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Marx Western Toys
Howdy Partner! The Marx Museum's Life-Size
Western Town will introduce you to a world of Marx Western toys, including
western playsets, rifles, artwork, store displays, and much more!!!
Throughout the 50's and 60's, Marx produced thousands of
Marx western related items including hundreds of western related
playsets. While many of the items were "unbranded", Marx produced
many toys which required special licensing from TV shows and movies.
 In
1951, Marx introduced the first Fort Apache Stockade. For the next
20 years, Marx would produced a variety of western "fort" playsets
including Fort Apache Stockades, Rin Tin Tin Fort Apaches, Fort
Dearborn, Alamo, and more.
And if your western playset didn't have a fort, then it
would most certainly have a metal street front,
as found in the Dodge City Western Town, Gunsmoke, and Roy Rogers
Western Town.
As new TV shows would become popular and movies would be
released, Marx would quickly acquire the licensing to produced a similar
set.
In 1952, Marx released his first "branded" western sets,
the Roy Rogers Ranch and the Roy Rogers Mineral City. This led to
more than a dozen Roy Rogers branded playsets in the 1950's.
Marx continued to focus on "branded" playsets with the release of Wyatt
Earp (1959), Johnny Ringo (1959), Rifleman (1959), Gunsmoke (1960),
Wagon Train (1958-1961), and more...
In the early 50's figures were produced from a vinyl-like plastic which
was much more rubbery and flexible. The Marx figures were
primarily produced in 60 mm scale, although some figures were produced
in a much smaller 45 mm scale.
The photo to the left illustrates western playset with
60 mm scale figures, often referred to as "chubby."
In 1958-59, Marx began to produced figures in a slightly
smaller 54 mm scale. In addition, the plastics allowed for finer
details and more precise designs. This allowed allowed for the
production of some incredibly detailed figures.
Although the "branded" western playsets became less
popular in the 1960's, the western themed playsets continued through
dozens of variations of the Marx Fort Apaches playset, including the
fondly remember Fort Apache Carry-All in the tin briefcase-like box.
In addition to playsets, Marx created a variety of western related items
from cap guns and rifles to miniature guns and puzzles.
In the 1960's, Marx produced precision miniatures of
historic weapons called the "Famous Firearms" These firearms could
be produced as a complete set as shown to the right, as individual
pieces sold rubber-banded to cards, or blister packed with a special
plastic firearms box for storage.
A slightly larger series known as the Golden Guns were
also produced and sold blistered on cards.
Throughout this time, Marx produced a number of
realistic rifles in both appearance and sound.
A toy gun could transform any child into their favorite cowboy character
for an afternoon of fun!!!
Over 15 Western Playsets
On Full Dioramic Display!
Original
Artwork!
Guns of All
Sizes!
And More!
Continue The
Tour...
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