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Kellogg's Space Age Series- Does anyone remember these?

  1. omegaswisst Mar 15, 2018

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    Hi All,

    Not sure if there will be much interest on this but I have mentioned a few times to my children the cool toys that used to come in the breakfast cereal packets.

    Around the time of the Apollo missions Kellogg released a series of plastic snap together toys (designed by Stan Barton). They were included in cereal packets in the U.K and Australia and I believe released in other countries in various forms. In reading about these models I came across an article where a collector, Mike Speth, is quoted as saying "the actual craft designs for the vehicles were done by NASA". I would assume that to be the command module, lunar lander and rocket.

    I remembered collecting these and due to their fragile nature they did not last for very long. With the help of the internet I managed to get all eight in the series. Models in the blue, red, orange and green were colours for the Australian market and the white and grey for US market.


    Space age series 2.JPG
     
  2. ulackfocus Mar 15, 2018

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    The only plastic things I was into back then were Rock'm Sock'm Robots and Legos.
     
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  3. Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Mar 16, 2018

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    I remember a breakfast product that included a small submarine that you could fill with baking powder, great fun in the bath making it dive or was it surface ? This must have been early fifties :(

    Off to have a word with Mr. Google.
     
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  4. Mathlar Mar 16, 2018

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    Fear not, they did them again in the 80s. Feel free to pretend you are 30 years younger ;-)

    The subs surfaced and dived as the bubbles escaped. They also did a little aircraft carrier that went around in circles if I recall correctly!
     
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  5. Lowflight Mar 16, 2018

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    Before my time. But, I have a Space Shuttle book from the first launch in 1981 sponsored by Cheerios
     
  6. Emeister Donut-eatin desk-divin wannabe-astronaut fat dude Mar 16, 2018

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    Nice little collection there @omegaswisst :thumbsup:

    When I saw the thread title I imagined you'd have the Kellogg's patches from Gemini and Apollo missions (not actual mission patches).
    A7.jpg

    These often turn up in various eBay searches of mine.
    I'm surprised I've never seen your models before as I do have vague recollections of kits from my childhood and have often tried various searches to try and spark those faint memories into life.

    The first breakfast cereal toys that I do recall from growing up in the UK were the Magic Roundabout figures
    MR.jpg
    These are listed online as being from 1969. Seems too early for me to remember them unless they were a long running series. Maybe friends and family just kept hold of stuff like this for me.

    Searching for your kits and seeing them on the sprue is kicking the brain into gear.
    CM.jpg
    Still don't think I had this set but will search for other things now. Cheers!
     
  7. omegaswisst Mar 16, 2018

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    Hi @Emeister,

    I can't remember the patches but they look pretty cool. It is interesting to see how different companies promoted the exploration of space. As a child growing up during this era I didn't appreciate the significance.

    There is an interesting website ( http://www.cratercritters.com/ ) which covers all the R&L cereal toys produced for Australia but I think they may have also been made for other markets.
     
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  8. omegaswisst Mar 16, 2018

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    Hi @Alpha,

    I reckon you would have thought that was the best thing since sliced bread!

    It was a great time for toys and one's imagination.
     
  9. Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Mar 17, 2018

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    Certainly was, as kids we didn't have a lot and to get a toy was something special.
     
  10. Klhender Mar 17, 2018

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    I was the correct age but these toys slipped by me. That would never happen these days, no kid can miss anything unless it's outside.
     
  11. Astrokid Apr 23, 2020

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