DC Comics October 1968 "The Zeroids Are Here!" Ad

DC Comics October 1968 "The Zeroids Are Here!" Ad

Ideal published this single-page comic book style ad in multiple issues of DC Comics released in October, 1968.

Transcript:

THE ZEROIDS ARE HERE!

FROM THE PLANET ZERO... THE INCREDIBLE AUTOMATONS FROM OUTER SPACE.

MOVING ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE, OVERRUNNING OBSTACLES, THESE AMAZING, FEARLESS AND POWERFUL AUTOMATONS HAVE BUT ONE PURPOSE... TO SERVE THEIR MASTERS ... YOU!

ZERAK, THE BLUE DESTROYER. FREES HIMSELF FROM HIS OWN CONTROL STATION. HIS BRUTE STRENGTH FORCES THE EXIT RAMP INTO POSITION, AND HE EMERGES WITH FIGHTING FISTS READY FOR ACTION!!!

EACH ZEROID COMES WITH THESE EXTRAS:

THE ACTION- HAND THAT THROWS LASER BOMBS.
THE MAGNETIC GRABBER THAT PICKS UP AND CARRIES METAL OBJECTS

ZOBOR, THE BRONZE TRANSPORT ROBOT HAS SPECIAL-DUTY GRABBING HOOKS. HIS CONTROL STATION BECOMES A COSMOBILE FOR HAULING HEAVY LOADS. 

NO TRANSPORTING JOB IS TOO TOUGH FOR ZOBOR.

ZINTAR, THE SILVER EXPLORER, IS GRIPPER-FISTED, HIS CONTROL STATION BECOMES A
DRAMATIC LUNAR SLED THAT MOBILIZES HIM FOR ACTION:

ZINTAR HAS THE POWER TO BATTER HIS WAY THROUGH ANYTHING.

EACH ZEROID COMES WITH A UNIQUE PAIR OF SPECIAL PURPOSE HANDS PLUS MAGNETIC AND THROWING HANDS FOR ACTION JOBS PLUS AN AUTOMATIC REVERSING TILE. ALL ZEROIDS ARE EQUIPPED WITH FORWARD AND REVERSE MOTOR POWERED TREAD-DRIVE SO THEY CAN HAUL, BATTER, RAM, ATTACK LAUNCH, TRANSPORT, FIGHT -- ANYTHING!!!

THE ZEROIDS BROUGHT TO EARTH BY IDEAL (logo)

All content, including images and editorial, is Copyright ©1999-2025 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.

Montgomery Wards 1969 Christmas Catalog

Montgomery Wards 1969 Christmas Catalog Cover

 Montgomery Wards follows up the 1968 Christmas Catalog Zeroids offer with the introduction of the Zeroid Action Set for $7.99, showing an image of a pair of Zeraks with the Solar Cycle and "manning" the Missile Defense Pad.

Montgomery Wards 1969 Christmas Catalog Page 335

Zeroid, the mechanical man, walks up ramp of Missile Defense Pad and 3 missiles fire, one by one. Or he walks in Solar Cycle, it revolves! He throws; head, body swivel, abt. 6 in. tall, needs 2 "AA's," pg. 368.
48 T 23005 - 1 Zeroid, Pad, Cycle, Wt. 4 lbs....set 7.99
48 T 23700 - Zerold only. Ship. wt. 2 lbs.. each 4.74
 

All content, including images and editorial, is Copyright ©1999-2025 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.

Globe-Bescar 1969-70 Catalog

Globe-Bescar 1969-70 Catalog Cover

A telephone book sized volume, the Globe-Bescar 1969-70 catalog features various goods available through mail-order including toys. Page 323 features all Ideal toys, games and playsets with a round section of Zeroids near the center of the page.

Globe-Bescar 1969-70 Catalog Page 323

(C) ZINTAR - ZEROID SILVER EXPLORER has lunar sled and changeable gripper, magnetic and throwing hands.
4773-8TID497.....$6.95

(D) ZEROID COMMANDER - "ZOGG". Space-age accessories included.
4779-5TID897.....$15.95 

(E) ZERAK - ZEROID BLUE DESTROYER in his own control station package has changeable hook, magnetic and throwing hands.
4771-2TID497.....$6.95

(F) ZOBOR - ZEROID BRONZE TRANSPORTER has cosmobile and changeable pincher, magnetic and throwing hands.
4772-0TID497.....$6.95

All content, including images and editorial, is Copyright ©1999-2025 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.

Montgomery Wards 1968 Christmas Catalog

Montgomery Wards 1968 Christmas Catalog Cover

The 1968 Montgomery Wards "Wishbook" devoted about a quarter of the page to "The Amazing Zeroids" with images of the original three robots engaged with their plastic cases as play units. 

Montgomery Wards 1968 Christmas Catalog Page 279

The Amazing Zeroids

$5 each

[3]-[5] They move forward or backward. Each has reversing ramp. Heads, bodies swivel and they can actually throw things. Have extra throwing and magnetic hands. Plastic cases are play units. Colorful plastic, abt. 6 in. tall. Each needs 2 "AA" batteries - pg. 316. 

(3) Zobor the bronze transporter. Built for work, his case becomes a hauling trailer. Has pincer hands. 48 T 23701 - Ship. wt. 1 lb. 8 oz...5.00

(4) Zerak the blue destroyer. Built for fighting, his case is his headquarters. Has hook, fighting hands.
48 T 23700 - Ship. wt. 1 lb. 8 oz...5.00

(5) Zintar the silver explorer. Built for exploring, his case becomes a lunar sled. Has gripper fists.
48 T 23702 - Ship. wt. 1 lb. 8 oz...5.00

All content, including images and editorial, is Copyright ©1999-2025 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.

PK Home Shopping Center "Santa's Special Toys" 1968 Catalog

PK Home Shopping Center "Santa's Special Toys" 1968 Catalog Cover

There's no date on this thin catalog from PK Home Shopping Center, probably distributed as a sales circular in 1968. Page 16 features a full-color page and in the upper left corner, an image of Zerak.

PK Home Shopping Center "Santa's Special Toys" 1968 Catalog Page 16

ZEROIDS BY IDEAL

YOUR CHOICE 4.99

Exciting robot figures with inter-changeable hands that can grab, carry, magnetically attract and throw. Moves both forward and reverse. Battery operated. Choose from CS172 Blue Destroyer, CS173 Silver Explorer, CS174 Bronze Transporter.

All content, including images and editorial, is Copyright ©1999-2025 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.

Zeroid Origins

CU-24 Motors

The Zeroids were the brain child of Frank Rice, who previously was the Chief Designer of Playsets at Marx before moving to Irwin Toys, then Transogram as V.P in charge of Adult Games. As head of R&D Frank, along with senior VP of engineering Erwin Benkoe and VP Julius Cooper, was tasked with adding excitement to the Motorific line of cars. Much of the success of Motorific had to do with its heart, the Japanese-made CU-24 motor (image above) which allowed for mobility driven by AA-batteries. Up until that time most electic-powered cars used electrified tracks (slot cars) or were larger and used D-cell batteries. The adoption of the Motorific motor allowed for the smaller  6 1/2" height of the Zeroid robot and its development with minimal design costs.

Julius "Julie" Cooper was the primary driver behind Zeroid development, working hand-in-hand with the model department (folks like Ed Turcina, a top Marx model maker who defected to Ideal) to produce high-quality sculpted figures that really caught your eye and sparked the imagination of kids. The Zeroids had many metalized "chromed" plastic parts applied, employing tricks used on Motorific vehicles, which added a flashy appearance and unique design. Much of the work getting the CU-24 motors produced to exacting specifications was spearheaded by Lenny Solomon who negotiated the pricing and oversaw changes and corrections to their production.

During this period the Ideal Toy Corporation was really making a push into TV marketing (as were all the other toy companies) so the Zeroids were given this initial marketing spot (there are others which unfortunately haven't surfaced yet).

1968 Zeroid TV Commercial

To produce the initial TV spot (above) Frank Rice went to Munich Germany instead of doing the commercials in New York (which was the more common practice at the time). They were able produce multiple commercials at one time for less money (there were multiple sound stages in Germany with experienced crew and top-notch equipment).

The names of all the Zeroids, along with the backstory, flowed naturally once "zeroid" was established as the overall name of the robot. Planet Zeroid, the individual names starting with "Z" - I am a bit surprised that the Alien wasn't given a "Z" name too other than "Zeroid Alien."

John's Notes

Most of the information above was pulled from Playset Magazine No. 17 published on September/October 2004. It features a Zeroids cover and multiple-page article and is well worth getting.

All content, including images and editorial, is Copyright ©1999-2025 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.

J.C. Penney 1968 Christmas Catalog

J.C. Penney 1968 Christmas Catalog Cover

The Zeroids get a great half-page introduction in the J.C. Penney 1968 Christmas Catalog featuring a painted scene, albeit in black-and-white, of the three Zeroids with their functional cases alongside photos of the robots in their cases for storage.

J.C. Penney 1968 Christmas Catalog Page 320

Here come the Zeroids with play accessory cases 4.77 Each

Here they come! 6-in.-high Zeroids 

Look-each case doubles as a play accessory

[1] to [3] 6-IN.-HIGH PLASTIC ZEROIDS. Each with interchangeable and throwing hands. Each operates on a battery-powered motor with a forward and reverse drive. Swivel waist; hands are capable of grabbing, carrying, attracting, throwing. pushing and pulling, or hauling their individual plastic cases. Each operates on 2 "AA" cell batteries (not included. Order below).

[1] Zerak the Blue Destroyer. With control station case.
X 924-4302 A - Wt. 1 lb. 8 oz... 4.77

 
[2] Zobor the Bronze-Color Transporter. Rolling case for hauling.

X 924-4328 A - Wt. 1 lb. 8 oz...4.77

[3] Zintar the Silver-Color Explorer. With lunar sled case. 

X 924-4344 A - Wt. 1 lb. 8 oz...4.77

 

1 Pkg. of 2 AA-Cell Batteries.
X 957-1753 A - Shipping wt. 1 oz...1 pkg. 31c
 

All content, including images and editorial, is Copyright ©1999-2025 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.