This was , by far, my favorite toy as a child. Playsets were a big institution in the 1960s. Marx produced many. But Mattel was the premier American toy company, producing playthings that were imaginative and classy. The Switch-n-Go Lost In Space playset was no exception. The core of the package was a motorized Chariot that ran on flexible tubular track with pads that attached that triggered action features. A chrome-plated Robot could be attached to run along behind the Chariot. There were stand-up cardboard targets to shoot missiles at, and a colorful alien planetscape that could be stood up for the Chariot to pass through. There were detailed three-inch high plastic figures of the Robinson party that bore perfect likenesses of their TV counterparts. Professor John Robinson could be placed in his jetpack to “fly” above the Chariot. There was a Jupiter 2 as well, although for some reason it was molded in styrofoam. Except for the figures, the accuracy of the pieces was pretty meager. But it enabled kids like me to relive the TV adventures or create new ones. It was a very fun thing to have. One could more easily forgive the inaccuracies back then, as toys rarely set a high standard back then for capturing the right details (ever seen the Remco Star Trek toys?). What this set did was at least recreate in miniature the spirit of the show.
These days the Switch-N-Go playset is a rare treasure that usually commands a tidy sum. I still have the figures and Chariot, but my poor Jupiter 2 was tossed out during a move by my teen-age sister’s lunk-head boyfriend, who mistook it for packing material (hey, it was made out of white Styrofoam for crying out loud, so one can hardly blame him).
I think I love Lost in Space as now even more than I did as a kid !
ReplyDeleteMagical,fanciful,and played completely by it's own rules !
You have a wonderful blog. I found it Christmas morning and I feel like I'm 10 years old again visiting space with my extended family the Robinsons. And yes I had a Switch n Go set, and have always regretted it's slow demise as I remodeled pieces into other things as I grew older and Lost in Space had become a past memory. I think I ultimately used the jupiter II in the swimming pool and it did not last long there, you know it being hit with giant meteorites into the Inland Sea and cyclops attacks finally breached the hull. Thank you for the memories.
ReplyDeleteWow, I had this toy too! I remember the styrafoam Jupiter II falling apart pretty quickly but boy would I like to have this toy again. thanks for putting this up! John
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