1935 - Rocket Racer by Marx

[Joe K.]

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Woolworth's Christmas catalog cover and interior page:

The 1940 copyright date appears on the inside front cover:

Close-up of the wind-up Rocket Racer and description & the Database photo:

A link to more info and photos of the rare box:

http://www.grandoldtoys.com/toydb_Detail.php?id=1302&S_keywords=car,tin litho,wind-up&Search.x=0&Search.y=0

Here's it's listed as a 1935 toy. This may be true, since this is the first sighting I've made here on Alphadrome.

The Rocket Racer is 16" long and cost $0.25 (twenty-five cents)!

[Brian..]

It turns out that the Rocket Racer is definitely from 1935 .  Here's an advertisement in the Hagerstown Daily Mail in December 1935. There's no trace of it before Winter 1935.

 

 

[Joe K.]

It was still being advertised for sale as seen in this 1939 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalog:

 16 1/4-In. Rocket Racer Biggest Made for 25 cents

The recently ended catalog listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Merry-Christmas-Montgomery-Ward-Catalog-1939-Toys-Ornaments-and-so-much-more-/143413449333?hash=item21641b9275%3Ag%3AMysAAOSwc5xdp7iY&nma=true&si=v9m9znqphYNdIsyAZXBgNFFTBNQ%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557