Collectiblog

Car collecting is a hobby generally reserved for the wealthy elite. The exceptions to that rule are “repli-cars” modeled after beloved made-for-TV vehicles. There are a lot of them out there to collect, many of them priced less than the cost of a tank of gas (and, we might add, a whole lot greener!).

One of the most famous cars to emerge in the glow of the cathode ray was the “Monkeemobile.” Since The Monkees were a ground-breaking phenomenon and cross-marketing hybrid of music and television, it made sense that they also became a huge merchandising boon. The Monkeemobile, designed by customizing genius Dean Jeffries, was seen in the opening sequence of each episode of the show. Not long after, the Monkeemobile was sold in several variations -- including a Japanese tin toy car with scale-model Monkees who played an unidentifiable song when a button was pushed. There was also a Corgi scale model and a cereal-box premium, which for some reason came in green, blue and yellow variations in addition to the standard red version.

The Monkees wasn’t the only ‘60s TV show with its own super-hip car. “The Munsters” also had two way-out cars that were scaled down as model kits for consumers: Munster Mobiles (the Munster Coach the family was often seen driving) and the spiffy “Dragula” race car made famous in the movie Munster Go Home.

Not all toy versions of television cars are small. The Partidge Family bus was marketed to young kids as a big, 14” plastic school bus with decals on the side to look like the vintage Mondrian print associated with the one seen on TV. The PF bus had a bonus -- it came with its own plastic Partridge family that you could seat inside the bus. Sadly for Remco (and die-hard collectors), this bus was released in the show’s fourth season when interest in it was fading, so not many were made or sold. They do turn up from time to time, but command a high price when sold with all the figures and the oft-misplaced top of the bus.

It was common practice in the ‘60s and ‘70s to market these TV toy cars as model kits. Often, there was no corresponding car on the show, but it would instantly increase sales if a van model kit suddenly had Jacklyn, Kate and Farrah on the box. Change the enclosed decals and box graphic and presto! -- you have “The Hardy Boys” van. There was a model kit called Fonzie’s car, which, when that ran its course, replaced Fonzie with the Sweat Hogs from Welcome Back Kotter. Same car, different headline and box.

With the price of gas being what it is these days, it certainly would be more economical for everyone to invest some time in collecting and building some of these toy cars and model kits instead of driving our own real (and certainly less cool) ones.

--Lisa Sutton

June 15, 2008