The race to land a man on the Moon or “Space Fever” was a big thing in the middle part of the 20th century. Anything involving space travel insanely popular. American toymaker Mattel got in on the fandom with action figures named Major Matt Mason. These action figures told the story of Major Matt Mason, a military man who lived on the Moon in his moon-base and captained a team of other figures to solve space-age problems like aliens and meteors. Lasting until the mid-’70s, when men had landed on the Moon, this toy line became popular with references made in movies and TV shows even today. Let’s get into the fun as we take a look back at these 5 Top Major Matt Mason action figures.
Major Matt Mason Action Figures – Doug Davis
Doug Davis came with a yellow spacesuit and the white helmet which all other earthlings were included with. His head featured long brown hair instead of the crew cut of Matt Mason. He was called a “jack of all trades” and did not have a proper military ranking unlike the other members of the team. Without a military designation and having his hair longer than a crew cut, one could think of him as a related character.
Major Matt Mason Action Figures – Callisto
An alien from the planet Jupiter, Callisto was brought in later in the line when the toys became more science fiction inspired. The original stories which inspired the toys were based on Life Magazine and other aviation themed magazine. With a jelly green and see thought head, his black, green, and blue suit, and red eyes, he was sculpted to look very different from the Earthling members of the team. Despite his alien origins, he was a part of the Men in Space and fought by their side. The figure was made the same way as the rest of the team so he fit in and and could be used with the vehicles.
Lt. Jeff Long
Outfitted in a blue spacesuit with a white helmet, Jeff Long was the second in command of the team. Seen with a short trim hair cut without his helmet on, Long made a lot of waves in the late 1960s toy world. Having a black member of the team was something that was rarely done in the late 1960s. Having Lt. Long on the team predated NASA launching a black man into space by nearly 15 years with the inclusion of Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. in a mission on the space shuttle Challenger in August of 1983. Although new to the action figure world, Lt. Long lasted as long as the Man in Space line and sold just as well as the others.
Sgt. Storm
Sgt Storm featured a red spacesuit and a white helmet. The head featured a younger looking character with long blond hair. In some of the commercials for these toy figures, it was said that Sgt. Storm was the first to join Matt Mason on his space station on the moon. Many times this figure was sold in packs that came included with a cat-track type sled to ride around on while on the moon. Since he was advertised directly as Matt Mason’s “buddy”, he is usually perceived as the second in command on the team of adventurers in space alongside Lt Long.
Major Matt Mason
Major Matt Mason was the leader of the “Men in Space” good guys that were first introduced in 1966. The figure was made of Plastisol rubber over a small wire frame that allowed for lots of movement and poseability. Matt came in a white spacesuit and a detachable white helmet while he featured a brown crew cut hairstyle like the astronauts of the day. This figure was not only the leader of the team but was also the face that was featured on all the advertisements for the toy line and appeared in TV show and movie references.
