The Merchandise Guide
Mattel
Compiled by Martin Willey

Mattel is an American toy company founded in 1945, which became one of the biggest toy companies in the world. The mid-1970s were a troubled time for the company, as the founding directors were dismissed in 1974 for false accounting, and a new executive in 1975 made major changes to bring the company back to profit in 1977. Evidence of these changes include the unreleased Alpha Crew figures, and the poor availability of the Flying Eagle.

Mattel also released the Moonbase Alpha Control Room and Koenig, Helena and Bergman figures.

Mattel released Koenig, Helena and Bergman figures, Moonbase Alpha Control Room and Eagle 1 Spaceship and Flying Eagle (vertibird)

Figures of Koenig, Bergman, Helena and Zython

Mattel 1976 Dealer catalog includes the Alpha Crew figures, but these were not released.

Mattel 1977 Dealer catalog includes the Zython figure, although it was not widely available in the US.

TV adverts

Two adverts are known; it is possible there were others. Mattel mounted a major advertising campaign worth $1 million using 30-second TV spots in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in September 1976, expanding to the top 40 US markets later (Broadcasting Magazine, June 1976). The Eagle 1 advert is 30 seconds, but the Command Centre advert is 50 seconds.

Neither advert contains any imagery, dialogue or music from the series.

Eagle 1 Spaceship

"Alpha Team in danger."
"Code red"
"Lift off"
Narrator: "This is Space 1999 Eagle 1 Spaceship"
"Alpha Control we have contact"
Narrator: "You can jettison the cockpit and engines, then link them up. It's Eagle 1 in visual contact."
"Alpha control, hook-up, it's a go"
Narrator: "And the Eagle 1 rescue phase is complete."
"Eagle 1. Roger and out."
Narrator: "Space 1999 Eagle 1 Spaceship comes with 3 inch figures. Assembly required. New from Mattel."

Moonbase Alpha command centre

Oddly it's called "Command centre" here; the box states "Control Room", and the series only introduced Command Centre after Bergman had left. The close-ups feature the very crude Eagle art, and a picture of Matt Mason as a Gemini astronaut on the "starflash computer".

Narrator: "You're in Space 1999 with the crew of Moonbase Alpha command centre. Commander Koenig, Doctor Russell, Professor Bergman."
"Alien ship on radar"
Narrator: "Astro-flash computer confirms. Enemy attack. Red alert."
"Launch, Eagle spaceship"
Narrator: "The astro-flash network beams in the alien's position."
"Lasers ready."
"Eagle. Fire."
Narrator: "The enemy ship retreats"
"Return to Alpha."
Narrator: "Space 1999 Moonbase Alpha command centre and astro-flash computer. Comes with Commander, Doctor and Professor. Only from Mattel."