Green Hornet Black Beauty crime-fighting car (Corgi Toys 268)

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Exhibit

Green Hornet Black Beauty crime-fighting car (Corgi Toys 268)

Green Hornet Black Beauty car, Corgi Toys 268 (CorgiCat 1970).jpg 1970 catalogue image (i)
BTMM map 023.gif
location:
Arch Two , Area 23
Corgi Toys (Glenn Butler Collection)
Shelf 8
1967 - 1972


1968 Corgi catalogue graphic: The Green Hornet's car, "Black Beauty"

1968 Corgi catalogue graphic: The Green Hornet's car, "Black Beauty" [image info]

A black gadget-equipped Green Hornet's "Black Beauty" "crime-fighting car" with "secret built in missile launcher and flying radar scanner" , Corgi Toys 268, made between 1967 and 1972.

Main box artwork
Secondary box artwork


The car is displayed on its original box and winged cardboard display stand, and has two special features - a radiator grille that pops down to allow a red plastic missile to be fired forwards, and a boot that opens to allow a "radar spinner" to be launched upwards. The car is driven by "Kato", with the Green Hornet character aiming a gun from the back seat, and the windows are green-tinted.

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet was the main character in a 1930s American "action" radio series, which spawned a coupel fo film serioals in the 1940s, and then got an American TV series in 1966 (with his sidekick "Kato" played by Bruce Lee). The slightly extravagant naming of the car ("Black Beauty") probably reflects the radio-show origins, as "Quick Kato, fetch Black Beauty!" is probably a lot more evocative and exciting to hear in a radio play than "Quick Kato, fetch the car!"

The series was nowhere near as popular as the more campy 1960s "Batman" series, and wasn't ever shown in the UK ... however, the van Cleemput "Corgi" book says that UK sales of the toy car were nevertheless around two and a half times greater than the export (US) sales, suggesting that UK toyshop toy-buyers and their customers liked the Corgi car as a feature-packed toy in its own right, even if they had no idea who the "Green Hornet" character was supposed to be.

Box text:

Britt Reid, the famous American newspaper editor by day, "The Green Hornet" waging war against crime by night - these are the dual roles of TV's exciting new hero who, to complete the mystery surrounding his identity, permits himself to be considered a ruthless criminal in some quarters to serve as a cover-up for his crime-fighting activities.

"Black Beauty", the famous automobile of "The Green Hornet", is equipped with a variety of fantastic gadgets - they include a button operated camera with a focusing range of four miles, closed circuit T.V. and apparatus which spreads a film of ice behind the car to foil pursuers. Your Corgi model features the most spectacular Hornet equipment – an Immobilising-Missile which fires from the front grille and the flying "Hornet Scanner" camera which shoots into flight from the boot (called a trunk in the States). Note also the simulated battery of Squirt Guns on either side of radiator grille revealed when opened to release the I-Missile.

"The Green Hornet" uses only non-lethal weapons in his battle with crime and the Corgi model shows him at the ready with his Tear-Gas Pistol. It is not surprising that his faithful aide and chauffeur, Kato, is an expert in Gung-Fu, an advanced form of Karate and Jujitsu.

And now with your Corgi model of "Black Beauty", join "The Green Hornet" in his fight against crime. Perfect your marksmanship of the I-Missile with target practise.

© 1966 Greenway Prod. Inc. 20th Cent.-Fox T.V. Inc. & The Green Hornet, Inc.

External links

The Green Hornet TV series
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