Moon McDare
Encyclopedia
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| Manufacturer(s) | A. C. Gilbert Company A. C. Gilbert Company The A. C. Gilbert Company was an American toy company, once one of the largest toy companies in the world. It is best known for introducing the Erector Set to the marketplace.... |
| Era | 1960s |
| Category | Action Figures |
| Web address | N/A |
Moon McDare was a A. C. Gilbert Company
A. C. Gilbert Company
The A. C. Gilbert Company was an American toy company, once one of the largest toy companies in the world. It is best known for introducing the Erector Set to the marketplace....
toy line featuring a fictional male astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
, released in response to the then current interest in outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
and the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
/Soviet Space Race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
. Moon McDare stood approximately 12" (30.4 cm) high and was provided with a variety of space gear, including helmet, backpack and hand tools.
The toyline first appeared in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1965 and continued through the late '60s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. Moon McDare's body was molded in "flesh" colored plastic with ball/socket joints. His accessories were molded in blue, yellow or silver plastic and white space suits. The figure could be found boxed with a "dark blue" jumpsuit and black boots. The accessories were sold separately as shallow bagged "packs" or deluxe sets surrounded by cardboard (similar to a blister pack
Blister pack
Blister pack is a term for several types of pre-formed plastic packaging used for small consumer goods, foods, and for pharmaceuticals.The primary component of a blister pack is a cavity or pocket made from a "formable" web, usually a thermoformed plastic. This usually has a backing of paperboard...
) - one set featured the "Space Mutt" - Moon McDare's traveling companion.
From A. C. Gilbert Figure Insert
#16130 Moon McDare Action Space ManHe's the all-American astronaut, nearly a foot tall and fully jointed for every natural body motion. McDare comes in jump suit and boots, and you can get everything he needs for space walking and moon exploring: complete, authentic space suit and helmet, oxygen tanks, communications set and many other accessories that really work! His faithful dog, The Space Mutt, comes with his own space suit and equipment. ©1966 The A.C. Gilbert Company
Gilbert Accessory Sets included:
- #16281 Moon McDare Space Suit Outfit
Complete Suit
Helmet (3 piece)
Boots (pair)
Gloves (pair)
Suit Air Conditioner
Action Space Gun that shoots harmless space projectiles
- #16282 Moon McDare's Space Mutt Set
Moon McDare's intrepid companion comes complete with his own
Space Suit
Helmet and Oxygen Tanks
The Space Mutt is jointed; he sits and stands like a real dog
- #16283 Moon McDare Moon Explorer Set
Oxygen Tanks/Power Pack (requires 2 "AA" pen cell type batteries, not included)
Operating Blinker Light Attachment that Plugs into Power Pack
Space Ray Gun which also plugs in
Retractable Umbilical Cord and Pack
Communications Set with Working Compass
Geiger counterGeiger counterA Geiger counter, also called a Geiger–Müller counter, is a type of particle detector that measures ionizing radiation. They detect the emission of nuclear radiation: alpha particles, beta particles or gamma rays. A Geiger counter detects radiation by ionization produced in a low-pressure gas in a...
that ticks realistically
Movie Camera - #16284 Moon McDare Action Communication Set
Oxygen Tanks/Power Pack (requires 2 "AA" pen cell type batteries, not included)
Operating Blinker Light
Space Camera - #16285 Moon McDare Space Gun Set
Spring Action Space Gun with spears
Ticking Geiger Counter - #16286 Moon McDare Space Accessory Pack
Working Binoculars
Retractable Umbilical Cord and Pack
Communication Set with Real Compass
Moon McDare was marketed by all the major toy stores and also in department store catalogs like Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, JCPenney, Montgomery Wards, and Spiegel
Spiegel catalog
Spiegel is one of the USA's leading direct marketing companies. Spiegel began as a "wareroom" in downtown Chicago; it is a US$3 billion, international, tri-channel, specialty retailer....
in their Christmas Catalogs. Usually McDare accompanied other figures produced by Gilbert, including James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
figures, Honey West
Honey West
Honey West is a fictional character created by Gloria and Forest Fickling under the pseudonym "G.G. Fickling", and appearing in eleven mystery novels by the duo.The character is notable as being one of the first female private detectives in popular fiction...
and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
characters Illya Kuryakin
Illya Kuryakin
Illya Nickovetch Kuryakin is a fictional character from the 1960s TV spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E..The series was remarkable for pairing an American Napoleon Solo and the Russian Kuryakin as two spies who work together for an international espionage organisation at the height of the Cold War...
and Napoleon Solo
Napoleon Solo
Napoleon Solo is a fictional character from the 1960s TV spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The series was remarkable for pairing the American Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and the Russian Illya Kuryakin as two spies who work together for an international espionage organisation at the height of...
. The weapons and accessories offered for Moon McDare were similar to G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
accessories but of slightly lesser quality. Space Suits with Helmets, gloves and boots were offered for both Moon McDare and Space Mutt.
A correction to the above article. Moon McDare did not have ball and socket joints. Instead, he was jointed at head, shoulders and hips only. It is odd that A.C. Gilbert could do very good modelling of facial features [see their James Bond figure], but could only manage an inferior body. In any case, the stiffness of the plastic spacesuit would have made action poses very difficult to achieve.