I hadn’t heard of Louis Marx and Company, apparently “the largest toy manufacturer in the world by the 1950s,” until I started looking for pics of the army men I had growing up. Marx produced these amazing sets well into the ’70s, and below is just a small sampling of what I never got to play with. I remember seeing other kids with the stuff, though. How depressing.
No, I’m not going to get all crazy and try to procure one now (the Ben-Hur set below sold for $853 on eBay in 2008). I have my dignity. Well, as much dignity as a grown man who looks for pictures of army men while singing along to ’80s New Wave can have.
You can check out some of the Marx catalogs over at Plaid Stallions.
(Images via Dinosaur Toy Forum, John Kenneth Muir, Marx Lane, Playset Addict, Toy Soldier Forum, Timewarp Toys, Marx Playsets, and CollectToys)
2 Warps to Neptune 
Good heavens, if there’s one vice of mine it’s gotta be those type of playsets. Geez. Of all the crazy things I’d do if I had a time machine, I’d definitely go back and and stock up on those cool toys.
LoL, totally dig that Tom Corbett Space Academy. It’s like a total corral, almost like a prison!
THOSE PLAYSETS LIKE THE BEN HUR SET LED ME TO STUDY ROMAN HISTORY. IM STILL DOING DIGS ON THE ROMANS IN BRITIAN AND ITALY JOHN
That sounds like a great job, John! Let me know if you need an extra hand. I know how to use a shovel…
Yeah no kidding! Let me know if you need any help carefully dusting off artifacts!
It was having a Marx Prehistoric Times playset as a child that started my love for dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals which led to my publishing Prehistoric Times magazine today (for over twenty years now)