Rodeo Saltoacrabatico - The Italian Speed Jumper set
During the early 1980s, as with the Knight Rider sets, Knickerbocker Toys looked to new markets. Step forward two curious playsets which emerged from Italy.
These sets were produced under licence from Knickerbocker by a company called Harbert based in Milan. The sets contained no reference to the Dukes of Hazzard. Instead the car was a curious hybrid of a General Lee and a standard stock car. Replacing the Confederate flag on the roof with the Stars and Stripes, this car also had an eagle on the bonnet. The famous 01 on the doors were replaced by 09.
The Speed Jumper set was renamed Rodeo Saltoacrobatico (loosely translated as Rodeo Acrobatic Jump), and the playset parts remained the same as the Hazzard set with the exception of the stickers. The crash wall stickers carried a Rodeo Saltoacrabatico logo, whilst the danger stickers at the end of the ramps were simply translated into Italian. I’m not sure how popular these playsets were in Italy, or whether any made it to other parts of the world, but it adds another curious strand to the history of the Dukes of Hazzard playsets.
For information on the Italian StuntBuster, see the page on the Rodeo Sfondafienile.
These sets were produced under licence from Knickerbocker by a company called Harbert based in Milan. The sets contained no reference to the Dukes of Hazzard. Instead the car was a curious hybrid of a General Lee and a standard stock car. Replacing the Confederate flag on the roof with the Stars and Stripes, this car also had an eagle on the bonnet. The famous 01 on the doors were replaced by 09.
The Speed Jumper set was renamed Rodeo Saltoacrobatico (loosely translated as Rodeo Acrobatic Jump), and the playset parts remained the same as the Hazzard set with the exception of the stickers. The crash wall stickers carried a Rodeo Saltoacrabatico logo, whilst the danger stickers at the end of the ramps were simply translated into Italian. I’m not sure how popular these playsets were in Italy, or whether any made it to other parts of the world, but it adds another curious strand to the history of the Dukes of Hazzard playsets.
For information on the Italian StuntBuster, see the page on the Rodeo Sfondafienile.