I often have a Xmas post each year, this year it is my first Easter post!
This coloring book is rather generic except it is unique to me about how some animals decided to explore space.
The Adventures of Space Bunny. Akron, Ohio: Saalfield Publishing Co. 22 pp. 1958 #2051
In the interest of truth in advertising it is actually the adventures of space bunny AND mouse since you should always travel with a buddy.
In this age of Sputnik you can read a book of spaceship designs and find the one you need.
One must carefully plan your supplies for the trip although it look like eggs were not part of the plan (sorry for the Easter letdown).
The big breakthrough was in helmet design allowing the ears to retain function in vacuum
I appreciate the innovative design that eliminates a hatch, instead of making the entire floor the door
The mastery of orbital dynamics and speed of flight makes a direct ballistic path to the Moon the least complicated one available.
Their interactions with the Moon natives is classified so we will have to leave them out at this time. Happy Easter/Spring/delayed equinox to all!
This is my Xmas posting but you may wonder what fertilizer has to do with space flight and children (and Xmas for that matter).
Your 1958 Shell Fertilizer Coloring Book (1958)
Shell Chemical Corp was interested in appearing "space age" in their approach to customer sales. They created this coloring book and a 1958 calendar to "cash in" on Sputnik and the new fad for space flight. Don't believe me, here is their fertilizer mascot as a Sputnik:
The coloring book was addressed to children but had a message for parents inside. I don't know at what event it was handed out or maybe it was from your local farm chemical dealer (P.S. for you non-science types NH3 is "ammonia".)
What really attracted me was the amazing "space age" illustrations of our farming future. From the cover they thought the future was 198*. This future even included using rockets and flying saucers to care for and gather the crops. The delightful details make it a real "moment in time." And of course look for Santa at the end.
Factory farming at its height
I love this futuristic house.
Cattle ranching will be different in the future too. Maybe locating your cows by radar?
I don't know what they are sending up in those rockets but I am sure it is safe :)
I am not exactly sure what they are doing with that tree, but it extends WAY UP into the saucer
Santa appears on the last page, no particular reason why.
I know they also used these 12 illustrations in a 1958 calendar since I found a few images of the color illustrations they used. Happy holidays and have a great 2018!
A 1953 coloring book from the Merrill company. It has a couple of nice futuristic images I wanted to share.
All of these show a nice blend of the current science fiction films, space opera on TV and some of the current ideas about space flight (like the use of robots and domes on the Moon).
These two I find interesting for the inclusion of "real" rockets (V-2) and jets (X-1) in a fictional space story. It these are "true" images then why should a child doubt that the others will not be true soon?
This is a bit of a "mystery book". I don't have a date on it so I have to guess it might be mid-1950s. It also seems more British than American so there is that. It is only 10 pages.
It displays a lovely streamlined design sense for future vehicles. The vehicles are all driven by children and are fanciful.
The cars especially remind me of both "Thunderbirds" in the 1960s and of the soviet books that always had: A car, a helicopter, a hydrofoil and a spaceship.
This book also had coloring examples for the illustrations so you could chose to paint them?
But I love rockets for children and this final illustration of rockets to Saturn while the animals of Earth wave is pretty special.
Some cool old 50's images today. I notice how similar they seem to the Soviet ones of the same time period. Especially helicopters in space.
These are all rather traditional, drawing their spacesuits from the space television shows.
Both of these seem a little odd since I "read" the location as on the Moon (those jagged mountains). why did helicopters seem to "say" space age to artists who were trying to draw futuristic vistas?
This illustration is just wrong. Why do the children get (or need) space suits while the poor dog has to suck vacuum? There is also the small problem in how that ship behind them is going to take off. Maybe it was a one way trip.
And finally some cool spaceships/jets. I love like many of you all the different vehicles that people designed or just thought up when they were trying to show space flight.
A last note. Compare the cover of this coloring book to the boy and ship shown on this one:
http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2012/03/zedo-into-space-1952.html
Maybe a little recycling went on at that company.
