6
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 15. 1913.
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How Christmas Playthings Are Produced and Marketed This Year Marks
Climax in Un'que Novelties, With General Trend Toward the Practical
How Thousands of Workmen Have Libored for Months to
Make Portland Children Happy. .
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ODERN1BM has captnred Toylan4.
The whole mighty kingdom bu
fallen Into the rush and crush at
progresalveneas with results that will
surprise you when you BO down Wis
year to io the Santa Claus act.
Tou will And faces and forms you
hare never seen before; you will see
old toys do new tricks and new toys
do old tricks; you will see many new
appliances on old-fashioned playthings;
you will hardly recognise the old toy
land yon have been used to visiting
each year.
Dolls will be different There will be
a difference in toy trains and street
cars and wagons and automobiles.
Even the animals will be different. It
will be like going Into e modern world
after living In the woods; everything
will seem new and strange.
Perheps you may wonder what those
extra, knobs are on the side of the
nickel-plated air-rifle you have always
seen on the market at Christmas time.
Tou And out that they are safety ap
pliances to protect their owners from
accidents. I
Again you wonder why a lot more
parts have been added to the toys
which run by springs the automobiles
and trains for tnstanoe. Tou discover
that the improved toys do a lot of
new stunts, such as bill climbing,
water pumping, reversing and making
long-distaace runs. Tou wonder what
has happened to the dolls and find out
their features have been re-proportioned
and remodeled, and that they are mode
somewhat differently. Tou wonder why
new parts have been added to the toy
torpedo boats and you disoover they
now are made to dive and operate under
water.
And so It goes clear down the list.
Everything seems' to have been given
some new parts with which to perform
new stunts.
Toy experts declare that the pres
ent year has seen more progress and
changes In toys than any other year
in toy history. It seems to have been
the one aim of manufacturers this
year to bring about some new novel
ties and to devise new things for old
toys to do. Also It Is very noticeable
that the manufacturers have been im
proving on the old toys In many ways.
making them more substantial, more
attractive and of more value, from an
educational standpoint.
Life Taken aa Model.
It has gotten so now that there Is
no more room In teyland for many of
the old-fashioned playthings our moth
ers and lathers used to enjoy when
they were children. They have been
or are being driven out by the tokens
of the more modern times. For Instance
the old-fashioned china-headed, paint
ed-hair dolls and the wax dolls, and to
a large extent the rag dolls, have given
way almost entirely to the pretty
"mat-faced" dolls with composition,
fire-proof beads, real hair and joints,
and parts which will not break. The
old umplng-acks. the old-style magic
lantern, old-fashioned wood building
blocks and many others of the in
habitants of toyland since the Christ
mas habit was young, have been
placed on the taboo list. In their
places are modern stone building
blocks, movlng-plcture machines, mod
ern birds that fly. monkeys that climb,
dogs that walk and bears that perform
on the trapeze.
The little old Iron train with station
ary wheels is rapidly losing out in the
race against the modern toy trains
with graceful cars, powerful steam
and electric engines, substan
tial track.' electric headlights,
crossovers, bridges and semaphores.
The play banks In which our parents
used to drop their pennies when they
were young have given way to modern
depositories which register the amount
deposited and open automatically when
the bank becomes filled. The old
fashioned fire engines have been fitted
up with modern throttles and engines
for pumping water. Aeroplanes and
monoplanes which actually fly have
taken the greater part of the space
formerly occupied by the flimsy looking
airship arrangements that flew on sus
pended strings; play dishes have been
produced In finished china and torpedo
boats, submarine boats, fire boats and
warships which actually operate and
perform the tricks of real boats, have
taken the place of the wooden make
believes that used to head the list.
Ducks have been made to swim and
dive, tin fish to swim gracefully under
water, dogs to bark, walk and wag
their tails; Noah's arks have been
modernised; dolls have been made to
look more human, play furniture has
been produced In old French styles and
Is replacing the common stock. In
short the entire of Toyland has been
revolutionized by the invasion of the
great wave of modernism.
Twya Are Made Srraagen
A noticeable feature of the market
this Christmas Is the quality of toys
displayed. There seems to hsve been
aa attempt made by manufacturers
during the year to eliminate flimsy
playthings which go to pieces about the
time the child gets Interested In them.
Wooden toys which in the past have
been held together with slight applica
tions of glue have been turned out
this year with tacks to help the glue
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hold them together. This Is true even
on the cheapest of toy counters. The
general trend seems to be to turn out
substantial toys, which Improvement
promises to eliminate many ahildlsh
tears this Christmas.
In animal circles there have been
made a number of remarkable onanges.
Where the counters used to be oc
cupied exclusively by animals made
of cloth or paper mache wltn little
regard paid to looks, there are now
perfectly formed animals msde of plush
which look for all the world like real
animals. Tou almost expect some of
the dogs to bark and the cats to meow.
And some of them will. If you pull a
string Bears as large as the real bears
you see In cages are Included In the
collections of push animals. By pulling
a string the big bruin gives a deep
fierce growl. The toys such as bears.
deer, horses, cows, lions, tigers and
elephants are made to hold aa much as
350 pounds weight. In all these ani
mals the most minute details in ex
nression have been worked out. For
merly the plush creatures were freaks
and hybrids In toyland now they are
the members of the animal "too."
In the new novelties this year there
probably Is none more unique than a
mechanical fish which actually swims
under water. They come in the form
ef carp and trout By winding a but
ton on the fish's back he is provided
with motive Dower which causes him to
swim gracefully about a tank. It would
be hard to distinguish between the toy
and a real fish if the two were placed
together under water. Another nov
elty along the same line is a torpedo
boat several Inches In height which
moves along the surface of the water
until a soring is moved, when it dives
down gracefully and stays under water
until it runs down. A toy nreDoai
which runs by Itself and . squirts a
stream of water as it moves Is some
thing new. Then there is a gunboat
which actually shoots caps and wads.
These are all made of metal and are
so constructed that they float properly.
Animals of All Sorts.
The political field has not been over
looked this year. On hand in the toy
departments are the usual forms of
elephants, donkeys and roosters with
numerous kinds of Improvements, In
cluding new varieties of hair, tusks,
eyes, ears and general features. Not
least prominent among the politic.!
animals is the bull moose, which com
mands a place near the front in all
plush animal circles. Also is found s
strange looking hybrid a cross be
tween a Teddy bear and a bull moose
Be has a teddy bear body and a bull
moose head. In evidence also are small
models of President Taft with "the
smile that won't come off" a.nd of
Roosevelt with his bandana and of
Wilson with his school books. Many of
these late creations are from Germany
where a large part of the plush animals
Of the world are produced.
Of the educational playthings this
year there are many novelties, among
them being painting outfits with direc
tions for producing excellent pastel
paintings. The making of these entails
considerable work, skill and thinking.
The toy la especially for kindergarten
children. Other novelties are basket
making outfits in which colored straw
and forms are all prepared for weaving
together by ohildren; steel working
outfits in which the steel Is all ready
to place together In constructing steal
bridges, derricks and frames for build
lnga, and aeroplane outfits in which, all
the parts for small aeroplanes are fur
nished along with instructions far
placing them together. These play
things are all new and In line with the
general trend of toyland toward the
practical.
Nav-ltl- in Dolls.
The latest thing in dolls Is called
the "character doll." These are de
signed after the faces of babies and
small girls, the ayes and ether features
being proportionate and the expression
being accurate. Some of them on dis
play look like real babies, so accur
ately Is the expression reproduced. An
other novelty in dolls Is the "mat sur
face doll. These have a color which
is very natural, the glossy, slick finish
being eliminated.
Small moving picture machine! for
use in the home are something new
this year. It is possible for a few
dollars to get a machine which will
throw real motion pictures on a screen.
Another novelty in this same line is
a post card or photograph projector
which throws upon a screen a repro
duction of a post card, a picture or
sven a clipping 01 a pioture xrom a
newspaper or a magaslne.
Rapid strides have been taken In thai
Isvalopment of play trains. This year1
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exact models of cars and engines on -pans and towers, buildings of the
the Illinois Central and other Eastern modern sort and many other modern
lines are found. Boms of these have
the windows, the brakebeams, ths
wheUs. couplers and other features
exactly like those of real trains. On
the cars are found actual reproductions
of railroad name plates. In the equip
ment of ths trains there has been many
additions Including new forms of
powsrful electric motors, automatic
switches and safety appliances. The
fata of the common little iron train
with stationary wheels is sealed.
In the mechanical toy line no article
Is more Important than ths steel build,
ing frame sets which hove appeared
within the last few weeks for the first
time. With these It is posslbls to erect
complicated steal bridges with, life
steel frames. This is the greatest ad
vance in the mechanical and educa
tional line. New In the amusement
playthings , are play sohoolhouses,
grocery stores and houses. These come
In seotlons and can be taken down.
They are large enough for children to
play in. Noticeable this year also are
newly-Improved stilts tor boys snd
wild West costumes. It would be dif
ficult to enumerate all the new thlnga
l.onjc Trip to Toy Buyer.
In the toy business there is no busier
person than the man who goes out
for. the big department stores and
makes purchases of toys In the markets
of the world. His life is one of troubles
owing to the great advancement of
ilie toy business and the uncertainty
about what to purchase for the chil
dren at home. Ths average toy buyer
for a department store spends about
three months in Europe eaoh year
selecting toys and playthings.
He starts soon after January 1 and
goes direct to 1ondon, where he looks
over the market of meohanical toys and
makes hlB purchases. He purchases
bows and arrows, tin soldiers, English
games and other forms of toys, mostly
of the mechanical and educational class,
which are made in London and there
abouts. Finishing there, he goes to
Berlin, where he finds woolly animals,
tree toys and some of the games not
obtainable In America. From there he
generally goes 'to the Thuringla dis
trict of which Sonneberg is the prin
cipal city, and there gets a big supply
of all kinds of toys mechanical, edu
cational, artistic and Instructive. In
Bonneberg 10,000 laboring people are
supported by the toy Industry. The
fathers and grandfathers of persons
now engaged in the Industry were toy
makers. Firms have been handed down
from father to son for 100 years or
more. From there the buyer goes Into
the Thuringla Mountains to Lauscha,
where the world's supply of glass orna.
ments are manufactured and where also ,
ths supply of glass ornaments are pur
chased. In this part of Germany the
work is done by families, each separ
ate family being a factory by Itself.
The father blows the glass from tubes
and passes the ornament down to the
mother, who does her particular work,
and hands It down to one of the chil
dren. In ornaments the mother places
fish skin Inside ths glass and dips it
in water to give the silver appearance,
and the child palqts the ornaments with
flowers.
Anions the Toymakers.
In the same district is found ths
glass marble Industry. Here are found
the poorest-paid laborers In the world.
A man sits by the hour and cuts mar
bles from glass tor a salary of about
IT.B0 a week. Seventy-five per cent of
the glass eyes used in dolls are pro
duced here. Glass eyes for humans
are also made here.
From here the buyer after making
his purchases of glass goods goes to
llpsig, where he attends the annual
"Messe" or toy 'Show. This opens on
MondaTy and closes the following Sat
urday. On display are the toys made
by 10,000 German and French manufac
turers. It is here that the buyer makes
the larger part of his purchases. At
this exhibition the various manufac
turers show their latest novelties and
the buyers select the toys which are to
be new on Christmas, seven or eight
months later. The Lelpslg display hall
covers two blocks. It takes a toy
buyer the entire week to go through
the place and inspect everything.
From here he goes to Paris, where
he buys more mechanical toys such as
aeroplanes snd new-fangled fire en
gines. He also selects his supply of
paints hero. From Paris he goes to
Vienna and selects box toys of wood
and light metal toys of various kinds.
After .completing the rounds he re
turns home and begins getting ready
for his Christmas trads. Months be
fore Christmas time the toys from
Europe begin to pile in to the stores
and the buyers get them ready for dis
play and sale.
Toys Depict Modera Life,
Toy manufacturing Is among the im
portant Industries of the world. Hun
dreds of thousands of persons repre
senting almost all nationalities are en
gaged in ths business and millions up
on millions of dollars are paid annually
for salaries. Hundreds of skilled me
chanics and artisans devote their en
tire time to inventing new novelties to
conform to epoohs and happenings of
note in world progress. So strong haa
become the competition now that there
is hardlv a (Treat event or move that
is not soon after Its starting repre
sented in toyland with some unique em
blem for the amusement of children.
The United States Is not a toy manu
facturing country as yet but it prom
ises to be in time to come. At present
thin eountrv produces the greater part
of the heavy wooden and Iron toys and
a large part of the games, but outside
of that little is done. This year for
the first time there is a noticeable In
crease in the number or American-
made toys. Maybe some day Portland s
toyland will be inhabited exclusively
by American-made toys. Toy buyers
say the time is coming.
MIRTH MANUFACTURER
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE THOKX.)
had the strength of misery In It But
even as it was Issuing from his lungs
and lips. It came Into collision with
the thought of Snoop. The result was
a creaking cackle, that so far as the
audience was concerned, shared hon
ors with the story. Dud could see
Mr. Prlnkle peering through the dusk
In his direction, and as his employ
er's face caught the ray of the read
ing lamp it seemed as if a twitching
smile passed over it The lecturer
was coming to the conclusion that
Dud was "trying it on ths dog."
The lecture was about half ever
when Mr. Prlnkle began a story about
a dog who was seen neiping along
another dog whose leg had been brok
en. Dud. casting nui eyes on tne
screen, saw pictured thereon the in
cident, the hurt dog being cruelly like
Snoop.
This was the last drop in poor dm i
out of sorrow, wnicn proceeaea to
overflow like a babbling fount Cover
ing his face with his hands, he sobbed
aloud, while the hot tears trickled be
tween his fingers. Mr. Prlnkle paused
for a moment hesitated, and attempted
to go on again, but Dud's sob had
dons its work. From around and be
hind and In front of him. arose sobs
also, while scores jt handkerchiefs be
gan to dab at wet eyes, evidently
there were a whole lot of people in
the audience who had lost pet dogs,
and who were In sympathy with the
weeping, walling Dud.
Just how tne balance of the evening
oassed. Dud never quite knew. He was
conscious. In a hazy way, of laughing
at times, and he knew, too, that the
lecture had been a suocess. One thing
stood out prominently through the mist
f his sorrow and distress, and that
was the certainty of his dismissal
Knowing Mr. Prlnkle aa he did. Dud
didn't doubt for a moment but that
bis burst of sorrow meant his Immedi
ate discharge, and he ruefully reflected
that this would mean the annihilation
of his bright future. It was pretty
herd, he reflected, to lose Snoop and
his job in one evening.
Dud walked slowly to the hotel. Ar
riving there he found a message await
ing him from Mr. Prlnkle, who wanted
to see him In his room Immediately.
Dud, with a sigh and a sinking heart
obeyed. Somewhat to his astonishment
Mr. Prlnkle seemed to be In a very
good humor. "Sit down. Dud." he said.
"I want to talk to you about what
happened at the lecture tonight."
Dud took the proffered seat, but
spoke not wishing that Mr. Prlnkle
would put him out of his growing
agony as soon as possible.
"I did not know before, Dud." began
Mr. Prlnkle slowly, "that you were
such a capital actor. That sobbing of
yours was most realistic More than
that It was a perfect Inspiration, an
entirely proper Innovation under the
oircumstances. It did more for the
lecture than any amount of laughter
could have done. By the way, your
laughs tonight Were capital. The
committee tells ms that I, or rather
we, so touched the hearts of the audi
ence that the latter responded most
liberally in a financial sense. And I
don't mind admitting that much of
the credit of tne success of the lec
ture belongs to you. Take this 110
bill as a small token of my apprecia
tion of your clever Interest In your
work. We will add a few patbetlo leo-
tures to the series. Dud."
(Copyright, the Frank a. aiunsey vevi