1926 Marx, Snoopy Gus The Wild-Fireman in Original Box
This tin litho Snoopy Gus Wild-Fireman toy is a remarkable example of THE most difficult to find of all Marx eccentric cars. Called "eccentric" or crazy cars because of their erratic movement they were produced for nearly three decades. However, the Snoopy Gus Wild Fireman advertised in the 1926 Montgomery Ward catalog for 47¢ was the very first. This awesome toy conservatively grades excellent+ and it comes complete with its super rare original box. It's the first time I've found the box for this toy. This neat toy is all tin litho with ribbon-type spring wind-up motor. It features erratic movement (forward, reverse, turn right, turn left) with simultaneous clockwork rotation of the rear yellow ladder and fireman. It's uniformly red lithography highlighted only with yellow and black gives it an overall very elegant appearance. Added to that are the brightly colored firemen with red jacket and helmet, navy blue trousers, and black calf length boots. Each sports a bright red bushy mustache and red hair. A brown and white dog sits in the bench seat next to the driver. The wheels have white tires with red and white spoke centers. The rear wheels (motor driven) are only slightly larger than the front which spin freely. In fact the rear wheels were the smallest used on any eccentric car. More "facts": The toy also has a small two tier red and yellow steering wheel mounted onto a copper rod. The windshield is the original celluloid. The Marx logo and address appear on the back of the seat. "Hook & Ladder" are printed on either side of the hood and "Snoopy Gus" appears above the front radiator. The fenders and running boards are part of the metal body which have been folded outwards. They're not tabbed separately. All parts, paint, and lithography are original. Nothing has been replaced, touched up, or repaired. The box was printed with three different cartoon-like illustrations. The front and rear panels show the fire truck backed up to a burning building. One fireman scales the ladder to the second story to rescue a tenant on the second floor. Four children are shown running away from the fire, while a fifth runs in the direction of the fire truck towards the dog. The long side panels show two firemen at the ladder tops. One holds a victim who has passed out. The other shoots his water hose through a window into the face of a hysteric tenant. More kids in the background flee the scene. The endflaps show a kid-sized fireman shooting water into the crowd of onlookers. The second runs by with a pick-axe in hand. All three drawings are fairly strange (which is probably why they called it The Wild Fireman). Size: 7" long x 8½" tall. Sold: Jan. 2007
Price Sold: $ 2250
