The last open house of the season on September 17th featured the new exhibit set up for 2022. Many of the Antique and Vintage Toys in the exhibit were from our own collection and members loaned us many others to fill out the exhibit. If you missed seeing it, most of them will return to their place in the children’s room. So, be sure to check out the children’s room next year.
Another favorite is this antique
doll one of several in the collection.
We also showed a history of toys so visitors would have an idea of when certain toys were first invented and how old they are. The following is a summary listing a few of the toys known from each period.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TOYS
Early Toys
Before
the 20th century children had a few handmade toys and those they did
have were precious. At that time children
did not have much time to play. Only a
minority went to school but most children were expected to help their parents
doing simple jobs around the house or in the fields. Children had often been thought of as small
adults, who were expected to work to produce the goods that the family needed
to survive.
In
Ancient Rome and Greece when boys were not at school and girls were not working
they played ball games with inflated
pig’s bladders. They also played
with knucklebones and toys like spinning tops, wooden or clay dolls, and
model horses with wheels, hoops, rocking horses and board games.
Toys
remained about the same through the 16th century.
Modern Toys
The industrial revolution allowed toys to be mass produced and they gradually became cheaper. The first jigsaw puzzle was made in 1767 – cutting maps into pieces to teach geography, but soon people began making jigsaw puzzles for entertainment. The Kaleidoscope was invented in 1817.
In
the 19th century middle class
girls played with wooden or porcelain dolls, doll houses, miniature dishes and skipping ropes. Boys played with marbles and toy soldiers as well
as toy trains and model boats. However, poor children had few toys and often
had to make their own.
In
the well-off Victorian family children played with rocking horses and clockwork toys like moving animals and clockwork
trains and the jack in-the-box. Simple toys like spinning tops were also popular.
So were hoops and games like pick
up sticks in which you had to pick up colored sticks from a pile without
disturbing the others.
On Sunday's, children were allowed to play with toys with a religious theme like a Noah’s ark with wooden animals. There were also magic lantern (slide) shows and puppet shows.
Many
new toys were invented in the 20th century such as tin cars, etc. and train sets became very
popular. Soft toys also became common in the early 20th century
including teddy bears.
During
World War II most toy factories were turned over to war production. However, in the late 20th century
with the arrival of an affluent society, plastic and metal toys became much
cheaper and much more common. In the 1950’s Legos became popular. Mr.
Potato Head was invented in 1952. The skateboard
was invented in 1958. Barbie
dolls were invented in 1959 and Action
Figures appeared in 1966. In the early 1970s
space related toys became popular.
At the end of the 20th century computer games made an appearance.
Today,
technology has entered the toy business in a big way. However, old fashioned toys still are
enjoyed, such as jig saw puzzles, Legos, yoyos, dolls. Board and card games still
exist, but many are now also available on computers. The selection of toys is now endless and
constantly evolving.
Source: Tim Lambert and other internet resources.
