COPIES & CLONES

SPACE Interspace Miniatures
by unknown manufacturer and KRESGE

Sebastian S. Kresge (1867 - 1966) started a chain of 85 five & dime stores in 1912, which sold a variety of merchandise including cheap toys. Although he opened his first Kmart in 1962 and the SS Kresge Corporation formally changed its name to Kmart in 1977, the two chains existed side-by-side until the last Kresge stores were sold off in 1987.

Kresge marketed a range of at least four Spacex copies (see below), bought in from an unknown Hong Kong manufacturer who also sold the series themselves. Everything was identical, except for two details. Kresge had their trademark, name and address added to the printing of the backing card, and the Space name was moved a bit to the left to make room for a larger price tag (sadly cut off on the most complete example I have but still there on the MEV2 copy card linked below).

As to availability, all toys in this section were obtained in the US, except a loose Cricket copy identical to what's on the two cards below was found in Holland. This would indicate these toys will have been sold in Europe as well, though without knowing if they were on 'Space' cards.

The "Space" logo at the top of the card is most reminiscent of the logo for Gerry Anderson's "Space 1999" TV series, first broadcast in 1975 and which might thus provide a pointer for dating this series of Spacex copies. The card illustration shows four Spacex vehicles which will have been part of this range. Whether the LEM and UFO in the illustration were also toys is anybody's guess.

But perhaps this series included more than the four toys illustrated on the backing card. I have a copy of a Spacex Hawk which I'm inclined to believe was part of this range, and so have listed this below as well.

Click on images to see details

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