Plasticraft U.S. Army Comical Truck w/o Figure

Along the road to collecting Army vehicles I managed to grab one of these Plasticraft Comical Trucks missing its driver. It doesn't appear to be broken so I'm wondering if some previous owner just didn't like the figure and removed it? Well, speculation is pointles and it is what it is. The fact remains that the truck without driver makes a pretty nice addition to the small Army vehicle fleet. At the end of the post are several pictures of it alongside a Marx Army flat car load for comparison. I found one thing that was funny - the way the stake sides surrounding the bed resemble popsicle sticks! The Army on a budget :-) Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Plasticraft Beetle Bailey Truck De-bunked

Whenever I run across a toy that is called by one name but is actually another I try at least to de-bunk or dispel any misconceptions. Manufacturers themselves are very good at playing fast and loose with the facts but occasionally we collector's screw things up too. Case in point is this truck that many collector's (including myself) have called the 'Beetle Bailey Truck' because the Army driver does sort of resemble the cartoon character. As a fatter-of-mact, when I bought this thing it was listed as the Beetle Bailey truck by the seller! But I was lookin' and lookin' at this thing and it hit me - Beetle's eyes were always covered by his helmet! It's one of the running gags of the comic strip that no one ever sees his eyes because his cap or helmet is always covering them, but that's not the case with our little toy truck driver whose eyes are plainly visible. Okay, so there you have it: The Plasticraft U.S. Army Comical Truck WITHOUT Beetle Bailey. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Courtesy Wikipedia

Plasticraft U.S. Army Comical Truck (aka Beetle Bailey Pop-up Truck)

In my reference book this little gem is called by the very matter-of-fact name of "Plasticraft U.S. Army Comical Truck". Most collectors simply call it the Beetle Bailey truck or Beetle Bailey Pop-up truck because the driver pops up and down as the wheels turn (there is at least one more 'comical truck' that I know of and it is red with a figure of Santa Clause in white). Originally penned by Mort Walker, Beetle Bailey has been a staple of the comic pages since September, 1950 and other casrtoonists have since come on board to keep the strip going.. Today's toy, according to my reference, also hails from the early 1950s as Beetle's popularity began to take off. It measures 4" (10.16cm) L x 1 1/2" (3.81cm) W x 1 3/8" (3.49cm) H (head down), 1 3/4"(4.44cm) H (head up). Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina