Playsets And Plastic People

The PopCulteer
August 24, 2012

The Marx Toy Museum
Photo Essay Part Three

Part Three--Playsets And Plastic People

As seen all over The Marx Toy Museum, one of the most collected types of toys made by The Marx Toy Company are the plastic playsets. Marx was a pioneer in using plastics in toys, and after finding success with his Green Army Men, he expanded the concept to include playsets featuring Cowboys, Space Men, Presidents, cartoon characters and historical conflicts. This photo essay will focus on the plastic people, and how they mutated into the modern action figure.

If you're interested in learning more about Marx playsets, you might want to check out Playset Magazine and Playset Videos.

This photo essay is broken into five parts, so that the graphics don't overwhelm your browsers. Convenient links will be posted at the top and bottom of each essay, so that you can jump around at will.

The Marx Toy Museum Photo Essay

Part One--Meet The Museum
Part Two--Marxism In The Toy World
Part Three--Playsets And Plastic People (You're soaking in it)
Part Four--Girl's Toys
Part Five--Johnny West And The Cowboys

[caption id="attachment_8906" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Epic Movie becomes an epic toy[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_8907" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Blue and the Gray[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8908" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Noble Knights[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8909" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Johnny Tremain and Robin Hood over top of The Moon Base set. I'm pretty sure that's historically accurate[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8910" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Counter display for a variety of little plastic dudes[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8911" align="aligncenter" width="500"] You can spend hours looking at these tiny works of art[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8912" align="aligncenter" width="500"] A closer look at the Hanna Barbera sets[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8913" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Marx and Disney team up in the 1960s[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8914" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Charioteers and Jungle Animals[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8915" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The unproduced Storybook Village playset[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8916" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Pirates in the days before Johnny Depp[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8917" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Another unproduced set, a really cool Haunted Castle with a graveyard. One of the tombstones bears the name of toy designer, Bob Clark[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8918" align="aligncenter" width="500"] An elaborate prototype that may have been scaled down before it was released[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8919" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Remember the Alamo Prototype[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8920" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The original hand-carved sculpts for The Untouchables, including one figure that was never produced[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8921" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Another "Bathing Beauty" says howdy[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8922" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Since The Noble Knights were a successful playset in the 1950s, a decade later they got promoted to Johnny West size[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8923" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Vikings came along to fight them[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8924" align="aligncenter" width="500"] From the little Green Army Men to the GI Joe-sized StoneySmith and Buddy Charlie, Marx made plenty of fighting men[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8925" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Elaborate military playsets[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8926" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Arctic Explorer playsets[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8927" align="aligncenter" width="500"] More cool sets, including Cape Canavral (Now Kennedy) on top[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8928" align="aligncenter" width="500"] More cool space sets[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8929" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Man From U.N.C.L.E.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8930" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Flintsotnes Huntng Party[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8931" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Operation Moon Base box art[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8932" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Prehistoic Playsets[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8933" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Robin Hood and other Medieval playsets[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_8934" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Vinatge playset boxes[/caption]

The Marx Toy Museum Photo Essay

Part One--Meet The Museum
Part Two--Marxism In The Toy World
Part Three--Playsets And Plastic People (That's it up there)
Part Four--Girl's Toys
Part Five--Johnny West And The Cowboys