The PopCulteer
August 24, 2012
The Marx Toy Museum
Photo Essay Part Three
Part Three–Playsets And Plastic People
As seen all over The Marx Toy Museum, one of the most collected types of toys made by The Marx Toy Company are the plastic playsets. Marx was a pioneer in using plastics in toys, and after finding success with his Green Army Men, he expanded the concept to include playsets featuring Cowboys, Space Men, Presidents, cartoon characters and historical conflicts. This photo essay will focus on the plastic people, and how they mutated into the modern action figure.
If you’re interested in learning more about Marx playsets, you might want to check out Playset Magazine and Playset Videos.
This photo essay is broken into five parts, so that the graphics don’t overwhelm your browsers. Convenient links will be posted at the top and bottom of each essay, so that you can jump around at will.
The Marx Toy Museum Photo Essay
Part One–Meet The Museum
Part Two–Marxism In The Toy World
Part Three–Playsets And Plastic People (You’re soaking in it)
Part Four–Girl’s Toys
Part Five–Johnny West And The Cowboys
The Epic Movie becomes an epic toy
The Blue and the Gray
The Noble Knights
Johnny Tremain and Robin Hood over top of The Moon Base set. I’m pretty sure that’s historically accurate
Counter display for a variety of little plastic dudes
You can spend hours looking at these tiny works of art
A closer look at the Hanna Barbera sets
Marx and Disney team up in the 1960s
Charioteers and Jungle Animals
The unproduced Storybook Village playset
Pirates in the days before Johnny Depp
Another unproduced set, a really cool Haunted Castle with a graveyard. One of the tombstones bears the name of toy designer, Bob Clark
An elaborate prototype that may have been scaled down before it was released
Remember the Alamo Prototype
The original hand-carved sculpts for The Untouchables, including one figure that was never produced
Another “Bathing Beauty” says howdy
Since The Noble Knights were a successful playset in the 1950s, a decade later they got promoted to Johnny West size
The Vikings came along to fight them
From the little Green Army Men to the GI Joe-sized StoneySmith and Buddy Charlie, Marx made plenty of fighting men
Elaborate military playsets
Arctic Explorer playsets
More cool sets, including Cape Canavral (Now Kennedy) on top
More cool space sets
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Flintsotnes Huntng Party
Operation Moon Base box art
Prehistoic Playsets
Robin Hood and other Medieval playsets
Vinatge playset boxes
The Marx Toy Museum Photo Essay
Part One–Meet The Museum
Part Two–Marxism In The Toy World
Part Three–Playsets And Plastic People (That’s it up there)
Part Four–Girl’s Toys
Part Five–Johnny West And The Cowboys
A friend of mine had one of those knight play sets. We had a great time with it. Still have my 12 inch Knights. Have most of the re-release ones from 2000.