Gnome Bowling Game

Vintage games are some of my favorite toys to collect. This one, circa the 1950s, features a 16 inch wide tin litho playing board with wooden balls. The object is to roll the balls into the corresponding colored cups. (It is much harder than it looks!) Delightful little gnomes point the way to high scores.

The little gnomes are adorable:

A Little Antique Teddy Bear

I know I've claimed to have found the cutest teddy bear ever a few times before, but a new claimant always seems to come along...

He has such a sweet little smile!

10 inches tall, American circa 1909, made by Ideal.

A Halloweeny Peng Peng Bear

Just in time for Halloween came my latest Peng Peng bear: Mr. Eightball, 4 inches of hand-dyed black licorice colored mohair, green glass eyes, and mischievous grin. (I added the tiny vintage jack o' lantern, and made the hat and bow tie...can you tell the hat was once the thumb of my left glove?)

Mr. Eightball and Jack hang out on the front porch.

Itty Bitty Steiff Bear

This little Steiff has lots of wear,
but it just seems to have given him even more charm.
The white ted is just 5 1/2 inches tall, circa 1920-30.

He has a totally kissable nose, yes?

He came wearing an old plaid coat that had clearly
been with him a long time, and suits him perfectly.

 Going for a walk...

Pink and Purple Peng Peng Bear

 

It's always a happy day when a new Peng Peng bear arrives. 

 Clearly, she agrees.

Peng Peng, one of my very favorite artists, makes unique and beautifully crafted small teds. Petunia, just 5 inches tall, features hand-dyed two-toned mohair, a tiny, stripey dress, and a fantastic face inspired by the classic British bear, Master Teddy.

 Pink and purple Petunia poses prettily...

1966 Troll Log House

There were many vinyl and plastic houses made for trolls during the height of their popularity in the mid-1960s. One of the rarest and most charming was this small log residence, just 6 inches long, made by Mattel in 1966. It features a clear front window, vacuum-formed interior, and loads of printed detail.

Front of the Troll House.

Back of the Troll House. 

The cozy interior has a molded stump table and chair and 

printed bed, nightstand, shelf, and candleholder.

A vintage troll still lived in the log house when I found it:








Printed trolls peek out the windows on either end of the log.

Shhh...this one is sleeping...

Bloo Bear

Meet Lenny, a 7 inch ted made by UK artist Susan Johnson of Bonsall Bears. Lenny caught my eye when I saw a picture of him in a British teddy bear guide. Susan makes Lennys in a variety of colors; check them out at the Bear Garden in Surrey.

I think he may be my new cutest-bear-ever.

Lenny is feeling bloo today...

1967 Mini-Martians Dolls, House, and Space Ship

The Mini-Martians have landed! I've finally snagged one of the hardest to find and most sought toys on my wish list: the Mini Martians, made in Japan in 1967 by Swedlin as an exclusive for Sears department store.

 1967 Sears catalog ad.

A perfect confluence of the mid-1960s mod, space-race, and small doll fads, the Mini-Martians were 4 1/2 inch tall vinyl figures with moveable arms and heads, dressed in day-glo "Carnaby Comet" fashions. Like so many dolls of this period, the Martians had a vinyl dollhouse with a vacuum-formed, brittle plastic interior. Their scarcest accessory was a blue flying saucer car.  Made for such a short time for a limited marketplace, and from fragile materials, the Martians are rare finds today.

 The Mini-Martians Star House, 15 1/2 inches wide.

Inside the Star House, the Mini-Martians had a sleeping loft, closet with space suits, a space viewer screen, a panoramic window with a lovely view of the galaxy, and a parking terrace for an (attached) jet car. 

The original catalog ad reads:

 

"Martian Star House. $3.99.

Far beyond earth's bustling pace Mini-Martians dwell at ease. Zooming around in 'outer space,' Mini-Martians live and play. Nestled among the stars and comets...a home so streamlined, all their own. Brightly colored outside and in. Space car parks on terrace platform. Two elevated bunks for sleeping. Video scanner to check on pals...Vinyl house closes for visits to 'other planets.' "

This toy came out a few years before I was around, but if I had been, that dreamy ad copy alone would have sold me. Who wouldn't want to live in a house of her own nestled among the stars and comets?

Inside the Star House.

Sleeping bunks.

Closet with space suits hanging on the wall.

Video scanner. 

 Star Car parked on the terrace.

The Martians themselves are adorable and funky, dressed in brightly colored felt and metallic foil clothing with teeny tiny space boots (often missing). Each Martian came with a name, described in the catalog copy, which introduced them thusly:

"Mini-Martians. $1.49 each.

Futuristic sprites a mere 4 1/2 inches tall. They'll take you to their world above where make-believe is so much fun...Remove boots for barefoot space walks. Dressed in supersonic styles. From Japan. Collect all 6 and have your own Mini-Martian community."

I'm a few short of a community, but was lucky to find 2 in minty condition (with their boots, even!), while the house came with a couple of more-played-with Martians.

 Professor Pook appears to be the villian of the bunch. 

He's got those sinister-looking pointy-down eyebrows...

Marti is the boy Martian, while Bonnie, below, 

in her odd space visor, is one of the girls.

And here is the seldom-seen "Jet Car," 

for jaunts around the universe.

 Blasting off...

New Peng Peng Bear

It's always a happy day when a new bear by Peng Peng, one of my fave artists, arrives. Please meet "Saltine," a mere 3 3/4 inches of crazy joy.

Here she is with her new friends, two color coordinated vintage trolls:

Big Nosed Bear

Possibly the cutest antique teddy bear ever. 

American, circa 1915.

Peng Peng Bears in Pink and Bloo

Just got a couple of new tiny teds in bright springtime colors by one of my favorite artists, Peng Peng. They feature lusciously colored mohair, quirky faces, and adorable little outfits. The blue bear is just 4 inches tall!

"We're feeling rosy and blue today, respectively..."

Here they are with their new friends, some of Mattel's vintage Upsy Downsy characters:

Vintage Carnival Duck Pond Game Pieces

My favorite carnival game of all time is the Duck Pond, because, really, who doesn't like a game where you're guaranteed to win a prize, regardless of your lack of skill? All you have to do is pick up a little plastic duck floating in the artificial pond, turn it over, and the number marked underneath corresponds to the prize you win. Who cares that the prizes are flimsy plastic tchotchkes ordered by the ton: you won something! Yay!

I was very lucky to find some vintage Duck Pond ducks for sale recently. Those on the left are carnival-used, while those on the right, on the bobbing bases, are unsold old store stock.

Aren't they cute?!

These ones, I think, have a rather startled expression on their faces.

Cute "Peanut the Elephant" Board Game

I found this 1940s or '50s board game at an antique show last weekend, and it has to be one of the cutest games I've ever seen.

Peanut the Elephant, who looks rather like a cuddly stuffed version and less like the real thing, moves along a jungle trail, hoping to land on a peanut that somehow allows him to coast ahead of his competitors.

The spinner is, in a somewhat macabre fashion, shaped like Peanut's head:

And the playing pieces are adorable little elephants, made out of chalkware:

I'm kind of amazed these are all still here; I would have thought some child would have pocketed them long ago...

Fisher Price Chick Basket Cart

One of the smallest and cutest of the Easter Carts made by Fisher Price is the Chick Basket from 1957. Only 6 1/2 inches long, the lithoed wooden pull toy features a yellow and blue paint scheme with a sweet little chick sporting her Sunday best. These carts originally had either a fibre board container or a straw basket attached to the back. Easily damaged or lost, they are usually missing when this toy is found. Mine has a vintage replacement basket that color coordinates nicely.

Fisher Price Bunny Bell Cart

One of the cutest of the Fisher Price Easter Carts is the Bunny Bell Cart, first made in 1941. It was so popular it was made for several years and went through some slight design variations. Measuring 9 1/2 inches tall, it features an adorable bunny drummer with separate arms holding wooden capped metal drumsticks. As the cart is pulled, the bunny beats the heck out of a tin bell, creating what was surely a horrendous racket to the ears of tired parents on an Easter morning 69 years ago. The open cart area in the front could be loaded up with Easter treats and the whole thing presented as an alternative to the traditional Easter basket.

New Teddy Bears

I got two great new teddy bears by one of my favorite artists, Peng Peng, this Christmas!

The blue one with the big round head and googly eyes is based on an unusual 1915 British bear called Master Ted, and measures about 5 1/4 inches tall.

The itty bitty black bear, done in an antiqued style and only
4 1/2 inches tall, is named Bigelow.
He's a quiet fellow...