Space Toys of the 60's by James H. Gillam

Space Toys of the 60's by James H. Gillam Cover

Space Toys of the 60's was published by James H. Gillam in 1999 - at the time it was the most comprehensive book describing Major Matt Mason (nearly half the book - 78 of the 160 pages - is dedicated to Major Matt Mason) with sections regarding Mattel releases by stock number and various other details including some info on foreign releases. Gillam contacted many collectors and aggregated a lot of data to make this book - he asked for the use of some of my images and you'll find them used. The book also covers Zeroids and the Colorforms Outer Space Men (aka Colorforms Aliens or CFA) - you'll find Major Matt Mason on pages 14-92.

Space Toys of the 60's by James H. Gillam Page 1

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John's Take

I think this book belongs in everyone's Major Matt Mason collection. This was the first attempt at really qualifying Major Matt Mason as a serious collectible toy within a dedicated printed volume, describing various aspects of the toy line, items by stock number, and images of both the boxes and individual toys with variations and knock-offs. Back when it was published the references available, especially in print, were very limited and not very satisfying so this book definitely filled a gap.

At the time of publication and now retrospectively reviewing the book, I have a few comments however (not trying to offend here, just provide an honest evaluation):

1. The print quality is very inferior with poorly lit photos and scattered cheap printing on very cheap paper. During the late 90's most publications used offset printing and color image plates, this book looks and feels like something someone put together using a 90's era ink-jet printer. Many of the images are pixelated with poor cropping, reflections obscuring the subject matter and really not worthy of publication.
2. While the content is good (most is derived from the two MMM sites available at the time, Keith Meyer's "majormattmason.net" and my wildtoys.com sites and in fact we both, along with many other MMM collectors, contributed material), the presentation is rather chaotic in the way things are put together. The book would have benefited from a designer arranging a more balanced and flowing layout to better "tell the story."
3. Then there's the overall design look of the book - the text used for sections heavily incorporated computer graphics so you get this textured raised lettering with stark drop-shadow effect similar to early website graphics (my own wildtoys website had similar when it started - that's just what most people did at the time). It bothers me more now than back then and makes the book appear very dated - frankly, it's just hard to read.
4. The next issue is the inclusion of pricing information - is this book a price guide or something else? Pricing really dates most collectible publications so I'm not sure why it's included - I think rarity/scarcity and desirability are better topics for a book, while fluctuating prices are more appropriate for specialized periodicals.
5. Finally, as I recall, Jim composed the entire book using publishing software - I don't remember how much input the publisher or anyone else may have had prior to printing and I think this was Jim's first book so please take my rather harsh evaluation with a grain of salt. I've refrained from showing more than the cover and first couple of pages as Jim may at some point want to revise the book and publish another, expanded edition.

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.