Man from Mars Totem Head

From the sci-fi series Space Patrol

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The totem pole making tradition among Pacific North West tribes was the inspiration for this "Man from Mars Totem Head."

This mail order cardboard Martian helmet, from the 1950s television show Space Patrol, was offered on the back of Chex cereal and Nestle’s Quick boxes. Space Patrol was a popular show for children aired on Saturdays from 1950 to 1955. Its heroes, Buzz Corry and Cadet Happy, policed space for interplanetary villains.

Science Fiction authors often give aliens the roles that American Indians filled in Westerns, an "other," set apart from the cowboy hero no matter what side they are on. They are depicted as fierce enemies, honorable rivals living in harmony with nature, or as allies and sidekicks to the cowboy hero. 

 

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Man from Mars Totem Head Artifact from Austin
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