By Bob Tedder • Some books are pretty interesting and others are interestingly pretty. “Robots, Spaceships & Other Tin Toys: The Teruhisa Kitahara Collection” is both! This book provides a great opportunity for the peripatetic reviewer to wander at will through cultural memories, social commentary and enthusiastic endorsement. So, in reverse order, let us consider these observations.
The book’s enthusiastic endorsement stems from its physical characteristics and the nature of its contents. Technically, its size – 6.5 X 9 inches – precludes it being designated as a coffee table book. However, it’s the perfect book for a table at a coffee shop. Even though the book’s title is the ultimate spoiler, indeed it serves as a virtual table of contents; 331 of its 350 are gorgeous, full-page color photographs tailor-made for browsing in a public venue. Even the reluctant reader can finish the four pages of narrative preceding the photos. So regardless of your reading habits you may find pleasure in this volume.
The book celebrates Japan’s unique domination of the stamped tin toy market during the 1950s and ’60s. From a social commentary point one supposes that amassing 10,000 anythings would guarantee an appearance on “Buried Alive,” the hoarders reality shame show. However, as presented, Kitahara’s collections allow admirers to bask in the glory of the hoard. The value of this particular collection lies in the careful assemblage of extinct toys stemming from an era where “Made in Japan” was at best a snide condemnation of shoddy workmanship.
Now, a half century later, the gyre having spun its ironic path, Occidental braggadocio lies carefully preserved by the nascent efforts of Japan’s burgeoning industrial might. Remember Ed White’s first space walk? The Japanese did and on page 112 you may view the toy which commemorated the feat. Does anyone even remember the Edsel? Turn to page 288 and while there reconsider the twists and turns of the vortex in this particular industrial segment. However, the ultimate industrial ironies evinced by this collection lie in the 119 pages of robots and concern Japan. Many robots are described as atomic by the only nation to have experienced nuclear warfare. This is the very same nation whose industrial genius now finds itself building actual robots in an attempt to remedy the hubris of building atomic reactors in an earthquake zone. Whether you are a reader, a toy aficionado, enjoy glossy photography or just someone who enjoys warm memories, this book’s appeal is now available on a table at a coffee shop near you.