Mattel #6321 Space Shelter Pak

#6321 Space Shelter Pak Front

The Space Shelter featured a blow-up tent for protecting the astronauts from the "elements"... whatever those are on the moon! The tent could be folded up and stored on an astronaut-fitted backpack and came with an inflation tank ("Inflator Pump" that could be compressed as a bellows and control valve "Inflator Control" - pretty much a plastic connector between the tank and tent. The Pak also came with a white plastic compass and map-case, and some cool space labels.

The Package reads: "Emergency Inflatable Shelter * Protects Astronaut from Violent Space Storms * Compact Back Pack Carries Shelter & Air Pump" 

Packaging:

The Card is full-color, process-printed and is 8 1/2" x 12" x 1 3/4" Copyright is 1967. This is another card featuring the MMM logo printed in red on the black, instead of the usual blue on the back.

Sticker Sheet:

Mattel Catalog Specifications:

(First appearance: Mattel Toys 1968 "Toy Fair" Catalog Page 16)

NEW! SPACE SHELTER PAK #6321
Inflatable shelter protects astronauts from violent space storms! Sets-up quickly with included squeezable air pump! Or stores compactly on spaceman's back. Map case, compass, back pak, inflator control, space labels.
Std. Pack: 1 Doz.
Wt: 4 Lbs.

#6321 Space Shelter Pak Back

Variations:

• Chip Box: For some reason, Mattel switched the packaging of their accessory packs from the blister card to a chip-box. This was introduced in the spring of 1970 and continued until the end of the MMM run, with fewer accessories being warehoused in the carded variation. Mattel also went with a "mod" color scheme with most of their toy lines, perhaps to consolidate their brand presence as Barbie took a new, "mod" direction.
  Front | Back | End
  
  
• Mattel GmbH (German): Weltraum-Zelt

John's Notes:

I never had this pack as a child, and in retrospect, I don't know if I would have bought the tent idea. It is a nice way to once again utilize some of that vinyl material that the Standard Plastics acquisition brought to Mattel. For some reason, this Pak is very difficult to find on a nice card, and some of the small pieces, such as the compass, are also tough to acquire loose. 

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