Toys which were operated by small electric motors, and powered by batteries, were very popular in the 1950s- 1960s period.They reached peak popularity in the 1950s and continued to be quite popular through the 1970s. Many battery powered toys were vehicles including such items as carsand trucks of all sizes and military vehicles including jeeps, tanks airplanes and jeeps. Another very popular type of battery toy of this period, which is now highly prized by collectors, is Character type figures or animals including the ever popular red faced bar tender, the monkey playing a drum and a wide variety of similar items. Disney figures such as Mickey Mouse, Goofy or DFonald Duck either alone as a figure or driving cars were a big hit and are also much prized collectibles at present.
Cartoon characters had similar popularity at the time and again are very collectible.Electronic robots which could walk and move with flashing eyes and lights, of various types, boats and ships which either rasn on wheels or could be put in the water were big items. Starships and spacemen including the ever popular flying saucers and space suited space creatures associated with them were hugely successful. Battery operated toys are very much collectible at the present time, and their prices continue to rise on the collector market reflecting this popularity.
After the Second World War in 1946 Japanese toy makers (in occupied Japan) began to make toys with tiny electric motors to replace the earlier windup or clockwork toys which were more expensive to produce. Some of these toys could simulate human or animal movement and could drive battery powered vehicles. During the next quarter century Japan dominated the battery toy market and produced as much as 95% of all batteryoOperated toys which were sold all over the world.
Disney Popeye Toys are now rare Battery Toys and can fetch prices of thousands of dollars when in excellent original condition. Condition is the all important factor in valuing collectible battery toys, just as it is as with other collector toys. A toy which is described as Mint In Box (MIB) will fetch a very much higher price than a similar toy in just average used condition with no box can be sold for. The reason for this is of course that most toys have been played with by children, and had their knocks and scrapes, and an MIB battery toy is quite a rarity.Disney Popeye battery toys are one of very hard to find items and will sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on their condition.
Production of battery toys reached a maximum in the 1960's and began to decline during the 1970s. The reasons for the decline were the increasing Japanese labor costs and the new safety restrictions which were applied. This caused toy producers to go out of the toy business or change to manufacturing a different type of merchandise. The period covering about thirty years from 1940 to the end of the 1960's is the " Golden Era" of battery powered toys in the eyes of collectors.
Where should you go to buy battery powered toys? You can will find great prices at Amazon: Battery Toys.
Check out our website toys for sale for more information about toys both new and collectible.
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