Swoppet Style Space Figures (May 2020)

[space.trucks]

 

Forty three Swoppet space figures by at least four different manufacturers, possibly as many as six.

 

Cherilea originated six poses. Date I have for their first appearance is 1962.

 

All believed to be Cherilea. On the left 1960s (see below*), on the right 1970s. Loose head from a Marx figure, the one holding it is very heavily damaged.

 

All confirmed as Cherilea. Plastic has gone sadly brittle. Most of mine have at least one fractured limb. Equipment packs cast in a flexible army man type plastic and there are no markings anywhere including the bases. No painted features.

 

I had presumed these were copies but *a UK based collector has informed me these are Cherilea as well, representing the generation before the bases were added, though so far I have heard this from that one source (checking with ToySoldierHQ & will amend if incorrect). They are also cast in a much more durable plastic which has not gone brittle. Equipment packs cast in a flexible army man type plastic and there are no painted features or markings anywhere.

 

Marx appropriated three of the Cherilea poses, changing the formula by having painted elements (equipment packs, rifle, "detector", radar dish and boots) and somewhat more vivid colors. Would be interested in learning if that was a licensed arrangement? Marx's use of pod feet also lends credence to the notion of Cherilea adding their bases later: By appropriating the earlier form Marx ensured their figures would be prone to topple over. Which they do.

 

I have these vehicles unboxed and they all have 1968 in Roman numerals on their underside. Swoppet spacemen in the three poses from ToySoldierHQ's guide pix decorating the box, no other poses shown. (Not my collection.)

 

Carded Marx swoppets example #1. Bottom printing on right reads "Card Printed in Hong Kong, Contents Made in Taiwan".  They were also sold in window boxed sets, posted pix of some in a prior thread on the subject. (Not my collection.)

 

Carded Marx swoppets example #2. Neither card has a date visible and both feature only the poses shown on the Hill Climber box and ToySoldierHQ's guide photo, confirming that Marx just replicated three of the six Cherilea poses. (Not my collection.)

 

All of these are believed to be Marx produced swoppets, presumably made around the time of the Hill Climber set and the carded collections. Most are cast in a stiff but forgiving plastic and a couple three have more flexible vinyl bodies. All have painted packs, weapons, equipment and boots/pods. Some have two layers of paint on their boots + surrounding "pod", others just one. In addition to being painted, their equipment packs can be discerned from Cherilea packs by having been cast in a rubber like material rather than soft plastic.

 

This set of Marx swoppets has no markings on their equipment packs but share all of the other attributes of the pieces in the carded sets & ToySoldierHQ's guide image. (Maybe these represent the ones "Made in Taiwan" as mentioned on the carded sets? The Hong Kong crew was very diligent about marking their wares.) The designs of their equipment pack chest units varies and note the helmet antenna, which appear to be unique to the Marx swoppet adaptation.

 

This group of Marx produced swoppets all have "Made In Hong Kong" on their equipment pack belts.

 

Note painted features.

 

This group of Marx swoppets all have the Marx Toys logo on their equipment pack belts. Note variation on chest unit design for white figure.

 

Circular text around the logo reads "Made In Hong Kong".

 

Just in case you've never, the helmetless head of a swoppet spaceman. Paint to eyes may have been owner applied. Came as a loose piece with other figures, believed to be Marx.

 

Six anonymously produced Hong Kong copies of a Cherilea pose and one that Marx did not replicate. If you have this figure it is not by Marx. Three of these were part of a "GayGems" packaged cake decoration set which included a cap bomb rocket minus its cap mechanism + a pair of US flags on oversized toothpicks. The others were obtained variously. Some of their faces are more sharply detailed than others, and the two to the left have helmet details which match some of the Cherilea figures' helmets above, but unlike the Cherilea figures all six have marked equipment packs. I do not know if these were all made by the same company, the variation on the faces suggest not.

 

All six of their equipment packs bear the markings "H.K. NO.206", same font, same location.

 

One last group of eleven which are identical to the Marx produced swoppets save having no painted features, fruitier color schemes and significantly less aging. Figure in back row to the far left has a helmet antenna. They and their packs appear to have been made from the same molds as the Marx swoppets though manufactured more recently. I believe these were all made by the same company though I knoweth not whom they may be.

 

All eleven equipment pack belts have "HONG KONG" lightly inscribed on the inner side, same font, same positioning of the letters.

 

Three still sealed swoppet sets. "Space Explorers" card is marked "MADE IN CHINA" with no date, Nucor's very affordible "Moon Base Alpa" card has "Crafted in Hong Kong" also with no date and Betta Cake Decor's "Space Station Set" says "Made In Hong Kong" with a 1977 date. All three sets feature the same three poses Marx appropriated. "Moon Base Alpha" swoppets have painted packs, boots and equipment; I cannot discern any markings on the belts through the plastic. The other two sets' swoppets appear to resemble the last group of eleven loose figures shown above with no painted details and no visible markings on their pack belts.

 

The three Cherilea swoppet spaceman poses Marx chose not to appropriate. If your swoppet spaceman is in either of these three poses it was not made by Marx.

email space.trucks1138 (at) gmail.com

[Alain Lapointe]

Those with the light brown base were sold in Italy under Tibidabo brand.

[space.trucks]

On 5/23/2020 at 12:04 AM, Alain Lapointe said:

Those with the light brown base were sold in Italy under Tibidabo brand.

Yeah man that's a cool point - I'd saved your posting about that in the prior thread but wasn't sure how to work it in. Would it be OK if I added the picture you shared to the above?

[Alain Lapointe]

18 minutes ago, space.trucks said:

Yeah man that's a cool point - I'd saved your posting about that in the prior thread but wasn't sure how to work it in. Would it be OK if I added the picture you shared to the above?

I haven't shared pics in this thread  which one you're referring about?

[space.trucks]

Here's a laugh riot packaged by Larami. I guess they are frogmen this time out?
 

Mid/late 1970s? It has a printed UPC code under the pricing stickers so it's post-1972. Huge card.

 

Boat looks like one by Britain's from their Deetail period.

 

Figures in the Marx poses with rubber packs but no paint anywhere and what I would regard as non-Louis Marx era colors.

 

 

[space.trucks]

Here's another of these "Space Explorers" sets with a Made In China, Marx posed figures in non-Marx disco colors with no painted details.

 

Early 1980s? and another huge card.

 

Hot pink is not a Louis Marx authorized color.

 

These two sets got away but we're back to Made In Hong Kong and the flag makes its return.

[space.trucks]

We may have seen this very card previously, not my collection so the image isn't that great. Marked "Made in Hong Kong for Famous Corp." with what looks like an original price clipped from upper right.

 

Marx poses with no painted details, and while the yellow/white combo is close the greens are not Louis Marx era colors. My guess is early/mid 1970s? Pretty sure the "ages 3 and up" warning was mandated starting in 1972.

[space.trucks]

On 5/24/2020 at 1:32 PM, Alain Lapointe said:

I haven't shared pics in this thread  which one you're referring about?

If I recall correctly they were a boxed Swoppet set from Italy, or maybe they were part of a space ship set? Might have been someone else's contribution, been a while. Will dig around sometime. All cool Bro.

[space.trucks]

Not my collection, but one of the sources for the non-Marx posed swoppet spaceman holding his ray beam generator (?) over his head and with no clip on base. Rocket appears to be a cap bomb rocket minus the cap snapper device.

 

 

 

 

1967 production date on this package along with the same stock number. I did score one of these sets including the rocket form with USAF sticker as loosies and am fairly certain that all of the figures I have in this pose were similar product. They all have HONG KONG stamped on what would be the inside of their soft plastic equipment packs. Original Cherileas will not have a stamping on their soft plastic pack but will have a clip-on base. Marx never produced this pose.