JR MMM adverts 1969

These two adverts for MMM appeared in French-language comic magazines in the late Spring of 1969 – we have examples from Mickey magazine (published in France) and Tin-Tin and Spirou magazines (published in Belgium).

Soyes Les Premiers Sur Lat Lune... (1969 full page advert)

Translations by Paul Vreede. Full page version reads as follows:

Be the first on the Moon…

Yes, be he first on the Moon with Major Matt Mason, his companions and their equipment based on official designs of space machines.
Matt Mason is a real cosmonaut. With all his entirely articulated equipment, he can take any pose and is 15 cm tall. Everything is authentic, up to the anti-solar visor of his helmet which moves.

Dorsal thruster
Attach it to Major Matt Mason’s back: he will move in small jumps through space

Jet sled
Install Major Matt Mason on his sled: he will freely move on the lunar soil.

Space Station: assemble yourself the headquarters of Major Matt Mason on the Moon: lodging, control tower, automatic radar, projector, movable transparent panels to filter solar radiation…

Moon suit
Autonomous, it has flexible arms that you control from a distance by a system of compressed air.

Lunar Vehicle
Using electric energy, it makes play of craters, crevasses, all uneven terrain. It can’t overturn. Placed on top of the space base, it will turn freely and its winch becomes a crane to lift supplies.

Mattel S.A. International distributed by jouets rationnels

Coupon text:
I desire receiving the M.10 documentation in colour about MATT MASON and his companions.
Name – First name – Street – Nr – Department Nr – Town
Cut out this coupon and address it to: J.R. 6, rue Cauchois 75-Paris 18th, with 1 F in stamps.

Starting on 15 June, take part at your outlet in the great space game

Soyes Les Premiers Sur Lat Lune... (1969 half page advert)

The half-page advert has an abbreviated version of the intro and then repeats the texts for the Jet Pack, Moon Suit, Space Sled and Space Station. Instead of a coupon it tells readers to “Request the Matt Mason M.192 documentation” at the same address and including the 1 F in stamps while doing so.

Paul’ notes:

As usual I’ve kept the translations fairly close to how the French original is written, to give some impression of how it reads.

The Moon Suit is translated as a lunar “scaphandre” which is the French word used for deep-sea diving suits. But because the word in itself has no direct reference to either diving or water, it can equally be used for space suits of similar spec.

The territory of France is divided into administrative regions known as departments. Before the advent of zip codes, the French already used the department number to indicate where a town is located, and still often do.

The different types of ‘documentation’ offered are intriguing (M.10 or M.192). I have no idea what those numbers might refer to, but it would seem there were at least two different kinds of folder or brochure available to mail out.

To make up these adverts, a studio artist will have used clip art provided by Mattel, scaled to size photographically and combined with typeset text and skillful hand-lettering.

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 or Paul Vreede.