192. RIN TIN TIN Magic Erasable Pictures

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, aired from October 1954 to May 1959 on ABC Television. The star was German Shepherd dog descended from the original Rin Tin Tin raised by American serviceman Lee Duncan who became popular in earlier 1920s films. The canine's adventures were adapted for TV and "Rinty" shared billing with child actor Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, and who was being raised by the soldiers at Fort Apache, a US Cavalry. Rusty and Rin Tin Tin helped the soldiers to establish order in the American West. Texas-born actor James Brown (1920–92) appeared in every episode as Lieutenant Ripley "Rip" Masters.


Transogram came out with a boxed kit of Rin Tin Tin Magic Erasable Pictures at the height of the show's popularity. There were actually several boxed activity kits issued in the 50s--including a Paint by Number set and a gameboard. But this picture playset that dates from 1957 is the rarest. The activity kit featured 12 panels that could be colored with crayons and then erased with a tissue and then colored again.

The panels carried illustrations of the major scenes and characters from the TV show. A box of crayons and a sharpener came along with the boxed kit. The best thing about this Rinty's collectible is that it's unused! A similar kit in unsued condition (saved for a split corner in the box) was priced at $175 on ebay. In the field of TV collectibles, Rin Tin Tin is sure one hot dog!