Toy Show Report

Yesterday we went to one of my favorite events of the year, a local antique and vintage Toy Show. It's held in a shared venue with a farmer's market, which makes it very crowded, and lots of fun to people watch  (little old ladies gently pottering along with their shopping bags, looking for fresh produce, are jostled by panicked vintage toy collectors, reminiscent of the Comic Store Guy from the Simpsons, racing towards the rare find they can see in a booth across the room.)
We raced and jostled with the best of them, and, although I missed out on a 1950s Mr. Potato Head set in its original box (I could SEE it, but just couldn't get around the corner of the table fast enough...darn little old farmer's marketing ladies...) we came home with lots of fabulous finds, including:

-4 vintage games: the Dark Shadows Game made by Whitman in 1968; Mr. Mad, a battery-operated, marble-spewing robot game made by Ideal in 1970; Kerplunk, another Ideal creation, from 1967; and an early edition of Barrel of Monkeys

-a fantastic 1950s felt beanie hat, loaded with vintage Cracker Jack and gumball machine charms

-2 German dollhouse tables, circa the 1920s, priced at only $5.00 each!

-a tiny set  of German porcelain dollhouse dishes, circa the late 1900s, with a tureen, gravy boat, cream pictcher, vegetable dish, plates, and tray, found in an old candy box beneath a pile of junk, priced at just $10.00!

- a little Scandia House pencil top troll from the 1960s, 1 1/2 inches tall, still in her original outfit, spotted in a grab bag of (mostly) junk, for just $5.00, too!

-4 vintage dexterity puzzles, mostly from the 1950s: a Cracker Jack prize; a fortune teller; a space-themed dome shaped one with great graphics; and a nursery rhyme design

-a fantastic space-themed card game from 1952 called Space Race; it features fabulous illustrations of mid-century rocketships, spacemen, and aliens

-a set of tiny 1960s robot figures, possibly gumball machine prizes

-a huge lot of R & L cereal premium figures from the 1960s-70s: Astro-Nits, Funny Fringes, Toolie Birds, Crater Critters, etc.

-and 3 interesting old Valentines

Seen, longed-for, but not purchased were a German-made, mohair clockwork cat from the early 1900s (standing and dressed, like Puss in Boots, it danced when wound, and was incredibly beautiful); and a whole booth full of vintage monster movie posters and ads, along with the much-sought Green Ghost and Outer Limits board games. Everything in the monster booth was priced at the very top of "book values" and, consequently, has remained in this booth, unsold, for the past several years...I have a feeling the dealer doesn't really want to sell any of it; he just wants to show it off, a sadly not uncommon thing among some rare toy dealers...)

Pics to come later this week!

Antique Bliss Dollhouse With French Penny Toy Furniture

I've posted this early 1900s Bliss dollhouse before, but I just redecorated it with some antique French penny toy furniture and a German tin fireplace. It came out really well, so I thought it was worth a re-post. (The furniture and fireplace were part of a fantastic recent find: they came with a Tootsie Toy dollhouse, loaded with accessories, purchased from the original owner's family. More on that in an upcoming post...)

 The lithographed house is 11 1/2 inches tall, 

with a typical two-room interior.

It still has all of its original wall and floor papers.

The French-made metal furniture, dating from the 1920s, is in a small, mostly 1/2 inch scale, and includes a table, chair, bench, dressing table with gilt mirror, sewing machine, and two twin beds. The German tin fireplace, from the late 1900s-early '20s, still has its red foil "fire." A Cracker Jack prize clock rests on the mantle.

The beautiful baby carriage, another of the French penny toy pieces,  holds a Frozen Charlotte doll.

Antique Teddy Bears

I recently gave a presentation at my library on the history of teddy bears, accompanied by about 50 of my teds who assisted me during the show and tell portion. Here's a virtual tour of some of the highlights:

A 1908 German Steiff and 1904 American Ideal, wearing his original antique Roosevelt campaign pin:

A 1907 Laughing Roosevelt Bear, made by the Columbia Teddy Bear Company of Brooklyn, New York. His mouth opens, emulating Roosevelt's trademark toothy grin!

A couple of very rare American bears from around 1907-1908: on the left, a teddy made by the Miller Mfg. Co., advertised as an "antiseptic, hygenic" toy; and on the right, a cinnamon colored bear from Hahn & Amberg. Both bears are made of a wooly fabric and, unusually, stuffed with cork:

Dating from 1906, another American bear, made by Aetna:

A couple of rarities from 1907, these Teddy Girls were an attempt by doll manufacturers to cash in on the teddy bear fad:

These two odd American bears were a novelty in 1908. Known as Electric Eye Bears, they featured light bulb eyes which actually lit up! (The second bear has had his glass bulb eyes replaced with shoe buttons by a cautious mother long ago.)

 

 

Another novelty ted, this American Sleeping Eyed Bear dates from the 1920s. His celluloid eyes tip back into his head when he is laid down, making him appear to be asleep:

Also from the 1920s, these miniature bears made by Schuco of Germany hold many surprises. The largest, in the back, is actually a perfume bottle: his head lifts off to reveal a glass vial. The pink bear on the right houses a compact in her torso, complete with a tiny puff and traces of powder, while her head lifts off to reveal a lipstick tube. The crazy looking bear on the left is Schuco's famous two-faced Janus bear: his head can be turned completely around, where a different face can be found. The tiny bear in front is Schuco's smallest variety, the Piccolo, just 2 inches tall, with his original felt paws and feet.

These two twin British bears date from around WWI. They belonged to twin brothers who emigrated to America in the 1920s, and were clearly much loved. In fact, the different wear patterns on each bear show how the boys played with and used them. The bear on the left has a completely bare, broken down arm, from being regularly carried by that paw, but his torso stuffing is intact and sturdy, indicating he wasn't slept on nightly and thus squashed flat, like his brother on the right.

Two of my favorite antique English bears are these, a small, portly ted made by an unknown company in the 1920s, and his friend, a very sweet-faced Chiltern from the 1930s, with Chiltern's distinctive nose stitching:

This odd bear, which has squeakers in its large ears, dates to around 1916 and may have been made by the British Peacock Company:

The presentation featured a whole table full of "character" bears, antique teddies who have little monetary value due to their extreme wear and repair, but have limitless appeal due to the character imbued by such wear. Here are a couple of my favorites:

The last part of the presentation gave examples of ways to display bears. A big, 24 inch American bear, circa 1918, was the perfect size to wear my little brother's childhood sailor suit and ride an antique rocking horse:

Miniature bears, including a 1910 Steiff and a modern artist bear, were just the right size for this dollhouse furniture and grocery store:

And an antique dollhouse made the perfect display for two tiny Schuco bears:

An itty bitty bear, just 2 inches tall, and his dolly friend:

Vintage Barbie Display

My library is currently doing a "theme month," and the theme is Collecting. (Yes, I had a little input on this decision...) We're focusing on dolls and teddy bears, with a doll collecting club coming to talk about Barbie, and me giving a presentation on antique teddy bears (more on that later). This week I put in a display of vintage Barbie dolls in one of our cases. It's really hard to take pictures of this particular case because of its dimensions and location, but here are a few views.

 Ken and Allan kick back.

Ken and Barbie, about to enjoy some refreshing beverages.

 New and old Barbies.

A very sultry Bubblecut Barbie.

The official trade-in Barbie from 1967, with the new "twist n' turn" waist, bendy knees, and "real" eyelashes!

Mod era Barbies lounge about.

A peek at some of the vintage Barbie accessories.

The Addams Family Goes On A Sleigh Ride

We experienced our biggest snowfall of the season yesterday evening, just in time for rush hour. As I sat completely stopped in traffic on the expressway, stuck in the snow for an hour and 15 minutes, I looked through a box of old photographs and postcards I'd found at the local antique mall on my lunch hour earlier in the day. I thought, well, this is rather unpleasant, but it could be worse: at least I'm not stuck in a sleigh behind a taxidermied deer with these people:

Early 1900s studio portrait with prop sleigh and taxidermy deer.

(Click to enlarge)

I really try not to be judgmental, but this antique photograph broke my resolve. These people remind me of the Addams Family. Especially the giant guy on the far right with the Frankenstein shoulderpads and the stunned expression. He could easily be Lurch's cousin, while the equally tall man second from left has the largest chin I've ever seen outside of a Dick Tracy comic. And the two men in the back just have something...unsettling...about their expressions. The one on the left in particular looks like he has some dark secret, doesn't he? The two ladies squashed in the middle of the sleigh remind me of the siamese twin sisters who once dated Gomez, before he married Morticia. 

(Actually, the more I look at this odd photo, the more I wonder if the ladies are, in fact, siamese twins; the big guy on the right and the man with the huge chin are, in fact, giants; and these might be circus performers???)

1930s Playskool Pullman

About 25 years ago, when I first started collecting teddy bears, I saw an interesting antique toy mentioned in one of my reference books. In a chapter of hints for displaying miniature bears, the author had posed several tiny teddies in an old tin playset called the Playskool Pullman.

I had never heard of this toy, and I was immediately captivated. The tin Pullman car looked like a miniature suitcase from the outside, and measured 11 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches. A leather carrying handle allowed the owner to easily tote the Pullman along, perhaps on a real train trip. When opened, a miniature train car interior was revealed, complete with a porter's closet, fold-up berth with bedding, and a seating area of benches with a fold-down table. I was absolutely smitten: it was an amazing toy.

It also turned out to be an extremely rare toy. Designed by a preschool teacher in the late 1920s and made around 1930, the Playskool Pullman was reportedly only manufactured for a very brief time, perhaps only a year, before the Great Depression put a stop to the toy's production. For years and years, the Pullman eluded me. With the arrival of internet auctions, I finally saw a few, but the prices were high and the competition was fierce, due to the toy's rarity and crossover appeal to lots of different toy collectors: dollhouse lovers, toy train aficianados, tin toy fantatics, Playskool collectors. But finally, last year, I found one. The good news: it was cheap. The bad news: it looked like it had been sitting in a barn and slowly decomposing for the past 80 years. I bought it anyway, on the assumption that my mom could fix it. She did, and here it is:

Big Bear is running to catch the train, but it looks like he's too late.

Inside, the private compartment is home to 

three little Steiff bears.

The porter's closet on the left was originally intended to hold the mattresses and bedding, but most Pullman owners convert it into a bathroom, as I did with these antique German dollhouse pieces.

The top berth pulls down, revealing a cozy bed complete with 

sheets, blankets, and pillows. 

The littlest bear is tucked in for the night, 

falling asleep to the sound of the train clacking down the tracks.

For comparison, here's what the Pullman looked like when we got it:

1907 Laughing Roosevelt Teddy Bear

After literally 20 years of searching, I have finally gotten one of the antique teddy bears that has long topped my wish list: the Laughing Roosevelt Bear made by Columbia of New York in 1907. This very rare novelty bear features a unique split wooden mouth with milk glass teeth. When his stomach is squeezed, his mouth opens, baring his teeth in a big grin.

 President Roosevelt was known for his wide, toothy grin, which he flashed defiantly at any obstacle or opposition. The original ad for the Laughing Roosevelt Bear reads: "Roosevelt Laughs and Shows His Teeth at his critics. So does the COLUMBIA made Teddy Bear...The Laughing Teddy Bear Laughs and Shows his Teeth at tight money, hard times and pessimists. He is the most Brilliant Stuffed Animal Success of Modern Times."

I've accessorized my Laughing Roosevelt Bear with a vintage patriotic ribbon, badge, straw hat, and a pipe (an antique Cracker Jack prize), which give him the look of a conventioneering politician. He's reading a book of jokes and riddles (another antique Cracker Jack prize), looking for a good one to use in his speech to the delegates.

Antique Photo: Tea Party with Mother (and Dollies)

I'm constantly on the lookout for old photos of children with toys, and it's always exciting to discover another one. I found this one last week in a box of rather forlorn scrapbook pages at an antique mall. Two sisters have been invited into mother's parlor for a little tea party, and they've brought their dollies:

The photo looks to be from the late 19teens to the early '20s, and has lots of interesting details: the mother's vintage dress and shoes, the girls' giant hair bows, the Arts & Crafts/Mission style furniture, the silver tea set, and, in the lower right corner, a miniature baby carriage full of dolls. Plus, if you look closely under the table, you'll see a crate that was set on end for the littlest girl's feet!

What Was In Tracy's Stocking?

Stocking stuffers are one of my very favorite Christmas traditions. The sight of a Christmas stocking bulging with mysterious small objects just makes my heart go pitter-patter. As miniature collectors know, very great things indeed can come in small packages, and this year Santa outdid himself.

My stocking held a couple of vintage 1940s MinToy dollhouse miniatures in their original packaging (a set of kitchen knives and a box of silverware); old dollhouse cakes; a 1920s-'30s Austrian-made celluloid dolly in a peanut; part of an antique miniature German teaset; a 1920s-'30s Old Maid card game; and a huge assortment of 1920s and '30s joke boxes. If you were reading the blog back on last April Fool's Day, you'll know that I have a passion for vintage pranks and jokes. I'm going to wait until this April to post the joke boxes properly, but here's everything else:

MinToy was a Chicago based manufacturer of dollhouse miniatures in the 1940s-'50s. Their motto was "The Big House of Little Things," and they made very nice things indeed. This carded set of kitchen utensils measures  4 1/2 inches, while the itty bitty box of silverware is just 2 1/8  inches.

Little dollies in peanut shaped molded cardboard containers were a mini-fad in the 1920s and '30s. This Austrian-made version features a celluloid doll with her original glass baby bottle. The peanut is 4 inches long.

This partial German dolly's tea set just delighted me. I love the colorful stripes, reminiscent of a circus tent. Circa the early 1900s-'20s, the teacups are 1 inch in diameter.

This Old Maid card game dates from the 1920s-'30s. It features fantastic caricature art: click on the photo to see the cards in more detail.

Lastly, a lot of wonderful old dollhouse cakes, dating between 1920-1960. Why all these dollhouse cakes? Because my biggest gift this year was an 1890s German dollhouse pastry shop or confectioner's. It needs a complete restoration, and then these cakes will fill its empty shelves...pictures to follow once it's all done!