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Mattel is honoring The Beatles with a one-of-a-kind, construction set celebrating the 60th anniversary of the band’s first performance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Feb. 9 marks six decades since the legendary band played The Ed Sullivan Show for the very first time. The performance, which aired Feb. 9, 1964, became one of the most-watched moments in television history, garnering a record-breaking 73 million viewers.
Now, Beatles fans can build their own piece of “rock ‘n’ roll history” with this collectable building set celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ first U.S. performance on the variety show.
MEGA’s “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles!” set ($79.99) is available in select Walmart stores, online at Walmart.com and on The Beatles’ official website.
The 681-piece set from MEGA, a Canadian toy company owned by Mattel, replicates the “arrows” stage that was specially made for the broadcast and includes four 2-inch posable micro-figures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, complete with swappable instruments.
The Beatles’ performance on The Ed Sullivan Show launched the “British invasion” and birthed Beatlemania Stateside as the show received more than 50,000 ticket requests for the 728-seat studio. By comparison, Elvis Presley drove more than 7,000 ticket requests for his Ed Sullivan Show debut in 1957.
The Beatles appeared on the show three times in 1964 and several other times over the next four years but stopped performing live on the show in 1966, opting instead for pre-taped performances. The band’s final performance on The Ed Sullivan Show was on March 1, 1970.
For more collectibles, check out the best gifts for Beatles fans.