A Brief History Of Children's Toys

At some point in all of our lives, a wooden toy has made an appearance. It's handcrafted look and quality gives it an allure all its own. We've been drawn to them. From a wooden top, to a Nutcracker toy, wood toys have left an impression on all of us. The child in all of us still yearns for the days when toys were simple. Toys that don't make loud sounds or take batteries are few and far between. However, an extensive collection of wood toys still exists if you know where to look.

Wood toys have been around for hundreds of years. Although we don't know exactly when they came about, archeologists have uncovered primitive wooden spinning tops and other toys. This proves that wooden toys have held a special quality for nearly every generation. The ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations have all shown evidence of possessing wooden toys. This obviously speaks well to their durability and time-tested practicality.

In the 1800s, wooden cars made an appearance with the addition of fire trucks into the world. Trolleys were also popular in this time, and the wood replicas were not far behind. This new breed of wooden toys inspired yet another generation. Little boys dreamed of being a fireman and actually got to act out racing to the fire in their new truck.

By the time the 20th century came, the construction field was very popular. Industry was booming and this inspired yet another change in wooden toys. Toys like the ever popular Lincoln Logs were invented in this time period. With these great new toys, kids could build basically whatever they wanted. Cabins, houses, skyscrapers, and more could be constructed with ease. The only limiting factor was their imagination.

Another popular toy that many of us are still familiar with was Tinker Toys. These were still popular when many of us were still young. Consisting of spools and wheels and other things to build with, this toy fell in the same vein as Lincoln Logs. Obviously inspired with a construction theme in mind, they go right along with the culture of the time. Although wooden toys were popular years ago, there are many that are still going strong today.