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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.

 Display Status

This object is on display in James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

James S. McDonnell Space Hangar
Object Details
Country of Origin China Type MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture Dimensions 3-D: 25.4 x 14 x 12.7cm (10 x 5 1/2 x 5 in.)
 Materials Overall, aluminum; tires, rubber
 Inventory Number A20010629000 Credit Line Found in collection. Donor unknown at this time. Found on NASM premises. Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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