"Swoppet" Style Spaceman Figures by Marx, Britain's Cherilea, and Made In Hong Kong "Unknowns"

Click here to open video in a new window.

UPDATE: Am incorrect on one point in the video -- I was only looking at the fone screen while recording and didn't see that the still sealed "Betta Cake Decor" Swoppets do have the single circular indentation on the bottom of their pod feet. And do appear to be of the same type of plastic as the second group of figures shown which I believe to be of Marx manufacture. Whether they are or aren't I knoweth not, and will either re-shooot or edit the video to remand the error in the not too distant future.

... And unless I be mistaken (<-- Queen reference), SWOPPETS refers to toy soldier figures with removable heads + equipment, first originated by Britains Ltd. spinoff Cherilea Toys as a low-cost plastic alternative to Britains' more stately metal cast soldier pieces. Not "Deetail" figures, which are still high-end collectible forms, these were pop culture throwaway countertop toys, usually offered up in a box from which one could choose their favorites. Most commonly seen as cowboys or medieval knights with their assorted accouterments. The spacemen are comparatively rare. I  am under the impression that the Swoppet spaceman form was  Cherilea creation originally produced in Great Britain and ruthlessly appropriated by the Hong Kong based plastic toy companies just like anything else which crossed their paths.

And for whatever reason Marx Toys got wind of the forms and did their own run of them, representing their only "new" spaceman creations from the 1960s between the time of "Mystery Space Ship" (1962) and the emergence of the massive six-inch Apollo Astronaut forms which surfaced in 1969 after the success of Apollo 11. Between them they made these guys, and there's box art association between their Swoppet astronauts and the Hill Climbing Scout vehicles & train which they were selling even as Apollo 8 circled the moon Christmas 1968.

These are believed to be Marx produced Swoppets, distinguishable by sporting hand-painted features (boots + equipment packs) and cast in a somewhat rubbery plastic with Pod Feet rather than bases.

I believe these guys were typically sold in boxed sets or on blister cards: They may have been packaged with the Hill Climber Moon Scout Train as they are shown on the box cover, but if my understanding is correct were the first Marx space figures not to be associated with a specific playset and would have surfaced as Marx product somewhere's around 1967.

WATCHOOLOOKINATWILLIS.

I like the blue guy in the front, with his weapon still nicely painted.

The bottom of their pod feets, with the circle stamp indentation on the bottom which is typical of Marx plastic figures -- If my understanding is correct Marx did not mark their spacemen with their logo until the 6" Apollo guys, just a round dot. Those seeing MARX on the MPC logo stamped on the base of the better known Hong Kong spacemen are mistaken. That's MPC, these are Marx.

Kind of a heap, but again the plain circular indentation on the legs of the kneeling guys.

My favorite two, and the guy on the left has his pack on backwards.

... Now his pack is on the right way, I think.

Freaked out bizarre 1960s spacemen. Bad acid all the way. I never had any of these as a kid, a friend had a few and I recall being disturbed by how elongated and insect-like they are compared to the static, well-posed Apollo astronauts I had at home. And their faces ... 

The three to the right in this set also believed to be by Marx -- It was only after making the pix that I concluded the one to the left belonged with the next group of cake topper decoration spacemen, made anonymously in Hong Kong up until the early 80s (and possibly later). But I am fairly certain the three to the right are likely Marx produced albeit cast in a more typical "Army Man" plastic and without painted features.

There's why: Circle indentation on pod feet. The cake topper guy has "normal" feet and no round stamp.

Red guy looks like a permutation on the "Rope and Triangle" pose from the better known Hong Kong and Made In China spaceman forms. Also note the difference between their feet: Red guy has pod foot, the other one just his boots with a wad of sticky putty stuck underneath to help him stand upright.

Note facial details.

Note lack of facial details. Different moulds all the way.

So the blue guy above should have been shown with these: Anonymously produced Made In Hong Kong copies, sold as cake decoration toppings once the Space Toy fad had died out after Skylab. The one in the middle slightly discolored by that good Red Dye #4 in pre-1980 cake frosting. "Gay Gem" or whoever did their plastics may be responsible as some of them came with a cap bomb rocket form (minus the cap device) as Gay Gem cake topper Space Toys.

Some of their helmet designs vary slightly.

... They look like The Beatles doing "Your Mother Should Know" ... Which one has the black carnation of death??

One shared attribute with the blue guy in the prior group is that their faces are almost blank, though there is a slight variation in helmet decorations. Who made them shall likely remain unknown.

Had not noticed this before: The two on the left are smooth, the three to the right have some sort of vestigial marking visible on their hose ...

... Interesting. Definitely a mark of some sort.

And the Cherilea's from my stash, or at least what I believe to be Cherilea produced spaceman forms, easily distinguished from the rest by having a removable base. Though on a sour note the plastic their bodies are cast in has gone brittle over the years: all but two of my guys here have fractures rendering them without monetary value. One snapped just taking the base plate off, another closing the lid of the figure box they are kept in. Have been meaning to experiment with hot glue as method to effect mending, and the intention is to utilize the broken examples in space artworks where they can be glued in place. Perhaps even using the fractures as a way to suggest inter-dimensional shifts, or just plain blown-up dead guys.

No markings anywhere, though they do have some sort of cuneiform symbols on their helmets which none of the others can boast of.

Note fracture to the green guy's knee, held in place for the photo session with acid free art gallery sticky putty.

Looks like two sideways question marks & a zero. So, that's not what it is.

Handle your vintage Cherilea figures with care!! I got two busted heads, a cracked off weapon and a headless guy with no hand. Will make art out of it.

And my still-sealed Swoppets, most closely resembling the 2nd group of Marx made figures including pod feet, but without the circular indentation. Hoping another set turns up to excuse opening them! and having brand new Swoppet space guys ... I would shop at Betty's every day if I knew where it was, or when.

Now, as for finding authentic vintage Cherilea variants on the above:

PPhhhhhbbbt, thirty dollars, to ship your plastic spaceman?? My my my.

Hit it, Boys: