Vintage Rosko Nomura Astronaut Tin Toy Japan Space Robot Spaceman
It does not run and the helmet dome is broken, as shown. Otherwise it is in good condition, with only modest corrosion. 6 x 6 x 13 inches. A similar red version of this toy is in the collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: This red Rosko robot spaceman toy is a tin toy produced in Japan for export to an American market.
In post-WWII Japan, producing these metal toys began as a way to tap into an international market for "penny toys" or cheap playthings, but developed by the late 1950s into a industry manufacturing creatively-designed, complex toys with moving parts and/lights that competed successfully with Western toymakers. This Rosko battery-powered astronaut, which can be viewed as either a human space traveler or a futuristic robot, blended the American fascination with outer space with the Japanese fad for robots.
Using kanei-kogyo, or family industries, many Japanese tin toy companies distributed preprinted metal sheets to home-based shops, where families worked together to stamp, shape, and wholly or partially assemble them. The item "Vintage Rosko Nomura Astronaut Tin Toy Japan Space Robot Spaceman" is in sale since Friday, November 13, 2020. This item is in the category "Toys & Hobbies\Robots, Monsters & Space Toys\Robots\Pre-1970\Tin".The seller is "bilsw" and is located in Chicago, Illinois. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Uruguay.
- Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan
- Theme: Astronaut Robot
- Year: 1960s
- Brand: Nomura