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Marketing space adventure toys and heroes, 1930s–1950s

Terrence H. Witkowski

Journal of Historical Research in Marketing2025https://doi.org/10.1108/jhrm-03-2025-0015article
AJG 1ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to recount how toys based on fictional outer space heroes and their adventures were marketed in the United States from the early 1930s through the later 1950s. Design/methodology/approach The primary data for this research include surviving artifacts (the toys themselves and their consumer packaging), associated promotional ephemera (print ads and catalogs), and visual records of space adventure comics, movies and television shows. Photographs and videos of these sources come from books in print and via online museum catalogs, eBay and other auction sites, Wikimedia Commons, collector websites, and YouTube. Findings Space adventure toys of this period included ray guns and rocket ships, figurines and robots, playsets and puzzles and many more related goods. They typically were made from pressed and printed metals, paperboard, and plastics. Toy companies licensed the names and images of popular space heroes, starting with Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, who appeared in comic strips, children’s books, movie serials and on radio and early television shows. Competing firms sold similar, but nonspecific space toys that were not character driven. These playthings referenced science fiction texts and images while undoubtedly amplifying interest in space exploration, science, the atomic age and the future. Originality/value This research presents an account of space adventure toys and heroes from a marketing history perspective that investigates products and branding in terms of their formative cultural contexts and societal implications.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/jhrm-03-2025-0015

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@article{terrence2025,
  title        = {{Marketing space adventure toys and heroes, 1930s–1950s}},
  author       = {Terrence H. Witkowski},
  journal      = {Journal of Historical Research in Marketing},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/jhrm-03-2025-0015},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.