Mattel Music Box Carousel Tin and Plastic Toy from 1956

Very cool little vintage tin and plastic wind up toy! It's a Mattel Music Box Carousel. The highest patent number on it (2630655) was issued in 1953, but we've actually seen this toy in ads from 1956 and 1957. It mostly works in that the horses go around and around and up and down when you crank it. However, The music does not play. This must have been a design flaw because we've not seen one yet that the music still works. Most of it is tin litho with nice colors. The horses are plastic, and the post in the middle is printed cardboard. 

One thing I thought was very interesting, it gives credits for the music score and decor!. Printed right on the item, it says "Decor by Louis Song" and "Music Arranged by Ted Duncan". I just thought that was odd and worth mentioning. 

This item is just like we found it in a flea market in Illinois. We've not even cleaned the dust off. There are some scratches, but no major rust. Everything appears solid. Even with that, it looks really nice sitting on the shelf. I'm sure the colors would be even brighter if it were cleaned up a bit. You might be able to fix the music box. The mechanism looks pretty simple, but you'd have to drill and replace rivets to get it to. 

Terrific antique toy to collect and display. Would make a great addition to any collection!