Rumours & Reproductions

THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM

Any serious collector thrives on information about the object of his/her passion. Lists are compiled, old catalogues scrutinized, and other collectors and dealers consulted for more details. The collection of information may become almost as important as the toys themselves (and may ultimately even lead to building a website such as this one!).

But there's also a lot of uncertainty to be found, which this particular section hopes to address. We do not claim to be sure of everything, but here, in our opinion, are those things which mostly are not what they seem: the MMM X-files. 

Mattel Photography

Photographs made by Mattel can sometimes show surprising details, as well as real differences to the toys that were actually produced. Click on the thumbnail picture to see those we've found (so far).

Real Differences

You've seen a piece of MMM equipment that looks different somehow? Or something you've never even seen before? Some of the more common explanations can be found here.

Real Space Oddities

Once in a while, a real piece of MMM curiosity does come to light. The ones we know of are listed here, and who knows what may yet turn up?

Rumours

Like every field of collecting, MMM also has his share of rumurs doing the rounds. Some rumors may turn out to be true, some of them may never be proven one way or another.

Caveat Emptor

"Buyer Beware" - collecting can have many pitfalls, and there's also some predators out there. Here are some things to watch for and examples for comparison.

Eager Beavers & Savior Saints

Here's some good news: that sorry-looking MMM piece you've got in your scrapbox may yet be saved to live in your display case once more. Of course, you may also be offered a reconditioned item for sale, in which case it can be helpful to know what may have been done to it.

"Celebrity MMM figures"

Well-known people too were young once, and some of them played with our favorite toy.

We haven't managed to trace some of the people whose pictures are featured on these pages. Please drop us a line so we can give you a picture credit. Thanks!

Should anybody reading this have any similar information, additions or corrections, then we would very much appreciate hearing about them.

All Mattel images and captions are copyright Mattel and used without permission. All other content, including images and editorial, is Copyright © 1997-2023 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton or Paul Vreede.