Marx Lane

Marx Playset Figures, Structures, and Accessories
Manufactured from 1951 to 1980
Depicting American History in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Appendix III

A Short Look at Marx Figure Colors


Recent significant changes to this page:
4-10-10     This page added to web site.

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Comments, suggestions, and expertise are especially welcome on this page.  Please e-mail them to ericjohns@roadrunner.com.

As I have written before on this web site, colors used by the company seem especially varied and mysterious to me.  However, like other collectors, I enjoy the wide variety of colors that Marx used, and this appendix is an attempt to show many of the colors.

There are several complications in creating this page.  For example, different collectors refer to some colors by different names, cameras rarely get colors exactly correct, and different computers will display colors somewhat differently.  That's a lot of differences already!  In addition, the colors I show below most likely exist in slightly darker and lighter shades, so that there may be figures slightly darker and slightly lighter than the color turquoise figure shown, but still close enough to be categorized as turquoise.

At this point, this page is in an "under construction" mode, and I will continue to add to and improve it over the next several weeks.  I realize there are many more colors to show, but I hesitate to include the ones that I am not at least relatively sure of their common name among collectors.  Of course, it is an unending project, so I welcome your input on colors at any time and will be glad to provide credit where due.
Whites and off-whites
cream
(Marx called this much-used color ivory.)		 white flesh  (coming soon?)
Yellows
yellow light yellow semi-waxy yellow
waxy yellow
Oranges
orange brown
(This color was used a lot in early figures.)		 bright orange
(Only Indians from Fort Apache #4202 came in this color.)
Grays
gray light gray
Blues
blue (coming soon?) light or powder blue dark blue  (coming soon?)
royal blue metallic blue waxy blue
turquoise
Greens
green
(This color was seldom used, generally for groups of figures sold in bags.)		 pea green
(Only the frontiersmen from  the Comanche Pass playset came in this color.)
Reds
red  (coming soon?) dark red blood red
waxy red
Silvers
silver  (coming soon?) metallic silver
Browns
brown light brown dark brown
red brown
(Marx used this color a lot, with many different shades of it.  The one shown is a rather dark red brown.)		 butterscotch
(Be careful with your plastic butterscotch figures; figures made in this color are very brittle.)		 light tan
(This color was used in early figures.  It is almost cream, but has a tan tint to it.)
wine?
(Wine is what collectors call a beautiful color used only in one or two later sets, and I think this darker brown may be it.)


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