ABOVE LEFT: Copying Western Auto's successful formula, a great many Goodyear locations also functioned as a general merchandise stores in the postwar boom years. In newer suburban locations Goodyear Service Stores could even be found as separate stand-alone units adjacent to the Auto Service Center but it would be more common to find both under one roof. Goodyear touted the convenience of finding git items while you were attending the needs of your car as shown in the artwork above from a 1956 Christmas Gifts advertisement. • ABOVE RIGHT: Cover of the 1956 Goodeyear Games and Toys for Girls and Boys catalog.
ABOVE: Robot fans enjoyed a nice selection of items in the 1956 Goodyear Games and Toys for Girls and Boys catalog. The sonless version of Marx Electric Robot was joined by two Nomura offerings, Radar Robot and Robotrac, both of which were imported by George G. Wagner.
ABOVE: Features of the Marx Electric Robot: A. Alphabet to Morse Code Translation Chart B. Antenna Height Adjustment Knob C. Arm Position Adjustment Knob D. Morse Code Buzzer Button E. Tool Drawer F. Forward/Backward Direction Control Switch G. On/Off Switch H. Battery Door Latch I. Left/Right Direction Control J. Lighted Eyes (Automatically controlled by G) K. Tools
ABOVE: Cover of Block & Kuhl Company's Toytime 1956 Christmas Catalog. This catalog was shared by numerous other stores utilizing the same New York buying offices.
ABOVE: Brand names were very important in 1950's toy merchandising. Department stores frequently grouped items by manufacturer or importer rather than by the types of toy. Utilizing this strategy the Block & Kuhl's Toytime 1956 catalog which placed the Marx Electric Robot on separate page with a broad selection of mostly unrelated Marx Toys. In a separate part of the catalog Nomura's Radar Robot was showcased within an assortment of toys imported by George Wagner which even went so far as to combine girls and boys toys together. Note slightly inaccurate illustration depicts the Marx Robot with "TOOLS" labeling on the tool drawer and a Zoomer-Radar-Ratchet Robot style antenna. Like Goodyear, Block & Kuhl featured the Sonless version of the toy.
ABOVE: The stately and large downtown Peoria flagship store of Block and Kuhl as it appeared in the fall of 1959. By 1961 the prosperous Block & Kuhl chain had grown to 20 stores and was purchased by Chicago-based Carson, Pirie, Scott, and Company.
ABOVE: Comparison of the Electric Robot and Son box (left) to the Electric Robot box (right) shows both are nearly identical. As the lower color separation for the Electric Robot box shows the cutaway where the Son would be placed on Electric Robot and Son box, the Electric Robot sans son may have had a later release date.
ABOVE: On the back of every Marx Electric Robot was a Letters to Morse Code translation Guide. The large button in the center of the robot's shoulders is a buzzer which allows the robot to "talk" in Morse Code. The two outboard knobs allow the robot's arms to be posed and locked in different positions
ABOVE LEFT: Bloomingdales... as well as many other divisions of the Federated Department Stores group... shared this TOYS Catalog for Christmas of 1957. Among the toys featured the Marx Electric Robot and Son. • ABOVE RIGHT : Christmas Shoppers crowd Bloomingdale's Popular Priced Jewelry Counter during the 1957 shopping season. In the 1950s department stores like Bloomingdale's considered it essential to employ large display staffs to execute elaborate lighted countertop displays like these to stimulate holiday sales.
ABOVE: Showcasing the new for 1957 gray, maroon, and gold color combo in full color, Bloomingdale's price on the Electric Robot and Son was $5.98.
ABOVE: The sturdy steel lever on the backside of Electric Robot just above the base controls direction, left, right, or straight ahead. Infinitely adjustable, the robot could be set in motion to travel in small or large circles of nearly any size. This same set up would be employed by Remco in 1966 for their Lost in Space Robot.
ABOVE: Mongtomery Wards was a big supporter of the Marx Electric Robot and had featured the toy each year since it was released in 1955. Although the catalog art is black and white the new-for-1957 gray, maroon, and gold color combo is being featured. Ward's large buying power allowed the toy to be offered at a price lower than most other stores were asking for the toy. Wards sharp price of $5.59 even undercut most retailer's price for Ideals mechanical Robert the Robot.
