900 Astronauta

Big Jim Astronauta is a space-themed dexterity and racing game produced by Mattel for the Italian market around 1978–1979, during the height of the Big Jim toy line’s popularity in Europe. Listed as model no. 900, the game challenges two to six players to launch a plastic capsule into coloured holes, move their astronauts along a track, draw “Red Program” or “Black Program” cards, and reach the space station by an exact count. It belongs to a series of Big Jim board games released specifically in Italy and is now regarded as a collectible example of late-1970s Mattel merchandising. The most detailed collectors’ catalogue dates its release to 1979, although some surviving copies are advertised as 1978 editions.