"A Quick Trip to Mars" from Children's Playmate (May 1955)

This is a peculiar bit of ephemera for you.  Since fictional space flight programs were big among children in the 1950s, there was a popular perception that children like to "play" spaceman.  This 1955 magazine Children's Playmate contained "A Space Skit" called "A Quick Trip to Mars".  Most of the magazine is devoted to the circus theme of that issue but it does have this one other bit of nostalgia

I encourage you to read the skit. Not only for the depiction of how space flight was percieved by adults making "space product" for children but also for sex roles of girls and boys.  The idea that you had to play a certain way and who liked to do what was passed on in the popular culture.

I like an alternate "reading" of this skit. Men are planners and were seen as likely to drive the desire to explore and conquer, women are practical in seeing that once we have conquered/arrived the real problem is how do we use Mars, how can we be at home.  Anyhow the skit made me smile so I hope you enjoy it.