Outer Space Men in Action Figures of the 1960s

If you’ve never read John Marshall’s Action Figures of the 1960s* then you’re missing out an important peek at the decade that brought us the term “action figure.”

From G.I. Joe in 1964 through Zeroids in the late sixties (see theroboforce.com for the spiritual ancestor of the Zeroids toys of the sixties), the book is packed with photos and info on more toys from the decade than any of us will ever collect. And tucked neatly away inside is a section on Mattel’s Matt Mason series . . . which ends with a look at the Colorforms The Outer Space Men action figures of the era.

Out of the twelve pages dedicated to Matt Mason fewer than three are spent on the Outer Space Men, but those three pages are enough to spark imaginations and lead many of us to search for the toys today.

‘Matt Mason was a spacey selling machine and inspired all sorts of merchandise from board games to Big Little Books. But it also inspired Colorforms, who issued a line of seven “me too” bendy characters in the late 1960s, specifically to be used with Major Matt Mason. These are known as the Outer Space Men.’

Action Figures of the 1960s* deserves to be in the library of every action figure fan out there, and I’m hoping these quick and rough snaps of the Outer Space Men inside the book will inspire some of you to seek out the book. In my opinion we can never have enough books about toys, and the more books that sell the more new books will be created.

And I do love books . . .