About Our Antique Mall About Antiques News & Press What's In Store (Antiques, of course!) Virtual Showcase Mall Views - 2004 Mall Views - 2005 Antique FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

TOYLAND, TOYLAND…Little girl and boy land

By: Janet Werner

In the spirit of the season, an article on toys is always a timely subject, the problem is getting your hands around the theme, and being able to condense it into just a few paragraphs.

Almost always, antique and vintage toys are collected because of nostalgia. An informal survey of toy purchases at the Spring Antique Mall revealed that tin toys and tin wind-ups are the most sought after. Because of their scarcity, collectors are often willing to overlook cosmetic issues, accepting them as ‘expected wear.’

These toys emerged in the early 1900s, and peaked in the 1950s when Louis Marx emerged as the largest manufacturer of toys in the world. In 1972 and 1976 it was sold and resold, and then went into bankruptcy in 1980.

After Louis Marx death in 1982 at the age of 85, American Plastics bought most of the assets and began producing toys from the original molds in 1990. Other notable tin toy manufacturers included Animate Toy Co., Chein (pronounced “Chain”), Courtland Mfg. Co. (only lasting 5 years from 1944-1948), and foreign importers: Schuco & Technofix from Germany, Strauss from France, and T.P.S. (Trademark of Toyplay, Ltd.) from Japan. Many had toy production interrupted during World War II; T.P.S. emerged after the war.

Many other popular toy manufacturers emerged during this time: Buddy “L” with their heavy steel cars and trains; the English made their “Dinky” cars, and the ever popular “Tonka” trucks, just to name a few. But also during this time frame, the Great Depression took its toll on the toy industry forcing many of the smaller companies into bankruptcy. The survivors were forced to utilize cheaper materials like rubber and cast iron.

Walt Disney leveraged the baby boom in the 1950’s by building the Disneyland theme park, and providing a children’s variety show, the Mickey Mouse Club, when the technology of television emerged.

The concept of toy merchandising was then spawned, and every Disney character was manufactured into every imaginable toy: Banks, Little Golden books, pull toys, puppets, ramp walkers, stuffed animals, and wind-ups. Naturally Mickey Mouse is the most popular, but surprisingly, Donald Duck runs a very close second.

Dolls have been unearthed in ancient burial sites, but never since the dawn of man has a doll been more popular than Mattel’s “Barbie.” Truly a multi-market collectible, Barbie has a wide following from little girls, to grown women, and fashion designers. It’s difficult to find Barbie dolls in mint condition, in the secondary market. Those in mint condition are typically bought and sold amongst the collectors themselves.

The dolls dressed by famous fashion designers command the highest prices, and are rarely given to grand daughters to play with. As with all the toys mentioned in this article, the box can add an additional 20% to the value of the doll or toy, and even more if also in mint condition.

One of the oldest and largest toy manufacturers is Fisher-Price which started their toy operation in 1930, originally with pine mechanical pull toys covered with colored lithographic paper. Cardboard was substituted during the Depression Era, but plastic became the dominant raw material starting in the 1950s to the present.

Other nostalgic toys worth mentioning, especially because they encouraged a child’s imagination, were Gilbert erector sets, Lincoln wooden logs, furnished doll houses, and the model kits popular in the 1960s. This article just covers the tip of the ice berg in collectible toys.

Due to space constraints, prices were not provided. Obtain the most recent copy of “Collecting Toys”, Identification and Value Guide, by Richard O’Brien, with approximately 20,000 toys and their pricing. For thirty years this has been the most comprehensive book on antique, vintage and collectible toys.

For a wonderful selection of antique, vintage and collectible toys, visit the Spring Antique Mall located at 1609D Spring Cypress Rd., on the southwest corner of I-45 at exit 70A.

Hours: Mon-Fri 10-5; Sat 10-6 & Sun 1-6. Phone: 281-355-1110.

We have fun! Come see us!