Toys have been around since early civilization. The earliest wooden toys are believed to date back to the times of the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Ceramic and Wooden spinning tops were uncovered by archaeologists dating back to these periods in our history.
Ancient Toys varied from painted wooden balls, wooden spinning tops, pull toys and wooden animals. Some Ancient Egyptian wooden toys are believed to date back to around 2,000BC. A true testament to wooden toys standing the test of time!
Although most items found are believed to be children’s toys, there is some speculation that a large number relate to religious beliefs and offerings to the God’s from the Ancient World.
Up until the 18th Century many wooden toys were one-of-a-kind hand made pieces, lovingly carved by skilled craftsman or by a family member giving a precious gift to a small child. Nativity figurines date back to the 15th Century, with toy arks being extremely popular from the 16th Century onwards. Also during this period German craftsman began to construct detailed dolls houses made of wood, with beautifully detailed handmade furnishings. These were extremely popular with the rich and wealthy as ornaments as well as popular with their children as play things.
During the 1700’s toymakers worked on new techniques and designs, creating miniature wooden masterpieces; such as brightly coloured wooden toy soldiers. At this time the first educational toys wooden alphabet blocks appeared in England.
Classic toys including the Jack in a box were painted in bright, vivid colours attracting inquisitive and excited Children to many a toy shop window.
Dolls and Children’s books have been around for hundreds of years in many forms, but it was only when the industrial revolution came about that the true potential of the mass production of toys was realised. This led to a brief demise of handmade wooden toys, as children no longer had to make their own playthings or settle for hand me downs of times past. Children’s toys became more affordable as the costs of mass production of lower grade materials became less. Traditional toys made way for more elaborate, mechanical and electronic toys over a short period of time.
At the turn of 19th century one of the most popular toys were wooden train sets and train tracks, a toy still very much loved today by young children and adults alike. Wooden toys have a charm and appeal of their own and many adults and grandparents draw on their memories of much loved spinning tops, pull toys and train sets from their childhoods. Wooden toys are very much part of our history and our future, not only are they traditional but educational and hardwearing; ideal for passing down as a family heirloom from generation to generation to be loved again and again.
