Welcome to The Museum of Lost in Space Collectibles
Introduction
We won't dwell on the question of what makes us fall for one
TV show and ignore others. The fact that you bothered to look
here speaks for itself. You are a Lost in Space fan and in
all probability a collector. Well, if we are right on both
counts, this is definitely the site for you. These web pages
have been created by collectors for collectors. Our aim is to
promote and foster an interest in Lost in Space collectibles
and memorabilia by providing collectors with access to useful,
up-to-date, accurate and comprehensive visual and text
information. We hope non-collectors will also find some
enjoyment in these pages. Perhaps with the information and
images provided we can help you become reacquainted with a long
lost toy from your childhood or more aware of the range of
merchandise currently available.
All collectors make at least one huge blunder in their
hobby and as any experienced collector will tell you the main
reason behind the blunder is usually a lack of accurate
information. We have one great advantage over paper based price
guides. Our information will be constantly improved and updated
over time, whereas paper based guides remain static and are
virtually out of date the moment they are printed.
The task we have set for ourselves is certainly ambitious and we don't
expect to immediately be able to cover the full bandwidth of
Lost in Space memorabilia. That would be unrealistic. In the
long term, with the assistance and co-operation of fellow collectors,
we'll get very close.
In The Beginning
Not long after the Lost in Space E-Mail List became operational
in May 1995, it became clear that Lost in Space collectibles
were going to become a recurring topic for discussion. Repeated
requests for information about dealers, books and models
convinced us that a permanent web site containing up to date
information about Lost in Space collectibles was urgently
needed. As months passed it became obvious that there
was a direct correlation between love of the show and an
interest in collectibles. When you think about it, it's
not at all surprising. Nothing can stir the nostalgic emotions of
the baby boomer generation more than TV shows. We all stared at
the polished wooden box in the corner, smelling that wonderful
aroma of hot tubes, feasting happily on many hours of non-stop entertainment.
Now when we time-tunnel back to our early experiences of
watching TV, we are invariably drawn to happier more
innocent times when life was simpler and our childhoods seemed
perfect in every way. For many of us, simply watching
a re-run or buying a video of Lost in Space is sufficient to
bring back those pleasant memories. For others it's not enough.
Our memories must be refreshed and maintained by more concrete
means. Collecting and owning items from Lost in Space;
a toy, a model kit or even a gum wrapper helps us to focus
our nostalgic longings and memories. As if by magic, ownership
of these items takes us not only closer to the show with
its floating world of icons, images, sounds and fictions, but
triggers a sense of fulfillment and pleasure. We are able to glimpse
once again, a place and time rapidly becoming more distant in our memories.
While the enthusiasm was undoubtedly there, neither Larry
nor I (Tony) had any previous experience in developing
web sites. At first we hesitated at the prospect of being
involved in something we knew next to nothing about.
Fortunately we needed no further prompting once we found
a place to put up such a web site for the world to see. Our
"labor of love" began in earnest.
Now, many months later, with thousands of hours of work invested in
development, we are happy to present the results. We acknowledge the
pages are not 100% complete with the presence of those Internet eye-sores,
the dreaded "Under Construction" pages. Our decision to go public prior to
completion was made on the basis that many areas were either complete
or close enough for them to be useful. Rather than delaying access
to the site any further, we felt the time was right to give others
the opportunity for input and comment.
Looking back over the many years of work, the single stand out feature
of the project was the remarkable role the Internet played in the
whole development process. With the two creators separated by thousands of
miles, the whole project, from the initial concept, to final
deployment, was played out entirely in cyperspace. We still can't
get over the fact that during the years it has taken to get this
site up and running, we had never actually spoken to each other
over the phone until October 1997. In fact, to this day, we don't even know what each other looks like.
We are proud to say that this site is a testimony to international
co-operation between two distant Lost in Space fans living in different
countries. It also demonstrates proof of what can actually be achieved
by using just Internet communication technologies like IRC and EMAIL.
How to get the most from these pages
These pages have been Netscape 4.0 enhanced and are designed for
maximum speed and the highest quality resolution. We recommend using
a video card and monitor capable of viewing millions of colors in
order to take full advantage of what these pages have to offer.
Although other settings will work, you may experience fuzzy photos
especially on pages that contain black and white images. We also
recommend using at least a 28,800 bps modem as these pages are
filled with beautiful full color images which can take some time
to download. Before beginning, make sure your Netscape window is
maximized to fit your entire screen.
Although we made every endeavour to have an image
available for every item listed on these pages, we have not succeeded
in locating images for everything. For this reason we appeal to
fellow collectors to come forth with images of items in their own
collections to fill the gaps. Remember, as we've already mentioned
these pages have been created for collectors by collectors. If we
make an effort to help each other, everyone will benefit in the long
run.
About the creators of this site
Hi! I'm 37 years old and like most have been a LIS fan for
as long as I can remember. Having been brought up in
a small Australian country town, I was not aware as a child in
the 60's of the existence of Lost in Space games, costumes,
puzzles, models or gum cards. On reflection, perhaps a fortunate
thing for my parents.
This all changed a few years back in somewhat unusual circumstances.
In late 1989 I happened to be passing by an auction house in one of
our larger cities and could hear an auction in process. Out of curiosity
I stepped in and discovered that a huge collection of gum and trading
cards was being auctioned off. Taking a seat at the back, I heard that
the next lot up for auction was a near mint Batman gum card set from the
late 60's. I remembered actually owning one of these sets! Bidding was fierce
and much to my surprise and dismay it soon surpassed $200. The price
was finally settled on a bid won by a grey haired guy in the front row
for $240. Amazed, I waited for the next lot to be announced.
"What do we have here?" said the auctioneer. "A Lost in Space gum
card wrapper... from a set never released in Australia...how rare is this?
Do I hear $20...?"
I almost fell out of my chair...Lost in Space my favorite show! I crept
forward to have a closer look. I could just vaguely see the blue and yellow
wrapper held up in the auctioneer's assistant's hand and could just
make out the familiar Lost in Space logo and the wonderful swirl of stars.
I had to have it at any price. I raised my hand in a determined bid.
After minutes of intense bidding, the prize was awarded at $115 which I later
learned was an Australian record for a gum record. I had won the prize. I must admit
walking out with a $115 piece of gum wrapper felt quite silly. Later when I
got home any feeling of embarrassment disappeared, when it occurred to
me that I had just become the owner of something which was
contemporary with my favorite show. My money was well spent after all.
That's how it all started for me. Collecting Lost in Space has now
become a passion as I search endlessly for those Lost in Space toys I never
had as kid. Above all it's a very enjoyable hobby and I'm not ashamed
to admit I actually play with some of my stuff (er! ... in the company
of my young son of course!)
I see my involvement in this project is just an extension of that passion.
In retrospect attempting to juggle work, family commitments, a new-born
child and development of this web site has not been easy. Hours and hours of
researching, writing, photographing, scanning, collating and emailing
really took its toll both physically and mentally. There were numerous
occasion when both Larry and myself were ready to throw in the towel.
Fortunately we kept seeing light at the end of the tunnel and managed
to keep going.
This whole project has really been a learning experience for me. I recommend
to anyone contemplating building their own web site: Just do it! Through
the many months I spent working on this site I've learned so much
about the Internet and web site development. Finally, I have to say
it's been a pleasure working with Larry from New York.
Hi! I'm 35 years old and have also been a LIS fan for as long as I can
remember. Unlike Tony, I was not quite old enough to experience Lost
in Space when it originally aired. I was only 5 months old when the
greatest show ever to hit TV was launched. My LIS memories stem from
the countless hours of watching re-runs. I would get home from school,
watch all the the cool shows like Speed Racer, Gigantor and Spiderman and
patiently wait for Lost in Space to come on.
As such a young kid I was unaware that any merchandise even existed
for Lost in Space, that is until one of my birthday shopping sprees.
On every birthday my parents would take me to the toy store and give
me a shopping allowance (A child's version of heaven :)) While combing
the isles for racetracks, mego superheros and other goodies, I noticed
a box which read "Lost in Space." As I went in for a closer look
I saw the now famous Remco Robot. I had to have it and I got it!
This robot toy was my prize toy. I played with it constantly and took great
care in keeping it like new. I have fond memories of that toy and often
wonder what ever happened to it.
Many years went by since those Lost in Space days. Memories became fuzzy and
the only link to the past was an occasional conversation with friends about
how cool 60's and 70's TV was. One day, while watching the junk that's on
TV now, I noticed a commercial for a convention in Atlantic City. I heard
the words "Star Trek meets Lost in Space" as I watched the Enterprise and
the Jupiter 2 fly around on my screen. This was a 25th anniversary LIS
cast reunion! Wow, 25 years! I had to go -- and I did.
I was like a little kid at the convention! I saw the cast and heard them
reminice while memories of my past came flooding in. They spoke of comic
books written by Bill Mumy, Lost in Space collectibles I never even knew
existed and a whole bunch of fans that they appreciated. I knew this was
the beginning of renewed interest in Lost in Space and a search for the
past that gets farther and farther away every day.
I started collecting Lost in Space memorabilia by visiting every comic shop
in the area looking for copies of Innovation's Lost in Space comics. After
I managed to purchase all the back issues, I started receiving the issues
as they came out. They were excellent and just made my craving for Lost in
Space grow! Unfortunately Innovation went out of business and so I was
left to find another connection to Lost in Space. That connection came
with the discovery of Toy Shop Magazine and a few leads to Lost in Space
collectibles. I managed to make my first "major" purchase by buying
the talking Masudaya Robot and it's small windup companion. Years later
and thousands of dollars spent have made me the proud owner of such items as
a Remco Robot, a Lost in Space Lunchbox, a mint set of LIS Gum Cards and much
more!
Tony and I met as a result of his starting the Lost in Space E-Mail List.
I was so happy to see Lost in Space on the Internet and to meet such a
dedicated fan as Tony. I would like to thank him for his work on
this project and for encouraging me to keep going during the many times
I wanted to give up.
In closing I would like everyone to know that we have hundreds of hours
ahead on this project and would appreciate any help we can get. We will
make every effort to add new and interesting material to the site on
a regular basis. We thank all of you for visiting our site and encourage
you to stop back often!
|