MMM Astronaut Capt. Otto Harvey

Capt. Otto Harvey via Holographic Television

The Astronaut Capt. Otto "Squeak" Harvey - Who is he?

Capt. Otto "Squeak Harvey is a character in the Whitman Publishing arm of Western Publishing (now defunct as of 2001) #2022 Big Little Book (BLB): "Major MATT MASON - MOON MISSION", published in 1968.The BLB was written by George S. Elrick with beautiful color illustrations by comic book artist Dan Spiegle. I think of the four characters introduced in the BLB as NPC (Non-Player Characters - it's a gaming term), but I think there's enough information here to introduce them into the world of Major MATT MASON. Based on what was produced and the copyrights presented, I'm sure that Mattel licensed Major MATT MASON to Whitman as a means of spreading the brand into print - Mattel later also did this with Hot Wheels in a similar fashion.

Capt. Harvey was Major MATT MASON's roommate as cadets at the US Air Force Academy. He was also part of the second phase of a moon base development project, code name "Nucleus Two" - he had volunteered to remain alone on the moon for several months following the the first phase "Nucleus One" to establish temporary facilities awaiting more supplies for the next phase. He was basically sunk into the lunar regolith inside a "thermal tube" on the far side of the moon with enough rations to last until "Nucleus Two" commenced, and a backup hibernation pill in case the schedule was thrown off. Over the course of his stay things got dicey and with worry about his isolation, Major Mason accelerated his pickup by a week.

Capt. Otto "Squeak" Harvey with Capt. McAllister

Capt. Otto "Squeak" Harvey with Maj. Mason

Most of the images of "Squeak" show him in ragged clothing as he had abandoned his suit. Interesting story that features many MMM vehicles and gear. We also get a few new characters, giant rabbits and aliens, of course.

Packaging by Catalog Year:

Western Publishing probably offered this Big Little Book for at least two years and probably had it available until the initial print run became too small to solicit.

• 1968 Whitman #2022 Major MATT MASON "Moon Mission"
• Quantity Minimums are unknown at this time
  

John's Notes:

My favorite thing about this BLB is the strange disregard for the need of air tanks to fill the suits of air - but then again that's something that Mattel also did not address. I'm sure they understood the need as there is some reference to the lack of air (it's even a plot point as they can only communicate via com-link. Funny as there are sounds to be heard, just not the sound of voices), but I guess it was too inconvenient.

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.

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