1947 Mercury Industrial, The Crasher Truck In Original Box
During the early 1960s a new genre of toy wind-up vehicle became very popular. Called "The Crashmobile" it was made from individual plastic vehicle parts (i.e, fender, roof, wheels, etc.,) which, like a puzzle, were loosely fitted together to form a single car or truck. The toy would suddenly break apart when it struck an immovable object and afterwards could be easily reassembled. Since it was all plastic it weighed only several ounces. Needless to say it was immensely successful. I had one myself and played with it even after I had lost several parts. You can imagine my surprise when I recently found a similarly conceived toy produced 15 years before the Crashmobile.Called "The Crasher" truck it was designed to fragment into smaller parts whenever something made contact with its front bumper. But that's where the similarity ended. Unlike the Crashmobile, "The Crasher" is a push pull toy, but more importantly instead of plastic it's manufactured from heavy gauge pressed steel! It seems to be a heavier gauge steel than that used in most toy trucks of this era. Probably this was to protect it during its unusual crashing routine. So instead of a few ounces it weighs nearly 5 pounds! "The Crasher" was produced by the Mercury Industrial Corporation, N.Y., New York. I had never heard of them before. I also couldn't find any reference to either the truck or the manufacturer. It's made 14 individual parts; 12 are pressed steel. The other two are wheel assemblies made from two, 2¼" solid black rubber tires permanently mounted onto 5" long steel axles. "The Crasher" features a double spring mechanism underneath the chassis which causes it to fold upwards. However, a locking switch located in the bumper can over ride the spring release. In the "lock" position it can be used as a push pull toy vehicle. Turning the switch to "crash" unlocks the spring. While in this position anything striking the front bumper will quickly allow the chassis to spring in half which causes the whole thing to fly apart. No tools or screws are needed for reassembly. Oh, and just to mention; the photo's numbered 1-6 .....number 6 appears slightly longer than the previous 5 to provide greater detail. The toy doesn't get longer as it's assembled. The Crasher comes in its beautiful, 4 color photo box with separate top and bottom. It comes with its original die cut insert and separate instruction sheet. The box, insert, and instructions were all printed on heavy weight cardboard. Note: Although the surfaces have some small scratches and scuffs, the overall outstanding condition of the truck is a good indication that it was unsold store stock. However, it most likely became "unsold" when one piece was missing. The red van section is made from 5 separate parts (2 sides, 2 end pieces, and 1 top). One of the "end pieces" was missing. Thankfully, it's only a simple square with 2 holes with a small lip and lays directly behind the cab so it blends in well. Using the remaining original end piece I contracted a local antique car restoration shop to produce an identical red enameled pressed steel replacement. Everything else is original. Size: Truck 15" x 5½" x 5". Box 16" x 18" x 3¼". Approx weight 6 pounds Date Sold: Jan. 2010
Price Sold: $ 308
