| |
SPACE PATROL:
The
Premiums
&
Merchandise |
|
January
17,
2002
By
the
Crimson
Collector |
During
its
long
run
on
the
ABC
Television
Network,
(1950
-
55)
the
television
series
"SPACE
PATROL"
generated
a
host
of
premium
mail-in
offers
as
well
as
general
merchandise
sold
in
toy
and
department
stores.
Today,
those
premiums
and
toys
are
sought
by
collectors
and
go
for
high
prices
on
(internet
auction)
sites
such
as
Ebay
as
well
as
the
vast
secondary
collector’s
market.
It
all
culminated
in
one
of
the
biggest
television/radio
premium
contests
ever
on
record.
In
this
article
I
can’t
possibly
cover
everything
that
was
offered,
so
I
will
stick
to
some
of
the
prime
items.
I
am
sure
there
are
more
that
we
all
remember
and
wish
we
still
had
today.
Feel
free
to
EMAIL
me
with
your
favorites. |
|
Space
Patrol’s
first
sponsor
was
Ralston
Cereals,
later
Ralston
was
joined
by
Nestlé’s
Chocolate
as
a
co-sponsor.
Eventually
Weather
Bird
Shoes
got
into
the
act
as
a
sponsor,
participating
in
the
biggest
contest
of
the
show’s
history,
but
it
was
Ralston
and
Nestle
that
offered
a
galaxy
of
space
toys
which
were
cleverly
tied
into
the
story-line
of
the
show
to
make
them
that
much
more
desirable.
A
great
deal
of
the
Ralston
Space
Patrol
gear
was
also
offered
for
sale
in
grocery
stores
and
department
stores.
The
main
source
for
the
smaller
premiums
was
the
TV
and
Radio
pitch,
where
you
would
send
in
a
coin
and
a
box-top
to
the
sponsor.
Plastic
items
such
as
guns,
clothing
etc.
available
in
stores
generally
were
in
different
color
combinations
as
well
as
subtle
detail
design
changes.
Many
of
the
Space
Patrol
premiums
were
paper
or
cardboard,
such
as
membership
cards,
handbooks,
photos,
catalogs,
charts,
masks,
replicas
of
Terra
City,
the
Lunar
Fleet
Base,
Spaceship
cockpits,
pictures,
coloring
books
and
albums.
Perhaps
the
most
sought
after
cardboard
premiums
are
the
Martian
Totem
Head
helmet/mask
and
the
cockpit
from
the
experimental
rocket
featured
on-air.
To
me
the
really
neat
premiums
were
those
that
were
more
substantial
like
plastic
or
metal
and
really
did
some
sort
of
action. |
|
|
| The
first
Space
Patrol
plastic
item
was
a
very
fancy
badge
in
red,
white
and
blue.
(above)
Later
on
a
plastic
belt
with
a
decoder
buckle
in
the
shape
of
a
rocket
ship
was
offered
and
is
much
sought
after
today.
 Undoubtedly
one
of
the
great
premiums
offered
by
Space
Patrol
was
the
Cosmic
Smoke
Gun.
This
gun
was
introduced
on
the
show
and
as
always,
played
a
big
part
in
the
show's
story
line
while
it
was
being
offered.
The
toy
did
not
always
work
as
designed.
It
was
a
small
handheld
gun
that
had
a
rubber
bladder
inside
it.
The
object
was
to
suck
up
a
talcum
powder
substance
into
the
bladder
inside
the
gun,
and
when
the
trigger
was
pulled,
it
would
force
the
powder
out
into
the
air
giving
a
smoke-like
effect.
Not
so
was
the
case,
when
LIVE
ON
THE
AIR
-
Major
Robinson
was
“cosmic
smoked”
by
a
villain
who
had
managed
to
wrestle
his
gun
from
him.
The
villain
pulled
the
trigger
and
out
came
a
big
glob
of
powder
onto
the
Major’s
face...
not
quite
the
hoped
for
“smoke
effect.”
He
(Ken
Mayer)
still
coughed
and
passed
out
on
cue
as
the
script
required.
The
cosmic
smoke
gun
came
in
two
versions:
RED
with
a
short
barrel,
and
GREEN
with
a
longer
barrel.
The
green
one
was
sold
in
stores
also.
Today,
most
all
of
the
guns
remaining
are
inoperable
as
the
rubber
bladder
has
become
brittle
with
age
and
cracked
and
will
no
longer
pump
out
the
powder,
but
it
still
is
one
of
the
most
desirable
of
the
Space
Patrol
premium
toys
and
often
sells
for
over
two
hundred
dollars. |
|
|
The
official
handgun
of
the
Space
Patrol
(known
as
the
Rocket
Gun
-
above)
was
only
sold
in
stores.
It
was
a
handsome
gun
with
simple
clean
lines.
It
shot
a
variety
of
“Rocket
Darts".
The
darts
were
a
suction-cup
tipped
two
toned
design
with
rocket
fins
the
length
of
the
dart.
One
of
them
had
a
slot
to
put
a
toy
explosive
cap
into
and
when
the
dart
hit
a
hard
surface
it
would
fire
the
cap
with
a
bang.
Most
of
the
darts
however
do
not
show
up
too
often
today.
The
gun
was
also
available
in
red,
black,
yellow
and
even
blue.
You
could
buy
the
gun
itself,
or
you
could
go
deluxe
and
buy
it
with
its
official
holster.
 This
gun
was
a
“must
have”
as
Buzz,
Happy
and
the
whole
Space
Patrol
gang
used
the
toy
as
their
sidearm
on
the
air,
(with
added
sound
effects
of
course.)
In
later
years
the
mold
was
sold
to
other
toy
manufacturers
and
the
guns
were
marketed
under
various
names
even
as
far
away
as
England.
|
|
|
A
set
of
Space
Patrol
Binoculars
were
offered
in
black
as
a
premium
on
the
show,
but
the
version
sold
in
stores
was
molded
in
green.
They
sort
of
wrapped
around
your
head
and
were
secured
with
an
elastic
string.
They
really
didn’t
magnify
that
much,
but
they
were
still
a
keen
design.
|
|
|
Space-O-Phones
in
bright
blue
&
yellow
(above),
although
I
have
seen
some
that
were
red
&
yellow
and
red
&
white,
they
appear
to
have
been
made
in
a
few
different
color
combinations.
They
were
a
sort
of
“walkie-talkie,”
soped
up
version
of
what
we
used
to
make
at
home
with
two
tin
cans
and
a
string.
They
actually
worked
but
they
certainly
were
not
wireless
units
as
we
saw
Buzz
and
Happy
use
on
the
air.
 A
Cosmic
Rocket
Launcher
was
offered
and
it
was
basically
a
“slide
down
a
string”
rocket
ship
projectile
that
fell
apart
easily
and
even
the
existing
kinescoped
commercials
show
that
it
was
difficult
to
make
work
properly. |
| The
Hydrogen
Ray
Gun
Ring
is
very
familiar
and
may
have
been
previously
marketed
by
older
radio
shows
other
than
Space
Patrol,
but
it
is
an
impressive
premium
nonetheless
and
highly
prized. |
 |
|
|
| A
Project-O-Scope,
in
the
classic
shape
of
a
space
ship
appeared
and
featured
a
little
film
strip
that
would
project
Space
objects
on
the
wall.
Well....sort
of! |
 |
|
|
| How
about
a
10
cent
Space
Patrol
Giant
Balloon?
It
had
the
image
of
a
Space
Ship
on
its
exterior,
but
it
looked
more
like
the
Buck
Rogers
style
than
Space
Patrol. |
 |
|
|
|
| A
Space
Patrol
Monorail
set
was
offered
and
even
appeared
on
the
air
in
a
few
shots
used
as
a
miniature.
Nothing
ever
went
to
waste
on
this
show.
Some
Paper
Items
of
Interest:
|
Ralston
did
not
neglect
trading
cards,
a
set
of
40
colorful
cards
were
produced
with
typical
space
scenes
and
some
images
of
the
shows
stars
and
were
enclosed
in
packages
of
Ralston’s
Chex
cereals.
 |
“Magic”
Space
Patrol
pictures
were
produced
in
a
set
of
24
cards
that
had
pictures
of
the
cast
and
space
ships
etc.
These
were
done
in
negative
black
and
white.
You
had
to
stare
intently
at
them
and
then
quickly
look
away
and
your
persistence
of
vision
would
retain
a
positive
image
on
your
eyes
for
a
few
fleeting
seconds.
|
 The
cardboard
Martian
Totem-Head
(it
was
25
cents,
pictured
at
far
right
-
unbuilt)
was
tied
into
a
series
of
episodes
and
is
highly
collectible
when
found
intact.
It
had
a
two-way
panel
in
it
that
enabled
you
to
see
out,
but
nobody
could
see
in.
A
plainer
straight
Outer
Space
Helmet
was
also
offered
and
the
concept
was
very
similar. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A
cardboard
Space
Periscope
with
Space
Patrol
graphics
on
its
exterior
was
touted…
“Hey
Kids,
look
over
the
tops
of
people’s
heads!”
It
featured
some
nice
graphics
on
its
exterior. |
|
|
When
Space
Patrol
introduced
a
new
“rocket
test
plane”,
what
better
item
to
market
to
you
than
the
official
cardboard
mock-up
of
the
cockpit?
Today,
in
mint
condition,
this
is
highly
collectible
and
expensive.
(You
may
notice
the
CC:
Space
Patrol
site
uses
a
few
graphics
from
this
rare
item
as
part
of
the
graphics
menu
for
the
site
above)
|
|
OTHER
COMPANIES
GET
INTO
THE
ACT
Here
are
some
of
the
store
items:
|
|
Decca
Records
offered
'Space
Patrol
Adventures'
on
LP-records
and
these
were
sold
in
your
local
record
store.
|
|
|
|
|
Marx
toys
got
into
the
act
and
recycled
their
Signal
Ray
Gun
with
the
words
Space
Patrol
on
it.
It
had
first
appeared
with
its
generic
name,
then
Tom
Corbett,
Rex
Mars
and
Dan
Dare.
It
was
pretty
ugly
and
had
nothing
to
do
with
the
real
show,
but
sells
for
big
bucks
today.
|
|
|
|
|
Ray-O-Vac
made
one
of
the
classiest
looking
Space
Patrol
toys:
the
Rocketlite
flashlight
in
the
shape
of
a
rocket
ship
with
all
sorts
of
neat
graphics
on
the
box…
a
real
beauty.
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
sorts
of
clothing
items
from
Giant
Plastic
Bubble
Space
Helmets
to
the
Space
Patrol
Cap
with
fold-down
sun-glasses
appeared
in
department
stores.
|
|
|
|
A
rare
Sonic
Rifle
was
marketed
and
is
seldom
seen
intact
today.
|
|
|
|
An
official
Space
Patrol
wrist
watch
made
by
U.S.
Time
with
nice
graphics
on
the
box
was
marketed
and
many
of
them
show
up
to
this
day
on
EBay.
|
|
|
|
A
Space
Patrol
jigsaw
puzzle
was
made
by
Milton
Bradley
|
|
|
|
|
Archer
made
“Space
Patrol”
walkie-talkies,
and
sold
many
of
them,
although
they
were
never
licensed
by
the
TV
series
or
had
any
real
Space
Patrol
graphics.
|
|
|
|
Tin
toys
of
rockets
and
robots
etc.
have
come
out
of
Japan
with
the
name
generic
name
of
space
patrol
but
none
of
these
were
licensed
by
the
TV
show
and
have
little
relationship
in
style
or
look
to
the
real
Space
Patrol.
|
|
|
|
Video
rights
to
the
TV
episodes
were
licensed
to
Wade
Williams
by
Mike
Moser’s
widow,
but
copies
of
the
shows
appear
everywhere
such
as
SwapSale.com...
as
most
of
the
material
is
in
public
domain.
|
|
|
|
|
Ziff-Davis
Publishing
issued
two
Space
Patrol
comic
books
with
painted
covers
and
these
issues
are
rare
today
and
highly
collectible.
|
|
|
THE
BIGGEST
PREMIUM
CONTEST
OF
THEM
ALL! |
|
At
the
height
of
Space
Patrol’s
popularity
came
the
big
one…
the
contest
to
name
villain
Prince
Baccarratti’s
Planet
X.
A
planet
said
to
be
5,000
times
bigger
than
Earth…and
even
larger
than
that
depending
on
which
show
you
listened
to.
|
 The
first
prize
was
a
35
foot,
10,000
pound
life-size
Terra
IV
Rocket
Club
house.
It
was
35
feet
long,
complete
with
its
own
flat
bed
motor
truck
to
haul
it
around.
It
came
with
a
bonus
of
$1500.00
in
cash.
It
had
everything
you
could
want
inside
it:
camping
gear,
electric
lights,
lockers,
bunks,
cooking
equipment
etc.
All
you
had
to
do
was
name
the
evil
Baccarratti’s
Planet
X.
Winner
RICKY
WALKER
won
the
rocket
with
the
winning
name
for
Planet
X,
"CAESARIA."
The
contest
was
a
cooperation
between
Ralston
and
Weather
bird
Shoes.
On
the
show,
Jack
Narz
would
extol
us
to
visit
our
local
Weather
Bird
Shoe
Store
and
pick
up
a
“FREE”
Space
Patrol
coin
album
with
three
plastic
space
coins
in
it,
and
most
of
all,
the
entry
blank
for
the
contest.
If
you
could
not
find
a
Weather
Bird
Shoe
Store,
then
you
could
always
get
a
box
of
Hot
Ralston,
with
the
special
pictures
of
Buzz
or
Happy
on
the
front
of
the
box.
The
back
of
the
box
had
the
instructions
on
how
to
enter
this
great
contest.
In
each
box
was
one
of
the
special
Space
Patrol
coins
too.
The
contest
offered
other
prizes…1750
of
them!
750
second
prizes
of
Varsity
Schwinn
3-speed
bikes
in
your
choice
of
boy’s
or
girl’s
models
were
given
away.
1000
third
prizes
of
Space
Patrol
goodies
were
next.
You
could
win
an
official
Space
Patrol
Bubble
Space
Helmet,
a
Space
Patrol
Sonic
Ray
Rifle,
an
official
Space
Patrol
wrist
watch
just
like
Commander
Corry
wore,
and
a
special
Space
Patrol
Emergency
Kit.
All
of
these
neat
prizes
were
featured
prominently
on
the
Planet
X
episodes.
You
can
view
these
old
episodes
on
video
today
as
Bruce
David
offers
copies
of
the
old
kinescope
recordings
on
his
Swapsale
site.
The
specific
volumes
containing
these
promos
for
the
Ralston
Rocket
contest
seem
to
be
V0Ls
#14-17.
Bruce
recently
has
made
available
the
whole
Planet
X
series
on
one
tape.
He
even
has
early
recordings
of
the
original
Kit
Corry
with
Glen
Denning
and
you
can
see
for
yourself
how
miscast
and
wrong
for
the
part
he
was.
Ed
Kemmer’s
arrival
as
the
new
Commander
In
Chief
of
Space
Patrol
gave
life
to
the
series.
Despite
the
age
of
these
old
kinescope
recordings,
I
cannot
recommend
them
enough
as
they
are
great
fun.
(use
the
link
above
for
more
info)
They
are
nearly
50
years
old
and
many
show
their
age,
but
all
the
fun
and
excitement
of
Space
Patrol
remains.
The
cult
following
of
Space
Patrol
and
all
its
premiums
continues
into
the
21st
Century
and
shows
no
sign
of
abating…
As
Cadet
Happy
might
say
if
he
were
with
us
today:
“SMOKIN’
ROCKETS!”
Tom
Mason
aka,
The
Crimson
Collector
RETURN
TO
THE
SPACE
PATROL
'ARTICLES'
*Note:
there
were
at
least
two
other
television
shows
with
the
name
“Space
Patrol.”
One
was
in
Germany
and
another
in
England
and
they
generated
their
own
following
that
exists
to
this
day...
Neither
of
these
versions
had
any
relationship
to
the
ABC
version.
If
you
have
an
'Article'
or
'Review'
that
you
would
like
to
share
with
the
Crimson
Collector.
Then
feel
free
to
submit
it
for
use
on
the
Articles
&
Reviews
page.
SUBMIT
HERE |
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