Billy Blastoff
He may not have looked as space-ready as Major Matt Mason, but
don't let Billy Blastoff's cherubic little face fool you. This kid
packed the skills and the power for some serious interstellar action.
With a battery-powered jet pack on his back, Billy Blastoff was all
juiced up and ready to activate the many electric accessories that
toymaker Eldon produced for him.
 With
his equally-electric pal Robbie Robot at his side, Billy entered the
space toy race with a flourish in 1968. Little-known Eldon may not
have had the resources of a Mattel (producers of Major Matt Mason),
but they gave their little guy a pretty nifty gimmick: Billy's
backpack was a power source for every other toy in the line.
A small hole let kids plug in Billy's ray gun, television set and
other small accessories, but most of Billy's equipment was activated
by plugging the jetpack itself into the toy of choice.
The assorted vehicles - the US-6 and US-8 space cars, an outer
space dump truck, a long-legged walker, the US-9 flying saucer and
others - were all activated under Billy's power, rolling or walking
along when Billy or Robbie was plugged inside. The toy's design meant
that new batteries didn't have to be bought every time Billy got a new
rig, a boon to cost-conscious parents everywhere.
Billy was the dream alter ego of many a wannabe astronaut in the
late 60s, but spacefaring was only the beginning of Billy's interests.
The toy's various incarnations included a scuba diver, fireman, pilot,
construction worker (the jetpack was a little harder to explain here,
but we'll call it a welder's pack) and others, all complete with
appropriate tools and vehicles. Unfortunately, not even this kind of
professional diversity could keep Billy on the market past the early
1970s. Billy and Robbie left the action heroics to others, passing
instead into prized collectible retirement.
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