Shooting Man From Mars
Irwin, 1952
9 inches tall

Yeah, this guy's an astronaut and not a robot. So? The Irwin Shooting Man From Mars is an excellent toy whose bright colors and bold styling capture the vibe of the television space operas -- like Space Patrol and Tom Corbett Space Cadet -- from the 1950s.

When wound up, the Man From Mars walks forward via reciprocating wheels -- giving him a slight wobble -- while his arms move up and down. The space man appears in a few different color variations, including yellow, and a two-tone yellow and red. This particular example of the toy features a rare green helmet, which is more commonly found on the yellow piece. This is probably not an official variation. More likely, the factory had extra green domes; economics dictated that workers use whatever parts were on hand before making up new ones.