Our latest blog comes from Rebecca, one of our
fantastic Volunteer Cataloguing Assistants, who has been supporting us with the
collection behind the scenes at our museum store.
Around the World in 50(ish) Toys
Hong Kong, Chicago, Milan, Japan and… Thorpe Audlin!
What connects these
places across the globe?
A collection of mid-twentieth
century toys, games and activity books that I’ve been helping to catalogue. They
were found in the loft of what was Thorpe Audlin Post Office by the new owners
of the property. 5 miles south of Pontefract, and with a population of less
than 700, I was struck by the connection between the local and the global.
Here I want to
explore two examples to give a glimpse into the collection. I’ve chosen Kalkitos
(action transfer or rub-on transfer sets) and a Pac-Man bubble blower, for the
sheer amount of related locations, and because of my own interest in video
games and printing.
Kalkitos is the
brand name for a series of action transfer sets made in the late 70s and early
80s. A background scene on cardboard (for example a park) came with a sheet of
images which could be transferred to the background. By rubbing with a stylus
or pencil, characters and objects could be placed in any configuration, I’m
sure often with comical results. There is a sense of nostalgia with these
transfer sets. The physical process visibly links the action (rubbing) with the
result (transfer), and they allow freedom and creativity. We have four Kalkitos
in collection, including ‘Fred Flintstone at the Pool’ and a Looney Tunes
scene.
But what journey
led these objects to our museum store? The story actually begins elsewhere in
England.
The transfer
technique was developed by Letraset, who produced them first in London, then in
Kent. However, our selection was manufactured in Italy, in a joint venture with
Gillette (yes, the razor company!) As I understand it, the factory in Milan
used a different printing method, and so the Kalkitos came to us via the
continent. However, there are bonus connections: the titles are also in French,
German, Dutch, Danish and Swedish, to increase the market and audience without having
to print each separately. Funnily enough, it’s not in Italian despite the
Milanese origin. Plus, of course, Warner Bros and Hanna Barbera are
quintessential American animation studios.
So we’ve already
been round Europe, but our next example goes further afield…
Pac-Man is an iconic
character, universal in its simplicity. From his debut in the 1980 arcade game,
the circular yellow munching-machine represents the influence of Japanese video
games and media. Here, Pac-Man himself becomes a bubble blower, and the packing
is charmingly illustrated (although there are some interesting fashion choices
by the ghosts!)
With no mention
of developer Namco, I initially thought it was unauthorised, but in fact this
was another example of the global links.
All the way in
Chicago, Illinois, Bally Midway had the Pac-Man licence for everywhere outside
of Japan. This included merchandise, and the bubble blower is an example of the
Pac-Man craze that swept America. In spite of all of these links, the toy was
actually made in Hong Kong, where the vast majority of the toys in this
collection were manufactured.
Both of these
items, like all the toys in this collection, are interactive, and demand to be
played with. The joy of playing is universal, and it has been fascinating going
through the collection, and seeing all different paths leading back to a little
hamlet in West Yorkshire. The global traces the toys have left ultimately led
to creating delight and entertainment for the children (and perhaps adults!) of
Thorpe Audlin.
Wednesday market
