Crater Critters was a set of eight plastic toys that were made by an Australian company, Rosenhain and Lipmann and
given away inside
Kellogg's
The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...
cereal boxes in 1968 and again in 1972.
History
Between 1959 and 1977, an Australian company based in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
called Rosenhain and Lipmann (commonly known as R&L) designed and manufactured unique and innovative toys that became hugely popular both in Australia and overseas. R&L started out making snap-together items that worked like tiny plastic model kits that didn't need any glue and were issued in a clear
glassine
Glassine is a smooth and glossy paper that is air, water, and grease resistant. It is usually available in densities between . It is translucent unless dyes are added to color it or make it opaque. It is manufactured by supercalendering: after ...
bag, inside Kellogg's cereal boxes. Between 1959 and 1977, over 70 different sets were released and it is estimated that about one billion R&L toys were delivered around the world.
[Divola, Barry (2004). ]
Searching for Kingly Critter: a deliciously different tale of obsession and nostalgia
'. Published by ABC Books, Sydney. .
The most popular and
collectable
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any Physical object, object regarded as being of value or interest to a collecting, collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types ...
of any series was Crater Critters.
[Hall, Craig (1998). ]
A Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereal Toy Premiums
'. Published by Parramatta, N.S.W. . Kellogg's advertised Crater Critters as friendly bug-eyed creatures from the craters of
outer space
Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...
. Originally issued in 1968, the set was so popular R&L reissued them again in 1972. The set of eight Crater Critters (Kingly, Kindly, Kooky, Curly, Creepy, Clever, Cranky and Crawly) were produced in eight different colours. The four most common colours were orange, lilac, dark purple and lime green (all depicted below). Of the eight Critters, two had removable parts; Kingly Critter who had a removable
four point black crown and Kooky Critter who had a removable
black top hat. Kingly Critter with a four spikes on the crown intact is extremely rare and often fetches upwards of $200 on
eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
.
[ In 2006, one sold on eBay for $450.][
In the United States and United Kingdom, they were also known as Crater Critters, but issued under different names (shown in brackets below).][
]
Tinykins
Becoming unprofitable, R&L factory equipment and contents was sold off to Mexico in 1977.[ This machinery was used to re-issue the Crater Critters series under the production name "Tinykins". Although structurally the same, many colours varied and were brighter than the originals. The plastic and texture was also of a lesser quality.][ Tinykins flooded the market and are often mistaken for, or sold as, R&L originals.][Tony's Trading Site]
My Collection of Crater Critters
Retrieved 2014-06-07
See also
* Lego Space (Spyrius)
References
{{reflist
1960s toys
1970s toys
Breakfast cereals
Games about extraterrestrial life
Toy collecting
Toy figurines