Crazy Astro Vehicle Toys

I thought it would be fun to post a few images of some interesting and/or weird Astro Boy toys from the past. I have a whole bunch of pictures of this kind of stuff, most of which was discovered on on eBay by myself or members the AstroBoy Online forums.

I like collecting toys but the kinds of things I'm posting here are way before my time and I don't really know much about them. I just find them amusing for one reason or another, mostly because they depict Astro riding in a vehicle that he would probably have no practical use for. If you have any insight into the history of these kinds of trinkets, please post a comment!

Nice wheels, huh? At least the generic car base has sort of a retro-future charm to it that's appropriate for Astro. But would he really ride around in a car that had pictures painted on it of not only himself, but Dr. Elefun too? That be like if Spider-man had a spider-car with a portrait of Uncle Ben on the side.

An Astro plane, again with Dr. Elefun and his giant nose on the tail fin.

I don't really see the point to this one. It's just a firetruck with a picture of Astro on the side for some reason. Maybe this is a specialized truck meant for a crew tasked to put out any fires started by Astro's rocket feet? Yeah, that's the story I'll go with.

I think this Astro Boat is hilarious because of the missiles. It just flies in the face of Astro being a messenger of peace. But I guess the missiles are just painted on so they are no real threat.

I make fun of this stuff, but really, toys like this are sort of cool in their own way. It's a part of merchandising history that is a window into the culture of the time and adds to the mystique of these famous characters. Let me know if you find anything yourself that might be worth posting here.

Don't forget to click on the tags to read prior entries about weird Astro stuff I've posted, and check out the AstroBoyWorld Store to buy some modern merchandise that we can make fun of 20 years from now.