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Plastic Torch Gun by "W" in a Circle - Empire Made


Joe K.

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Yes, Joe, but the maker's trademark on the box was Flower Brand rather than W in a Circle. 

 

It's hard to date these toys. Generally "Empire Made" was a term used in the 1950s and early 1960s to explain the Hong Kong origin to buyers unfamiliar with the foreign sounding name. 

 

I believe that "Made in Hong Kong"  and "British Crown Colony of Hong Kong" when used on their own indicate that the toy is later than this - mid 1960s onward.

 

To test the theory I checked out two of the earliest Hong Kong space toys that I'm aware of,  the fabulous PMC robot bulldozers. Both are marked "Empire - Hong Kong". Later toys that are datable to 1967 are marked "Hong Kong".  I'm not sure when "Empire" was dropped but it's a term that began to have negative connotations in the 1960s. 

 

 

 

 

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The box shape seems odd until you think about how they will fit into the packing case interlocking with each other. For some reason I like thinking about stuff like that. 

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