The picture shows three views around this Large Colorful Old Ralston & Company Novelty Toy Periscope. This toy periscope is not dated but it is believed to be from the 1950s. The toy was from Ralston & Company of Peoria, Illinois (no zip code). We do not know if Ralston cereals had used this as a mail away premium or if it was sold in stores. The periscope is made of a sturdy imprinted cardboard with yellow hard plastic ends with a mirror in each end. There are images all around the periscope showing many adventures that could be had with it. There are three images in color that look like old non sports trading cards. One ''UNDER WATER'' pictures a submarine, a battleship, and airplanes. One image ''ON LAND'' has two Army Soldiers on a battlefield, and one image has a rocketship and a flying saucer doing battle in space. Flying through the word ''Periscope'' is a spaceship with planets in the background. There are three more illustrations showing different uses of the periscope for ''Hours of imaginative fun for all children 4 to 14 years...''. These include ''Use in Snowball fights'' (boys behind a snow bank), ''Hide Behind Anything'' (boy and his dog), and ''Peek Around Corners, Trees'' (cowboy behind a tree). It is also marked on the sides as follows: SEE WITHOUT BEING SEEN WITH ... PERISCOPE A PRACTICAL AND CONSTRUCTIVE TOY A NECESSITY FOR MODERN ADVENTURES The periscope measures about 18'' x 2-5/8''. It appears to be in near mint to mint condition as pictured. |