Sources
Exhibit background: "Children's Games" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1560 | |
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Toys for the Holidays: | |
Making toys | |
Selling toys | |
Buying toys | |
Giving toys | |
A century of toys: | |
In the 1900s | |
In the 1910s | |
In the 1920s | |
In the 1930s | |
In the 1940s | |
In the 1950s | |
In the 1960s | |
In the 1970s | |
In the 1980s | |
In the 1990s | |
Back to Exhibit Contents
This page references:
- Parts of a magic lantern
- 1910s_dolls
- 1900s_Dolls and doll accessories
- Educational toys and games make learning fun, and are often prefered by adults over other types of toys.
- Branded toys increased in popularity throughout the 20th century until they dominated the market completely.
- Board games were a popular source of cheap, repeatable entertainment for families during the Great Depression.
- 1900s_trains
- Dolls are among the most universal toys, having been found and played with in nearly every time and place
- Penny toys were miniatures made of tin that were cheap enough for poor parents to afford or for children to purchase with their pocket money.
- Erector sets with moving parts were patricularly popular. Early sets were hand-powered, while later sets contained batteries. In the 1950s and '60s, Erector Robot kits were all the rage.
- 1930s_weapons
- A hit with children and adults since their invention, model trains have become particularly associated with Christmas, particularly Christmas trees.
- 1900s_Wagons
- The Teddy Bear was famously named after President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902. Although soft toys were invented in the late 19th century, the Teddy Bear truly birthed the stuffed animals that are so ubiquitous today.
- After the success of the Erector Sets, the Gilbert Company branched out into other educational toys. The company's mission was to encourage children to become scientists and engineers by sparking an early interest in scientific processes.
- 1930s_watches
- "Where There's a Will There's a Way": commercial toys made during WWII
- The Landlord's Game was the inspiration for Monopoly, but aimed to teach players about the dangers of unrestricted capitalism and came with an alternate set of rules for more equitable game play.
- 1930s_dolls
- 1980s_action figures
- 1940s_chores
- Mysto Magic Kit
- "Toys in Wartime: Suggestions to Parents on Making Toys in Wartime"
- Toy animals are among the earliest known types of toys
- 1940s_doctor
- 1920s dolls
- Toy companies stretched their imaginations to re-make their toys using paper and cardboard, materials that were not needed for the war effort.
- Spinning tops can be made from nearly any hard material, and have been found on every continent except Antarctica.
- 1920s_vehicles
- New Beanie Baby designs were released regularly during the late 1990s, including some special edition toys celebrating events or holidays.
- 1910s_trains
- 1920s_blackboards
- Christiaan Huygens' sketches of Death taking of his head, intended for projection with his lantern, 1659
- 1920s_science toys
- 1990s_barbie
- 1940s_bicycles
- 1950s_westerns
- 1960s_electronics
- 1900s_Rocking horses
- 1920s_bears
- 1940s_farm
- 1960s_winter
- 1900s_Sleds and skates
- 1980s_video games
- "The Lone Ranger" was one of the highest rated television shows of the 1950s. It starred Mohawk actor Jay Silverheels as the Native American character Tonto, the co-lead of the series.
- 1960s_appliances
- 1910s_Bicycles
- 1980s_transformers
- Western themes were very popular for miniatures and playsets
- 1980s_stuffed animals
- 1980s_legos
- The royal blue Peanut the elephant, which started the craze in 1995.
- Hats, weapons, and accessories let a child immerse themselves fully in the world of the cowboy hero.
- 1970s_Star Wars
- 1970s_Dolls
- 1910s_guns
- 1990s_action figures
- 1930s_winter
- 1950s_dolls
- 1960s_guns
- 1970s_Trains
- The original Easy Bake oven's shape was limitted by the necessity of having two light bulbs
- 1990s_video games
- 1940s_dolls
- 1950s_vehicles
- 1960s_cars
- 1970s_Cars
- The Easy Bake oven has undergone a lot of transformations over its life, as it went from mimicking real stoves to mimicking microwaves, to leaving real shapes behind altogether.
- 1920s_trains
- 1990s_pets
- 1940s_trains
- 1950s_trains
- 1960s_dolls
- 1900s_Magic lanterns
- 1980s_dolls