With the Daleks capturing public imagination so swiftly, toy versions of The Doctor’s most celebrated adversaries soon began appearing on the market.
The earliest of these TV toys were mid-60s productions but this example was made by the British firm Palitoy in 1975 from plastic and is battery operated. It came to West Country auctioneers Bearne’s as part of a deceased estate complete with the original box and in unplayed with condition, with the moving eye and plunger components still wrapped in plastic. It was this combination of pristine condition and cult status that took the toy to £150 when it went under the hammer at the Exeter rooms on September 4.
Rule the universe for £150
With their sinister gliding gait and shrill cries of Exterminate! Exterminate! the Daleks sent small children cowering behind the sofa when they first appeared on TV in the 1960s in their bid to rule the Universe. At approximately 8in (20cm) high, however, this particular example of spin-off merchandising from the BBC series Dr Who is more likely to invoke fond nostalgia than fear.
