Treasured toys through the ages of time

Children of all ages and from all walks of life love to play with toys. Nothing has changed from the beginning of time except the toys themselves.

Years ago families were not flush with money, therefore having enough to feed and cloth their children were more important than toys. I believe that parents themselves spent more time as a family with their children.

I remember my mother telling me that she had a hand me down rag doll. Also that she got into trouble when she left the cotton reels that she used to play with lying on the staircase. Not much to play with in those days.

Rag dolls are now the hottest sought after item Lalaloopsy rag dolls with all the children.

During these earlier days the most common toys consisted of rag dolls, whistles. Over many years and as families became more financially secure they thought more about toys for their children. This took the form of better dolls, doll houses, wooden toys and figurines.

Then manufacturers experimented with rubber for making balls and doll parts. Eventually after the war toy pistols and guns were made. The most popular toy made during the late 1800’s is still a favourite today; the rocking horse has been revamped over the years in a variety of designs.  Creating them from wood and plastic with so many added features creating a more realistic life image to a horse.

Now toys were being changed in both design and fabrication.  Now toys were more wind up or mechanically propelled.   At the same time they made bubble pipes.  These were used with soap bubbles, the pipe being dipped into the soap mixture and children blew into the pipe delivering bubbles to fill the air.  Children loved to chase these and still enjoy the benefits of this inexpensive toy even today.

 

Kaleidoscopes were another inexpensive toy.  These consisted of a tube with two or more mirrors inside. Coloured beads or small objects were put in the other end. As the tube turned the light passed through causing the coloured objects to move creating hundreds of different patterns.

The Teddy Bear, so named after The American President Theodore Teddy Roosevelt, became one of the most favourite cuddly toys in the world and still is today. As the years rolled by lifelike models of aeroplanes cars, trains and motorbikes became alive in the hands and imagination of the children.

The depression halted this process with the shortage of money. During the war toy soldiers were the main items for children to play with. Eventually the kids were given a fairyland of cartoon toys like Popeye, Superman and many others.

After the war toys became even more popular, and many new toys, games for all aged children were created. I remember my friends and I playing with games like sorry, ludo, cards, monopoly, checkers, dominoes, fiddlesticks, the bubble pipe, xylophone, hoops, wind up toys, pogo sticks, French knitting, knuckle bones and many more.

I admit they certainly weren’t all my games. And then there was the Barbie doll.

1960’s- 2000 and with it the electronic age

Many other toys were now manufactured, dolls, bikes, match box toys, electric trains, robots and many more.

Then the electronic age became alive. Computers, mobile phones, ipods, play stations, Xboxes just one after another. And the real headaches began with a world of changes. Forever having to update everything. No longer inexpensive toys. And most of the kids are not happy unless they are saying "I want."

NOTE: I will never forget one christmas when we went to our friends in Tasmania. As they had lost everything in a house fire, they bought bikes and skates (money items) for them to make up for there loss.

Guess what they spent most of the holidays playing with. Bubble pipes, balloons and drawing and coloring in books. It just goes to show; Mums out there, do not worry about having to spend money on exhorbitant priced toys. Kids are kids, they can still make the most of things if given the right conditions and circumstances.

Get them out of their rooms into the wide open spaces and fresh air, and do things together as a family and have fun.

Robots are no longer needed. Sorry, but our children, have now become those robots.