Original Lost in Space toys from the sixties are highly sought after
collectibles today and it's not hard to see why. Although most
of original viewers of the show are now adults well into their
thirties and even older, those Lost in Space toys, simple and
mass-produced as they were, hold endless fascination. For some of
us lucky to own them as children, the toys evoke memories of a
happier and simpler time, when watching Lost in Space seemed to be
the highlight of the week.
There wasn't a great range to choose from but at least there
seemed to be a toy for every category. A young child could
dress up in a Ben Cooper Halloween costume, put on a Remco Lost
in Space Helmet and arm himself to the teeth with the multi-functional
Roto-Jet gun from Mattel. Complete episodes of Lost in Space could
be replayed with the Mattel Switch'N Go set and of course the Remco
Robot made for a steadfast companion - well at least until the power
pack (batteries) ran out. It didn't seem to bother us kids that many
of the toys on offer were simply generic toys that were slightly modified.
The mere presence of a Lost in Space sticker on a toy was enough to
guarantee hours of adventure.
It seems all the major US toymakers from the 60's with the notable exception
of Ideal produced licensed Lost in Space toys. But the remarkable thing
was that unlike the explosion of Batman merchandise a year later, Lost in
Space never seemed to be able to attract much license interest. Why was
such a popular show so neglected by toymakers? The answer will probably
never be known but it is interesting to note that almost 10 years later
in 1977, AHI, producer of a leg walking Lost in Space Robot, decided to
cancel their license agreement to produce further official Lost in Space
Robots. Rumor has it that wrangling with copyright owners over their
unreasonable demands caused the deal to fall through. Interestingly, AHI
continued to produce the toy but under the name "Outer Space Robot" and
without the "Lost in Space" logo.
Apart from some cheap Robots produced in Brazil, a few toys in Japan,
and toys produced under license from US toymakers, we are not aware of
any unique Lost in Space toys being produced in foreign countries. But
we would not be surprised to hear of their existence and would be
grateful to receive information and especially photo confirmation. Also
if anyone has a foreign toy produced under license, example the Milton
Bradley game, let us know about it especially if there is some variation
from the US product.