A Miniature Toy Shop

Just in time for Christmas: a miniature toy store, for dollies to go window shopping!

This little shop was originally a French candy counter. It's about 15 inches wide, and circa the 1920s. Made as an accessory for small dolls, it would have held tiny sweets and candies. Those were long gone by the time it made its way to me, so I thought it would make a perfect toy shop. I filled it with old and very tiny toys, mostly German wooden, but there are also some French soft metal pieces. See what you can spot!

Here's a closeup of the center shelves, holding German wooden farm animals, houses, wagons, and dolls; cast metal TootsieToy vehicles; and a teeny tiny turned wood skittles set:

This corner has a tin birdcage, toy stove, and telephone, along with a couple of bisque and china dollies:















The other corner is home to a miniature 1920s Schuco teddy bear, just 2 inches tall, and an itty bitty harmonica:














On the floor in front of the shop rests a china doll in her tiny French carriage, along with a small sewing machine and a miniature dollhouse.

One of my dollhouse dolls is happily choosing her Christmas toys from the shelves. I hope Santa brings her what she wishes for!

Dollypalooza!

An autumn antique show turned up tables and tables full of miniature dollies, almost 100 years worth, from the 1880s-1960s. It was a veritable Dollypalooza! Here's the box full I took home:

Can you spot: a cast metal dollhouse crib by Kilgore; a 1930s painted-over-bisque dollhouse doll; two 1890s frozen Charlottes; three German all-bisques, circa the 1900s; a black rubber doll from the 1920s; a teeny tiny Kewpie; a 1940s Ethel Strong 'Twinky' dollhouse doll; and plastic and vinyl dolls from East and West Germany?

The tiny 1920s Kewpie was the smallest doll in the bunch, just 1 1/4 inches tall. Behind her is a jointed German all-bisque wearing child-made clothes, a naked 1930s German painted-over-bisque dollhouse doll, and a plastic West German doll from the 1950s-60s.

The larger frozen Charlotte, 6 1/4 inches tall, was the biggest doll in the box.













This 6 inch German bisque doll  wears her original clothes and human hair wig, circa the 1900s:

Her sister, of the same size and vintage, has unusual incised eyes, and came wearing a lovely lace over blue silk dress:

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 Peek at Tracy's Place

I am often asked for pictures of my place, and I usually hesitate, because I don't want to be reported to the people that make the Hoarders television show. However, I just put up some new shelves in the dining room, right over my table. They are now happily holding some of my vintage 1950s-70s toys, and I thought they came out pretty well, so here's a peek:

See anything you like?

The Strato Bank

Can you believe banks in the 1950s used to give away things as cool as this, for free?  It's true! The Strato Bank was a promotional item given out to young customers, encouraging them to save their pennies, nickels, and dimes. The 8 1/4 inch long, cast metal mechanical bank originally had labels on the sides identifying its affiliated institution.

After loading a coin on top of the spaceship, a spring loaded mechanism blasts it into the moon with the press of a button. Super, super cool.

The coins go right in front of the little red plane on top of the spaceship, and the button just before the tail fin shoots them away.

I think we'd all like bankers a lot better today if they still gave us things like this.