Manufacturing Mystery
Who made the Luminous Spooks?
In the 1950s and 60s, it was common practice for producers of breakfast cereals to give away plastic figures etc from existing ranges made by toy manufacturers, rather than commission new ones, presumably because it was cheaper. Kellogg's gave away unpainted figures from Cresent, specially stamped on the base with the Kellogg's logo, for example. Similarly, some free gifts from Sugar Puffs have been identified, as follows:
- late 1950s: Cowboys and Indians, made by an Islyn Thomas company in the US. These were imported by Rosedale/Tudor Rose or Poplar in the UK and sold in Woolworth's as pocket-money toys (source: Kim & yowiemaggi website); (09/25: these companies were manufacturers, so perhaps they were produced here using imported moulds?)
- 1957: Racing cars, by Caldwell of Canada; *
- 1962: HO scale British soldiers, by Airfix of the UK; *
- 1963: HO scale Cowboys and Indians, also by Airfix; *
- 1967/68: Fairground Rides, by R&L (thanks to Steve L.).
(* - thanks to Kim for these).
Perhaps then the Spooks also came from an existing range of figures, and maybe the set, or part of it at least, was originally intended for sale for Halloween. The commercial exploitation of Halloween has occurred only relatively recently in the UK, so there could well have been an American influence or origin. The Spooks have 'eyes' or 'loops' and so perhaps were originally intended as 'charms' or pendants. Could they have been sold in Woolworth's too, like the Sugar Puffs Cowboys and Indians?
I received an interesting snippet from Kim, who says a contact recalls Christmas Tree decorations that were luminous, flat, and which had detailed surfaces with holes for eyes etc. They even had the little loops from which to hang them. This was in the mid-1950s, so it's quite possible then that the original Spooks date from this period, too, perhaps even being made by the same company.
Kim wrote a letter to Plastic Warrior Magazine asking for information about the Spooks, including help in identifying the manufacturer. Given the worldwide circulation of the magazine and the specialized knowledge of the readership, if anyone could help, it would likely be a reader. The letter appeared in the December 2008 issue and did achieve a fantastic result with the Haunted Manor picture from Peter Watson. However, there have been no other responses, so perhaps we will never know who made them.