A Brief History of Toy Making
The toys our kids play with today are certainly much different than the toys we had as kids. The bells and whistles on toys today didn’t even begin to live in our imaginations as kids and the toys we did play with were in a completely different league than the toys of our parents’ childhoods. It’s no understatement to state that that with every generation toys become more elaborate, complex and expensive. Oddly enough, many people feel they're not as permanent, lending some truth to the cliché ‘They just don’t make them like they used to.’
Although this certainly might be true to a degree, many toy manufacturers today are hearkening back to the times of our childhood and also beyond to create imaginative and educational toys which could really take a beating. While traditional toymakers may still be in the minority today, many parents feel the price of wooden toys are well worth it: delivering durability as well safety and imaginative play. After all, it’s no chance that so many toys have survived largely intact from decades ago. After all, generally, kids do not play any rougher with their toys today than they did a hundred years ago. The main difference lies completely in the manner the toys are fabricated and produced.
At the turn of the 18th century the toymaking industry was just beginning to get a good head of steam. Previous to that time it had been hard to really mass produce toys in a manner that was cheap enough for the majority of parents to afford. The 19th century rolled around many parents had begun to understand that toys could possibly be both educational along with entertaining and were willing to spend money on them toward that end. Many of the most famous toy companies that we know so well today actually started business during this time period. British companies, in particular, were dedicated to the art of toymaking, turning out such all time favorite toys as toy soldiers, cowboys and Indians and farmyards. Wooden building blocks, steam engines and kaleidoscopes were also popular favorites of children during this time.
By the time the 19th century turned into the 20th century, children had become fascinated with the electric trains that were being produced on a fairly large scale. It seems apparant that the toymaking industry was reaching a zenith. All of that would change; however, at least for a while, as World War II entered the lives of every parent, child and factory owner worldwide.
Having an increasing need for war materials, factories found they were better suited producing all the items needed to keep their respective soldiers operational than toys. As a result toy production ground almost to a standstill. Along with almost everything else, during that time parents made do as well as they are able to. Homemade toys, not in fashion for quite some time, found new meaning.
After the war was over, it was a different story. Toy companies were happy to be back at toymaking with new fervor. As a result of the explosion of ideas during this time period, a booming economy and the creation of an innovative new material known as plastic, the toys produced during this time period were much different than their predecessors. With the advent of television, increasingly more toys began to take inspiration from favorite television programs and movies. Every year, toymakers sought to make their new crop of toys much better than the last.
Today, needless to say, it appears like there is no end to the innovation, creativity and inspiration with which manufacturers can produce toys. Still, most people can’t help but feel that yesterday’s toys might yet be better for today’s youth than all of the fancy gadget and gadget toys currently on the market.
One company today, that has created some wonderful, innovative new twists on the old wooden toys of yesteryear is Plan Toys. Known for being a "green", eco-friendly company, they create some of the best wooden toys around. They are safe, durable and "open-ended" giving them plenty of years of play as the child's developmental needs change and grow. They use the wood from plantation grown, replensihable Rubberwood trees whose years of service supplying latex have ended. Instead of burning them, they are used in Plan Toys wooden toys. They use non-toxic dyes and there is no lead whatseover in their products.
Wooden toys, particularly, have witnessed a resurgence in popularity. Archeological studies have shown that wooden toys date all the way back to the days of the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. German toymakers, especially, have been recognized since the Middle Ages for producing miniature wooden versions of everyday objects that children can use to inspire their imaginations, including soldiers, dolls, trains and jack-in-the-boxes.
Actually, it’s little wonder that wooden toys have remained very popular throughout the years. They actually last longer than the majority of the mass produced plastic toys nowadays, giving parents an opportunity to take advantage of both a ‘back to the basics’ kind of philosophy in addition to a quality and craftsmanship to which even the fanciest toys of today cannot seem to compare.
