Major Matt Mason and the Space Station
“Why did the Major mean so much to me? Because I was an Apollo baby,” wrote Washington Post reporter Frank Ahrens in 1996. “The Major represented the idealism of childhood and American can-do-ism. If we had put a man on the moon in 1969, just eight years after President Kennedy commanded it, surely Major Matt’s moon station would be a likelihood within a few years.”
from FastCompany.com
Our latest addition to our collectible toys is Major Matt Mason – 3 characters – Major Matt Mason, Civilian Doug Davis (yellow suit), and Callisto – the Space Alien – plus the space station. The baby boomer that owned this sure took good care of it!
![](https://bahoukas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/3-90373166-matt-mason-matteland8217s-man-in-space.jpg)
It’s interesting to hear how kids played with these toys using ingenuity and imagination:
For kids like Ystrom, though, the joys of playing with Mason came from some of the simple but ingenious designs that Ryan and his band of defense-industry expats came up with to represent their vision for playing astronaut. “You could take the string from Mason’s jet pack, attach it to a door, and he’d go shooting to the top of it,” Ystrom recalls. “On the back of Mason’s pack there was a psychedelic spiral in orange and black. When Mason flew, it was hypnotic. It’s what we thought we were heading toward.”
from FastCompany.com
GI Joe and Combat Man’s Equipment Case
![](https://bahoukas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GI-Joe-Equip-Case-700x552.jpg)
The case was a knock-off and offered through the Sears and JC Penney’s Christmas catalogs in the 1960s. THE GI JOE character and costumes are the real thing.
Combat Man’s Equipment Case was a rather typical carrying case of the day, constructed of cardboard covered with vinyl, with metal clasps. But this carrying case had a difference. Printed on each side of the carrying case was a painting of a jeep. In the middle of the case, on each side, was a transparent, vinyl window. And inside the case, there was a little shelf where you could seat your action figure.
from PopCult