bioephemera is art + biology - everything from representations of science in art and literature to the neuroscience of aesthetics. 
Coming through SFO last weekend, I encountered a wonderful exhibit of classic science fiction toys entitled "Out of this World! The Twentieth-Century Space Invasion of American Pop Culture." Tired and sick as I was, it made me wish I had more time to kill in the airport!
The show opened with two monolithic silver robots assembled of found objects by sculptor Clayton Bailey:
Check out Bailey's gallery of robots here.
The robots were followed by display upon display (all in acid 50s aqua, naturally) of vintage board games, toys, costumes, primitive robots, remote control aircraft, cap guns, even space-themed cereals. According to the curators,
Through the objects on view, the exhibition traces the evolving notion of space exploration beginning with the vast range of fanciful concepts in the early twentieth century; to the 1950s when space conquered all means of production including toy manufacturers, movie studios, the recording industry, publishing houses, and television; to the 1960s when advancements in the Soviet and American space programs were reflected in more realistic toy and product designs.
Here are a few snapshots that merely hint at the fabulous abundance of uber-cool space age playthings:
Want. Want. Want!
Unfortunately, your only shot at seeing the exhibit in person is if you're ticketed on a flight through Terminal 3 at SFO before March 14, 2009, when the show closes. Let's hope the exhibit moves somewhere a little more accessible soon! In the meantime, some high-res photos of individual items are available here. Very nice job putting this show together, San Francisco Airport Museums!
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Comments
The first picture is nothing but guns. And your comment underneath it? [The exhibit] made me wish I had more time to kill in the airport! (Emphasis added.)
Posted by: blf | January 4, 2009 8:39 AM
Just incredibly cool!
Posted by: Robert Jase | January 4, 2009 11:15 AM
Now that's cool!!!! I used to have one of those rayguns, the red and-white number, bottom left and third up in the first panel.
But no Major Matt Mason, of which I had the complete set. Were they on display elsewhere? I'm pretty sure Matt was from the same era.
Posted by: ScentOfViolets | January 4, 2009 12:45 PM
argh blf, I hate it when I make inadvertent puns! Gah!!!!
Posted by: Jessica Palmer | January 4, 2009 1:59 PM
Jessica - Thanks for sharing these. They missed the PEZ rayguns of the 1950s or 1980s.
ScentOfViolets - I loved my MMMs. Very few people (men mostly) remember MMM. You say that you had the complete set - did you have the premiums from Shell gas stations?
Posted by: Laurence | January 5, 2009 10:35 AM
Incredibly cool! I didn't even know that airports had museums. I'm sure that the Department of Homeland Security wouldn't want us just popping in to look at some ray guns!
On closer inspection, it doesn't, but at first glance, I thought the Magic Robot was uncomfortably reminiscent of Bender.
Posted by: Size | January 5, 2009 3:40 PM
Fuck! I was in SFO recently and I didn't come across that!
Hey, I hope you are starting to feel better, BioE.
Posted by: Comrade PhysioProf | January 5, 2009 10:29 PM