Marx Lane
An Inventory of Marx Playset Figures and Accessories
Manufactured from 1951 to 1979

 
Addendum L-3 - Sports
Contents of this web site may not be reproduced or duplicated for use on the Internet or for commercial purposes without permission by Eric Johns.



Sports Table of Contents

(click on name to move to section)
This Page
16-Figure Sports Group
Scuba Divers and Accessories
Auto Racing
Fox Hunt Figures and Accessories
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To the best of my knowledge, Marx never made a true playset in a sports theme.  The company simply was not sports-oriented, at least as far as its playsets.  One Marx doll house set did include the fox hunt figures and animals shown below, but the set was advertised as a "Suburban Estate Set", not a fox hunt set.  Based on an advertisement for the set, the fox hunt figures appear to have been tossed into the very large set as an afterthought, with the advertising text simply saying that the set includes "...people and animals on a hunt...."

In any case,  the company did produce a few sports figures that were manufactured exactly like its playset figures.  A few of them could be used as part of other playset displays, so I am including all that I have information on as part of this web site.  I know that the company also made some football and baseball figures, as well as perhaps an Olympic figure set, but I do not have information or photos to present at this time.  We can always use your help if you have information to share!

16-Figure Sports Group

This 16-Figure Sports Group is Marx' primary contribution to the American sports arena.  I do not know when they were first sold, but imagine it might have been during an Olympic year, such as 1952 or 1956.  But that is just my supposition.  According to Geppert's Guide, figures in this 60mm scale group were sold both individually and as a boxed figure group.  They came in white, cream, and blue.  Too bad they did not come in red; we collectors could be working to create our own all-USA Olympic displays!

One interesting detail that I picked up while taking the photo...the baseball batter has a moustache!  It's awfully hard to see, but between a blow-up of the photo below and the best magnifying glass I have, it sure looks like it to me!
1.  Hockey player 2.  Soccer player 3.  Skier
4.  Figure skater

5.  Track runner
Photo courtesy of Mike Germain of  Ziggy's Toy Soldiers on Ebay
6.  Football player
7.  Swimmer in starting position 8.  Boxer, arms apart

9.  Boxer jabbing 10.  Bowler 11.  Polo player 12.  Baseball pitcher

13.  Baseball batter
14.  Golfer 15.  Tennis player 16.  Basketball player



Scuba Diver and Accessories

At some point during the playset era, Marx sold a blister card that included eight fish figures similar to its playset figures (see Animal page of this web site), Also included on the card was a scuba diver with separate scuba gear.  The scuba diver is neither easily found nor highly sought by collectors today.  I am unaware that these figures were sold in any other way.  

The scuba diver is just a bit more than 60mm tall.  The one I have does not stand, and I am unsure whether he is supposed to stand.  Slightly bent forward, it would appear that perhaps he should stand with his gear on, but even after attaching his air tank, I could not get him to stay upright.

The few diver accessories are very small.  All are made of soft plastic.
Blister card with scuba diver and fish
Photo courtesy of collector Tim Young

1.  Scuba diver
2.  Diver with air tank on back 3.  Goggles
Goggles are shown twice as big in scale as rest of items
4.  Air tank
Photo not available - we welcome yours! Photo not available - we welcome yours! Photo not available - we welcome yours!
5.  Air regulator   6.  Swim fins 7.  Spear gun



Auto Racing

Marx made a group of auto racing figures in cream, soft plastic, both crewmen and spectators.  These, according to veteran collector and seller Rick Koch, were included in a Road Race Playset, which also included the grandstand shown below.  The grandstand is about 9 inches wide and 6-1/2 inches tall.  I am unsure what type of raceway or vehicles were included.  The grandstand and painted, hard plastic figures were also sold separately.  

I have no definite information on the figure poses other than what I see on Kent Sprecher's web site.  The photos listed below are those shown on Kent's site, except for the boy, who I was told went with this group when I purchased it.  In fact, it looks very similar to other spectators shown on Kent's site.  The haircut gives him a Beatles look!
Photo not available - we would welcome yours!
1.  Race official, waving flag 2.  Crewman with message board 3.  Crewman with binoculars 4.  Crewman with rag and gas can 5.  Crewman squatting, left hand out
Photo not available - we would welcome yours! Photo not available - we would welcome yours! Photo not available - we would welcome yours!
6.  Crewman standing with stopwatch 7.  Man seated with bottle 8.  Man seated with right hand in fist 9.  Woman seated, waving 10.  Boy seated

Road Race Grandstand
Photos courtesy of veteran collector and seller Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood



Fox Hunt Figures and Accessories

Although not a familiar sport to us Americans and not what many of us Americans would call a "real" sport, Marx produced a small number of figures and animals depicting fox hunting.  Figures and animals for this British pasttime were made in approximately 60mm scale and came in a dollhouse set.  According to veteran collector Rick Koch in PFPC Issue 13 from 1991, the figures and animals also were sold separately as a figure group and individually as bin toys (containers filled with loose figures for sale).  

In addition to the figures, Marx created a group of accessory pieces that could have been intended for a fox hunt set, but never sold these accessories to the public.  They were discovered in Marx warehouse inventory that was sold after the company went bankrupt.

Based on a July 2014 discussion on Facebook's Marx Playset Collectors that included veteran collectors David Schafer and Kent Sprecher, the figures and animals were included in a deluxe doll house set that is numbered 1445L.  David called it "the heaviest playset that Marx ever made" at more than 13 pounds.

It was quite a large set.  An advertisement for the doll house shows a fully-furnished, 2-1/2-foot wide house, 25 or so doll house figures, a fully equipped patio and playground, a swimming pool, a garden of crop rows from Marx' farm sets, a bevy of plank fencing, a long line of hedge rows, and low rock fencing that I believe first came in the company's Revolutionary War playsets!  Plus, of course, the fox hunt group.  The advertisement also states that the house has a working doorbell and room lights.  By the way, the set cost $13.88; today you would be fortunate to buy even one of the fox hunt figures for that amount.

Fortunately for us, the figures, animals, and accessories have all been re-issued.  I was lucky enough to purchase the figures shown below at a very reasonable price from veteran seller Bob Jones.


     Fox Hunt Figures  (PL-330)

This figure group included six poses made in 60mm cream and white shades.  Four of the six are unique to this group.  The boy and the sitting man were borrowed from other figure sets.  The boy comes from Marx farm figures, and the man in the cowboy hat from the company's Wild West figures.
Photo not available - we welcome yours!
Mounted man Mounted woman
3.  Standing man with top hat
4.  Standing man with cap 5.  Sitting man
Damage to hat
6.  Boy, with bucket

     Fox Hunt Animals

Only naturally, the animal group included a fox, horses, and dogs.  According to Geppert, animals were either brown or cream; horses came with separate saddles, the same that were called "cavalry saddles" in Wild West playsets.

It is too bad that Marx did not add these two horses to its Wild West sets.  It obviously would have given a little more variation to figures in the sets, and so few Fox Hunt sets were made that it would now cost an exorbitant amount of money to add more than a couple to your collection for use in Wild West displays.  

1.  Horse walking (see photo above)
2.  Horse running (see photo above)

1.  Dog, running
2.  Dog, sniffing 3.  Fox

     Fox Hunt Accessories  (PL-441)

Current knowledge among collectors I have spoken with suggests that the supposed fox hunt accessories group were not a part of the doll house set and were never sold to the public.  That includes veteran seller and collector Rick Eber, who owns one of the doll house sets that included the fox hunt figures.  The only original accessory piece I have seen a photo of is in red and is owned by veteran seller and collector Kent Sprecher; in that color, it could have been a test shot prior to any actual production.  He obtained it from one of the people who purchased Marx warehouse contents after the company went bankrupt. According to Rick Eber, a very small number of the fox hunt accessories made by Marx can be found in pink (!), but again, they were never sold to the public. 

Because the accessories include a horse stall (which appears similar to the company's cow stalls in some farm sets) and a roof-top cupola and weather vane (similar to ones for the top of Marx barns, but larger), I would imagine that Marx was at least considering creating a stable or revised barn for the fox hunt theme.  If so, I have neither seen one nor talked to anyone who has ever heard of one.  Can anyone out there add anything to these thoughts?  I believe that the cupola was the same as or similar to cupolas that were included in a several doll house sets.

The accessory group includes several interesting items that could be incorporated into other playset themes.  The 3-piece horse stall is an especially nice piece, with an attached food bin.  So is the wash basin with hand pump, which could easily have come with Wild West sets.  As could the rocking chair and bench.  Notably, the lawn jockey is larger than the similar item in Civil War sets, while the hay bale and feed sack are smaller than similar items in farm sets.  The shovel and pitchfork are much too large in scale compared to the figures and other accessories.

 The accessories group has been re-issued as the Kentucky Stable Accessories group and can be found in light brown or yellow.
All items shown in this section are re-issue.
Horse stall - front and back views
Stall comes in three pieces (base and two sides) and is about 3-1/2 inches long.
  
Grooming work bench
2-1/4 inches wide
3-step riser for grooming Wash basin with hand pump
Two pieces

Lawn jockey
1-7/8 inches tall
Rocking chair Bench
2-1/4 inches wide

Large bowl Basket Bucket Feed sack Hay bale
1-3/8 inches wide

Shovel and pitchfork
Both are 2-3/4 inches long
Cupola with wind vane
Two pieces, about 1-5/8 inches square
All items shown in this section are re-issue items.




Contents of this web site may not be reproduced or duplicated for use on the Internet or for commercial purposes without permission by Eric Johns.