Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
"A Strange Change Toy" Monster |
Object Name |
Toy |
Description |
"A Strange Change Toy" Monster, late 1960s to 1970s. One monster, made of irradiated plastic, produced by the Raychem Corporation as part of "A Strange Change Toy Featuring the Lost World" toy set. The monster figure is red and has two arms, two legs, and a head. The head has no neck and is low on the torso. The face has two eyes and an open oval mouth with two teeth. An embossed belly button can be seen right below the lower jaw. The elbows are bent and positioned near the top of the head. Each hand has three fingers. The legs are straight and each foot has three toes. The back has no detailing and is slightly concave. |
Date |
late 1960s to 1970s |
Creator |
Raychem Corporation, Menlo Park |
Role |
Manufacturer |
Catalog Number |
2016.001.004A |
Dimensions |
H-2 W-3.25 D-0.125 inches |
Collection |
3D - Toys |
Inscription Text |
"MATTEL INC, / M / TOYMAKERS" (embossed in center on both sides of square); "4581-062" (embossed on top of monster's head); "62" (molded into one capsule); "57" (molded into four capsules); "53" (molded into four capsules). |
Notes |
The set was sold by Mattel, Inc. and included a machine with a heater and integrated compressor device, tweezers, instruction sheet, a 3-D molded plastic "Lost World Landscape", and an illustrated map. The square capsules expand into toy figures when heated. They can also be re-compressed back into squares and expanded again. These toys were designed by Raychem and to be produced by Mattel. Unfortunately, they were deemed unsafe for children because of the chemical components and were never mass produced. The plastic squares transform into the monster figure when heated. "Raychem was founded on January 1, 1957. It grew rapidly by creating proprietary new products based on Radiation processing of polymers to meet critical and difficult industry needs for electrical circuit integrity in harsh environments. Included in these initial products were irradiated wire insulation and heat shrinkable tubing. Markets included Aerospace, Military, Automotive, Telecommunications and Electrical Power Generation markets. "In 1968, Raychem acquired Chemelex leading Raychem to extend its radiation polymer processing technology to polymers filled with conductive carbon creating a family of "Self Limiting Heaters". This technology was further extended to produce resettable switches forming the enabling technology for the "Polyswitch" Division. "As Raychem grew into a world class Material Science Company, additional technologies explored, developed and taken to market were Heat Recoverable Metals, Piezoelectric Materials (Elographics), Silicone Gels (Geltek) and Liquid Crystals (Taliq). "Each year, Raychem devoted between 8 and 10 percent of sales into Research and Development resulting in thousands of new products based on the technologies listed above. Research and Product Development laboratories, in addition to Menlo Park and Redwood City were established in Swindon, UK, Kessel-Lo, Belgium, Ottobrunn, Germany, Pontois, France and Japan. "Manning these laboratories were an extremely creative and talented group of scientists and engineers who found innovative ways to use technologies to create new products." [http://blog.heatshrinksleeves.com/2015/09/raychem-history.html 12/31/2015] |
Search Terms |
Radiation Chemistry Raychem Corporation Raychem Corporation Products Toys |
Subjects |
Monsters Radiation chemistry Toy industry Toys |
Credit line |
Courtesy of Chet Sandberg |