Country of Origin: China
Dimensions:
3-D Test: 25.4 x 14 x 12.7cm (10 x 5 1/2 x 5 in.)
Materials:
Overall, aluminum; tires, rubber
This battery-operated space-themed toy tank is a tin toy that was manufactured in China, most likely in the 1960s, for export. This toy illustrates how toy makers tapped into the contemporary fascination for space exploration by added a space theme to a toy even if the basic form of the toy was not space-related. Except for the label "Space Tank" and a few small rockets lithographed onto the sides of the metal toy, there is nothing inherently space-y about this toy tank. This toy would have been created to compete in a tin toy marketplace that by the late 1950s had come to be dominated by creatively-designed, complex Japanese tin toys with moving parts and/lights.
The Museum accessioned this toy into its collection in 2001.
Found in collection. Donor unknown at this time. Found on NASM premises.
