Thursday, June 9, 2011

Bendables - Captain Harlock

















Falsification and bootlegs in the toy world are not a new phenomenon. The more important the license, the more "unlicensed toys" will appear suddenly on the market. This was already true in the late 70'ies with unoffical / unlicensed versions of TV - cartoon heroes, like this Captain Harlock (Albator). Note how the face detail (scar included) is stamped on the non licensed version, while it is painted on the licensed one. Also, the flimsy cape on the (stiffy rubber) bootleg is held together with a staple... a big no-no in toy safety, even at that time.

Capitan Harlock (Ceppi Rati) and unlicensed version,
1970's 

Nausicaa, Albator, Ramis, Ceppi Rati, Italy,
1978
Captain Harlock, Italy ?, Bootleg ?,
1970's

2 comments:

  1. These are great! I love bendy toys, especially bootleg bendies.

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  2. My name is also Jeff and i had a captain harlock doll in the 70s in Malta.

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