Space Fantasies 1:1 - R. F. Collection by Vitra
From the Vitra Design Museum, 2020
The publication »Space Fantasies 1:1« presents 146 space toys from the collection of Rolf Fehlbaum, Vitra’s chairman emeritus and the founder of Vitra Design Museum. The objects and, when provided, their packaging are shown in their original size, as in the book Robots 1:1, published by Vitra Design Museum Verlag in 2017.
The book’s format is the result of the 1:1 depiction of the objects. The space toys are divided into ten categories and arranged in the chronological order of their manufacture.
The age of space toys began in the 1930s with the rockets and spaceships of Buck Rogers. The majority of the objects were manufactured in Japan between 1950 and 1970. These space toys reflect post-war technology fantasies and the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in their race to conquer the cosmos. Intended for the American market, the toys offer insight into the minds of American citizens at that time. The miniature objects range from rockets to humorous inventions such as space dogs, space elephants, and even a space whale.
Thanks to Dirk Gadomski and Gernot Münk’s research, this book provides reliable information on manufacturers, distribution channels, and production data. The majority of space toys came from the acquisition of two collections (Peter Grünbaum 1984, Pit Kuhl 2001) and was supplemented by further individual purchases.
»Space Fantasies 1:1« is limited to an edition of one thousand copies, numbered and signed by Rolf Fehlbaum and Fifo Stricker. A weblink takes the reader to a video demonstrating how the objects work. The book comes with a poster of all the space toys.
