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  hristmas morning, 1967. Young boys all over
America unwrapped packages and were transported to a whole new world. Major Matt Mason,
Mattel’s Man in Space had arrived. The product line was a frequent holdiay gift
during its short lifespan from 1967-1970. Most of us have vivid memories of the Space
Crawler, Space Sled, or best of all, The Space Station. In the first year, Mattel offered Major Matt Mason on a card,
packaged with the JetPack and Space Sled. He was also available on the Moon Suit Card,
which many recognized from a 1962 cover of Life Magazine. In fact, the early vehicles and
suits for Matt Mason were all based on NASA prototypes. For many boys, this was an
important element in making the toy so popular. We all dreamed of being astronaut heros
and Major Matt Mason made it possible.
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