Dear reader. we were going to talk about how courgeous the Queensland government are in granting emergency status to the Adani Coalmine. But such intelligence and forward thinking should not go unrewarded. So in a spirit of forward thinking-ness, we’ve been asked by our editorial department to submit two more Games that never quite made it, from our extensive archive. It is hoped that these will act as a foundation for the visionary, engaged, and socially conscious policy our federal government is committed to. And perhaps a message from those glorious days when innovation and nationhood stood hand in hand.
Medical Kit 420×320 1955 PolyToys
The medical kit (colloquially sold in the U.K as the Backyard abortion kit) was a very popular item. Sales soared during the ‘American flood” of 1942-45, and again during the Korean war, when unwanted pregnancies and the dire consequences became commonplace. Designed as an adjunct to the popular ‘Doctor and Nurses Kit’ the ‘Backyard’ offered some interesting and novel features. These included a length of rubber hose, a small jar, a small bottle of ether and a pair of forceps. This all came with an attractive, (as standard in Doctor and Nurses Kit) uniforms and fake moustache.
The kit was exceedingly popular in both Britain and Australia, as a consequence of being affordable. And a boon for children improvising with bomb sites and vacant allotments to extend their range of their ‘imaginative play’. In spite of numerous protests from splinter and church groups the game was seen as an ‘inoffensive mirror to contemporary life’, (Archbishop of Canterbury) and children enjoyed mimicking the ritual of “letting the doctor in the back gate”, ‘sterilizing the coat hangar” and ‘helping dad walk to the pub’, whilst the procedure was in progress. Unfortunately, it became apparent at the Old Bailey that the notorious Mr Christie had adapted the kits for his personal use with dire consequences.
The game was immediately banned as unsuitable, and all product destroyed. However it is rumoured the kit survives in Russia, with a minor change reflecting the current aids epidemic in the country. The only difference being the ‘Doctor and Nurses’ uniform is substituted for prison guard uniforms.
Maralinga Man 400×300 1956 Atomic Toys. C.1956
Maralinga Man, was a first for local toy manufactures. The first ever ‘Glow in the Dark’, robot man it capitalised upon the atomic testing then happening in the outback. Spurned on by the desire of the then Prime Minster, Sir Robert Menzies to plead the British Government for ‘Atomic testing Anywhere in Australia‘, the robot toy was designed to walk, talk and eradicate any plants, animals humans who stood in the way of nuclear progress. The Initial response from retailers was enthusiastic with bumper sales predicted before Christmas. Then tragically as pre-release sales skyrocketed and distributors tested the toys at home incidents of radiation sickness took their toll. In short the toys were deadly. The toys were removed, and re-badged, on-sold in Nagasaki, as the ‘Atomic Manga Man’. Evidently the radiation dosage was mitigated by the background radiation. Thus rendering them comparatively harmless.