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| MMM Alien Scorpio with eyes lit up |
The Alien SCORPIO™ - Who is he?
The mysterious alien Scorpio, like Capt Lazer before him, appears out-of-place among the astronauts of Mattel's Man In Space. Towering over the Major, Scorpio exceeds seven inches in height. Powered by a single "AA" battery, Scorpio's eyes and mouth light up via a GE401 blinking-bulb. Quite the effect to an 8 year-old and I'm sure it left quite an impression.
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| MMM Alien Scorpio with Chest Search Probe Launcher |
Scorpio was constructed as a rubber-compound-covered wire armature encased in a hard-plastic exoskeleton torso. The battery was inserted into the neck opening, covered by a brass light bulb-ring and covered by a yellow plastic dome and rubber head. A blinking GE401 bulb lights eyes, mouth and to some extent the face for a unique appearance. Scorpio also came with armor-like clip-on shields for his arms and legs. To complete his ensemble, a green vest with tube/gun would fire "search globes" with the aid of a bellows/hose arrangement (much like the Moon Suit and Space Power Suit). The "search globes" were small Styrofoam pellets that came in a small baggie.
The Story of Scorpio (reprinted from package back):
Scorpio's cocoon snapped open and he tumbled onto the
dry sands of his planet in the star cluster Scorpio.
Although Scorpio would never know his parents as Earth
children would, he was prepared to face anything from the
moment of his birth. His keen mind could sense danger
before it appeared. The strange electronic cells in his brain
were programmed like computers. All the information he
required came instantly!
He opened his eyes, and they began to flash! He realized
he could read minds! Suddenly a sharp sound-thought
screamed into his brain. It was a call from a far-away galaxy.
Scorpio's next sensation was the soft kiss of stardust, the
whisper of space, as he blasted out and away from his home.
unexplored. Strangely, though, he could sense another
presence. Quickly he strapped on his vest projector. But
before he could gather his search globes, he saw the alien.
It was Major MATT MASON©. Scorpio's senses told him that
this was the creature that had called him. This must be a
friend! Without a word, Scorpio turned and followed Major
MATT MASON into a world of adventure!
Scorpio is relatively difficult to find, especially compared to the aliens and astronauts. Several years ago the rumor was that the figure was extremely rare, so prices were artificially inflated. The price of both a nice loose example, and a box-complete set are now much more reasonable, with the accessibility provided by eBay and other internet stores.
I'm not sure why, but most collectors who owned Scorpio as a child assume or have a memory of him being an enemy of the astronauts. Reading the package back, we learn that Scorpio was actually a friend and companion of Major Matt and the gang. For a twist on this, the CIPSA (Mexico) version was indeed an enemy, as was Callisto (as Cripton). See the CIPSA (Mexico) section for more information.
Design Patent:
FIGURE TOY OR THE LIKE (Scorpio)
D221,008 Jun 29, 1971, Filed Feb 2, 1970
Richard W. Irons
"A thrust element mounted on the inner turn of a spirally-wound band, the spiral expanding lengthwise when pressured air is applied to it."
Patent Found by Bill Bulloch
John's Notes
Fairly simple Design patent covering Scorpio's appearance - I'm guessing the Search Probe launcher wasn't important enough to patent or probably too similar to other products already produced within Mattel's stable of toys.
Prototype:
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| Scorpio from the 1970 Mattel GmbH Spielzeug Catalog |
Figure Variations:
Thus far the only variation that I'm aware of is the slight color differences, and in particular the Pink-molded feet of the CIPSA Scorpio made for the Mexican market.Like Major MATT MASON, Scorpio had "© 1966 MATTEL, INC." and "U.S. AND FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING" in larger type on his back.
Packaging by Catalog Year:
Scorpio could only be found in a single package so no variations and it doesn't appear that he was ever offered as part of a Mattel assortment -
he's the rarest of the alien figures produced by Mattel other than Or which never made it into production.
Here's a list of where you might find him by year and the case size
(solicitation size from US Mattel Toy Trade Catalogs:
- 6359 SCORPIO
- 1970 Std. Pack: 1 Doz.
- 1971 Std. Pack: 1 Doz.
Strangely, the most common packaged Scorpio figure is the CIPSA Scorpio, as there was a large find of old store stock back in the 2000s.
Accessories:
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| MMM Alien Scorpio US Package Contents |
- Exo Skin (removable head)
- Head
- Skull Bubble
- Light Bulb Ring
- GE401 Bulb
- Arm and Leg Shields
- Vest Projector
- Control Air Pump
- Clear Hose
- Search Globes
John's Notes:
Once again moving away from the original idea of designs based on
actual outer space research, Mattel seems to have been moving more
towards Science Fiction than science. The last two years of MMM featured
toys that had computerized components (like the programmable Star
Seeker), lighting effects (like Scorpio) and sound devices (Talking
Voice Control Pak in the Talking MMM sets). The toy environment of the
early 70's was heavily influenced by gimmicks and gadgetry (just as it is
now) and the trend was away from role-play and more towards innovation.
This trend, plus the waning public interest in the space race, spelled
the ultimate demise in toys like our favorite astronaut and his space
buddies!
Once thought to be the rarest Major Matt Mason figure, Scorpio now
appears to be more common than first thought. Old Store Stock examples
are still found and he appears to have been marketed through
both 1970 and 1971 (see the Mattel Catalogs pages for more information - links above).
Scorpio was the first really expensive figure I ever bought. I
purchased a loose example, right when I began collecting MMM in 1985,
for $450 from a Toy Shop ad. The figure was supposed to be complete/mint
with unbroken wires. He actually had one broken wire in the thigh (I
can't fault the seller, it was and still is difficult to tell that the
wire is broken, except for the tell-tale "click" when bent). The same
figure may be purchased for less today.
One of my favorite uses of Scorpio is this Italian record sleeve:
I tried to be as thorough as possible with this information but as always, if you see something that's inaccurate, want to have the information updated for some reason or want to contribute, contact John Eaton.
All Mattel images and captions are copyright Mattel and used without permission. All other content, including images and editorial, is Copyright © 1997-2024 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.
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