MOBOTOYS
museum of battery operated toys
General Information
The Spin Zone
Pivot Exhibits (can you figure out the connection?)
TBD
TBD
This 1950s Battery Operated Busy Secretary (with lighted and moving keyboard) takes us back life in the 1950s; Drive In Movies, Drive In Burgers, Carnivals and of course toys all take money, and to get money takes a job. Back in these days a typical job would involve being assigned to sit at a desk all day and type on a typewriter with a QWERTY Keyboard (click here for what a QWERTY Keyboard is). What you typed was not important, only that you typed a lot and made click-click-clack noises until your next break. Things are much different today. (editor: No they are not!).
This busy secretary does her assigned task very well indeed. Her hands and fingers furiously banging out the same sentence over and over (must be an important message). The motions of the typewriter are very realistic to how these wonderful machines worked (click here for more about mechanical typewriters). Finally her head moves from the paper she is copying to the typewriter and back repeatedly. (editor: sounds like short term memory loss, I do the same thing).
Exhibit 1440
Busy Secretary
(with lighted moving Typewriter)
Specifications
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Manufactured by: LineMAR (MARX)
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Country of Mfg: Japan
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Circa: Late 1950s
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Scale: 1:10
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Battery # / Type: 2 / D cell (UM-1)
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Dimensions (L x W x H): 18.5 x 13.0 x 12.0 cm
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Dimensions (L x W x H): 7.3 x 5.1 x 4.7 in
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Weight: 582 grams
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Weight: 1 lb, 4.5 oz.
Actions
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Head Turns
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Hands Move
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Lighted Keyboard
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Paper emerges from Typewriter
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Carriage Return on Typewriter "returns"
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Bell Rings on Carriage Return
Mass Appeal
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Popularity: 4/5 (Super Desired)
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Scarcity: 5/5 (Unicorn)
Noteworthy
There are more common versions of this toy with fewer actions, but the Tom Thumb typewriter with all the actions included is a rare sight.
Some Assembly Required
How It Works
The good news is this toy did not require disassembly (there was nothing to repair). The bad news is this toy did not require assembly so we have no idea how it works, magic elves and quartz crystals inside perhaps?
Did you know...
Some say the QWERTY keyboard was intentionally designed to slow fast typist down (because they could type faster than the mechanical machine and cause it to repeatedly jam up. While this could be a myth, it is also true fast typist could jam mechanical typewriters with speed.
Notes from Restoration Shop...
Arrived in excellent condition. Performed light cleaning, polish and wax. Plastic / rubber was treated to prevent/slow further drying.
Overall
Battery Box
Metal
Paint / Litho
Rubber / Plastic
Fabric / Fur
Box
C-8
C-9
C-9
C-8
C-8
C-9
C-5
A solid C-8
No issues
Small dent in rim on base
Light /Med scratching, rubbing on back
Light staining on hands
Hair is near mint
pieces missing, lots of wear, repaired
About this (particular) Toy
Last known "home" location
Grading
This toy was obtained from eBay in October 2020.
It arrived in Excellent (C-8) condition and only required a light cleaning and treatment in the preservation shop before moving onto the photo studio.
While this toy is 95% made of metal the hands and head are made of plastic, rubber, and doll hair. Speaking of the doll hair on the doll head. Research shows that in addition to this auburn hair doll head there is a blonde haired version also. All seen to date appear to have the same color scheme and pattern in the lithography.
Original: Parts 100%
No missing parts
Functionality 100%
Left hand needs to be placed "outboard" for best performance
