Since the dawn of children's television in the 1950s, toy companies have been keen to capitalise on the success of these programmes. Toy historian and collector Anthony A. McGoldrick here charts the history of the most successful TV toys from Muffin the Mule in the 1950s to Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 1980s. The colourful illustrations – whether of Daleks, iconic cars, action figures or spaceships – evoke the excitement of the programmes and also of playing with the toys that allowed children to recreate them. Whether you grew up in the days of Andy Pandy, The Saint, Kojak or Knight Rider, this book offers a nostalgic look at some of the most appealing toys of the late twentieth century.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateMar 10, 2013
    ISBN9780747813323
    TV Toys

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      Book preview

      TV Toys - Anthony A McGoldrick

      INTRODUCTION

      THIS BOOK is written for the collector of television toys. These days, with over a hundred television channels available twenty-four hours a day, there is plenty of scope for the collector. But in the early days television was much more limited, with a choice of just a few channels, broadcasting for only part of the day.

      In the early days of television, toy manufacturing was relatively difficult. There are examples of early bisque dolls with very ornate clothing, or metal prams, or carved wooden rocking horses and soldiers. Tin train sets and lead-based vehicles were around from the turn of the twentieth century, but good examples of these are rare, most often seen in museums. Raw materials were hard to come by and during the two world wars resources such as wood, metal and fabric were used for the war effort, and not for luxuries such as toys. As television grew in popularity, so too did the manufacturing of toys. Thus, the toys from the earlier television programmes are rarer and often more expensive. As toy production progressed through the 1970s and 80s, cheaper materials were used and toys were often produced in vast numbers, with many of them being imported from the Far East. Many of these toys are less well made and consequently do not hold much financial value.

      Some collectors may acquire TV toys related to a variety of programmes while others will specialise in one specific series or genre. There are collectors who are devotees of programmes such as Star Trek or Doctor Who and will collect nothing else, while others may have a collection related to cartoons, detective series, sci-fi, police programmes, or anything to do with Gerry Anderson.

      An early boxed stringed puppet of Muffin the Mule by Moko.

      Although television had its beginnings as far back as 1929, when the first broadcast was made, it did not become popular until well after the end of the Second World War. Strange as it may now seem, in those days few people owned their own house or had a car, and newly married couples would set up home with ‘hand-me-downs’ from relatives. To own a television set was the height of luxury. Children would play games in the street with a stick or a metal hoop, or would just be expected to use nature as their playground. However, there was some public entertainment; people enjoyed going to the cinema and listening to the radio, and they read comics, books and newspapers. The characters in those media were the forerunners of many of the TV toys, which nowadays have become a multi-million pound global industry.

      After the war Britain began to settle back into peacetime life. BBC radio broadcast more entertainment programmes than news bulletins, and people who were fortunate enough to see a television set would catch their first glance of a programme dedicated to children. The programme was called For the Children and was presented by Annette Mills. She played the piano, talked to the children, and was accompanied by a ‘friend’ called Muffin the Mule, who sat on the piano lid. The character was so popular that Muffin the Mule was given his own show, which ran on television until 1955.

      Muffin the Mule became the first accredited toy to be related to a television programme. Pelham Puppets produced a wooden version of Muffin. Another company, Moko (later called Lesney, then Matchbox), produced a diecast figure of Muffin consisting of ten metal parts that were strung together as a puppet. Boxed versions are rare and can command high prices. While this is a relatively expensive toy nowadays, it is also part of a highly specialised collectors’ market, as are a number of early radio and television collectables. People tend to collect items that they can remember or relate to, and the earliest programmes were made over seventy years ago.

      In 1949 The Lone Ranger was released as a television programme. This black-and-white series featured Clayton Moore as the hero, with a Native American, Jay Silverheels,

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