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Toy, Space Ship, Buck Rogers, Patrol Ship

National Air and Space Museum

Object Details

Manufacturer
Louis Marx & Co.
Summary
This Patrol Ship spaceship toy from 1934 was merchandise for Buck Rogers, the popular space-based adventure series. Rogers first appeared in Philip Francis Nowlan's story "Armageddon 2419 A.D." published in the pulp magazine Amazing Stories in August 1928.
When John F. Dille bought the character for a comic strip, National Newspaper Service president he suggested renaming him "Buck" to capitalize on the popularity of Westerns. The Buck Rogers comic strip (written by Nowlan and illustrated by Dick Calkins) debuted in 1929, followed by a color Sunday strip in 1930 and a radio program in 1932. This toy represents the main character's own ship. According to advertisements from 1934, winding this Louis Marx action toy allowed its owner to imagine traveling "through the inter-planetary void in a miniature model of Buck Rogers' famous Rocket Ship."
Collector Michael O'Harro donated this toy to the Museum in 1993.
Credit Line
Gift of Michael O'Harro
Inventory Number
A19970685000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture
Materials
Tinned iron, Aluminum, Celluloid, Rubber, Ferrocerium
Dimensions
3-D: 31.8 x 10.2 x 12.7cm, 0.5kg (12 1/2 x 4 x 5 in., 1lb.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
National Air and Space Museum
Record ID
nasm_A19970685000
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9ad8d6e9b-6a66-4efe-a6f6-6f56cbfc8cd0

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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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