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This control tower forms the centerpiece of an elaborate multi-piece Space Patrol Rocket Port set based upon the ABC-TV weekly half-hour series titled "Space Patrol," which ran from 1950-1956. It was manufactured by Louis Marx and Company, located in New York City, which also produced Flash Gordon branded merchandise in the 1930s. Fort-based playsets took advantage of the existing production of Western toys, which could be repurposed with new designs to appeal to space-minded youth. The figurines that could be played with in such a set represented spacemen and aliens.

Michael O'Harro, a collector, donated the tower--and the entire playset--to the National Air and Space Museum in 1993.

Display Status

This object is on display in Futures In Space at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Futures In Space

Object Details

Date

ca. 1950-1956

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture

Manufacturer

Louis Marx & Co.

Dimensions

3-D (Control Tower): 30.5 × 16.2 × 28.1cm (1 × 6 3/8 × 11 1/16 in.)

Materials

Tin
Paint

Inventory Number

A19970665000

Credit Line

Gift of Michael O'Harro

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.

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