• Bath House Brass toy musical instruments Mattel
  • Bath House Brass toy musical instruments Mattel catalogue advertisement
  • Bath House Brass toy musical instruments Mattel vinyl record

Bath-House Brass from Mattel (1968)

Company: Mattel | Release date: 1968 | Ages: 3+ | Where to buy: eBay

“It’s harmony in plumbing!”

In 1968, Mattel released Bath-House Brass, a set of toy musical instruments that allowed children to turn bath time into a melodic production.

Junior musicians could choose from three cleverly designed instruments: a Flooglehorn, Tooba, or Brassoon. The instruments featured brass-plated plastic bells and a pressure bulb with a faucet-shaped handle and a spigot-like mouthpiece.

The entire Bath-House Brass line drew inspiration from another popular musical noisemaker for kids, a kazoo. Each instrument was played by humming; alternating pitch and speed yielded different “notes”.

BRASS BAND

In conjunction with the release of Bath-House Brass, Mattel also rolled out a musical group of teenagers bearing the same name. The official Bath-House Brass band released an EP that featured two songs, “It’s a Gas” and “Davy,” and it was distributed by Capital Records.

COLLECTOR CONSIDERATIONS

Bath-House Brass can be hard to come by on the secondary market, especially in new and unused condition, enhancing its desirability.

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