Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-02-28
cHILDRES's pLAYrHIsGs.
Where TOYS Come From-Interesting
Talk With Dealer.

liOot vi OJ4Ab 4lOLu AfCrm0nV.
where they are made very cheaply.
This same town OF Sonneburg furnishes
many of them, bat more come from Nur-
emburg, and small towns in its vicin-
ity. 1t is in this district that magnetic
toys, swords, guns, trumpets. lorus.
woody sheep, jumping jacks, monkeys
on sticks, jacks in the box, and ingen-
ious mechanical toys are made. The
carved wooden toys come principally
from the Hawaiian Highlands, but they
are brought to Nuremburg to be sold.
The cheaper grades of wooden TOYS come
from poorer Saxony, and comprise Cheap
arks and sets OF furniture.
"How cheaply they make these things
you can judge from this instance. Here
is toy set of furniture consisting of
three chairs, bureau, table, sofa,
and mirror, carefully done up in a
substantial pnsteboard box. Now after
having paid 35 per cent. duty and hav-
ing allowed 20 per cent. for freight and
other expenses, we sell such furniture
sets at 70 cents per dozen and make
reasonable profit. You can figure out
the original cost il you chose.
''Other toys are made with CORES
ponding cheapness. Here are outfits
for painting. They are done up in
well made mortised wooden boxes, with
painted picture ON the top, and in
Guiding "a pigments aud brush. We
sell them for 90 cents n dozen and make
profit, after allowing the same per-
centnge for duty and expenses as be-
fore. We have other boxes OF paints,
the cost of which is almost in6nitessi-
NAL, possibly not more than 10 cents
per gross. They are so cheap, indeed,
that l can't name the cost price. l
know that wo had to mark them M 10
sell them at all.
porcelain toys-tea SETS and things
of that sort-are also made very cheap
ly. the waste places in the potteries be-
ing filed up with their moulds without
much additional cost. Toy horses,
COWS, elephants, cats, dogs, hens, tigers,
and ali kinds of animals are made large.
ly in the German prisons. Many of
these are ingenious novelties, being so
constructed as to be able TO move their
heads and emit noise resembling more
or less the natural cries of each animal.
The retail price Of these toys runs from
80 cents to $50, according to size and
perfection. We sold toy horse tho
other day for $50 about the same time
that real racer was disposed of at auc-
ton up town for much less sum.
OF the wooden toys, fully onc-half are
made IN America These include a b q
blocks; building blocks. and games, and
are turned out easily by machinery.
Iron toys are also made largely here,
and so are tin toys. The tin for the
latter is imported from Europe, and
when the toys are finished they are ex-
ported for the European market. The
majority of rubber toys como from
France, chiefly from Paris, although the
manufacture of this line of playthings is
constantly increasing in America, and
the American rubber toys are really the
best TO be had. The reason that Amer
lea has not taken the lead in the manu-
facture of rubber toys is found in the
fact that the demand for other rubber
goods is so great as TO shut ont toys.
Toy watches are largely made in France,
and are remarkably cheap. We sell
watches with chains, charms, and nova
BILE hands for 80 cents per dozen, after
having allowed for duty and freight.
"Of the standard games the best
chessmen come from England; hack
CANNON and checkers arc made almost
altogether in America; bone dominoes,
dics and the cheaper grades OF chess
come from France; toy printing presses,
locomotives, and all that liue of goods
are domestic Toy printing presses
were furnished formerly almost wholly
by the Germans, but latterly the Amer
leans have superseded their Teutonic
brethren in this industry. In educa-
tional TOYS America leads the world, and
exports large quantities. So 1t does
also in the manufacture of outdoor
games, lawn tennis, croquet, baseball,
etc.
"It is n popularity Of the toy trade
that business always falls off greatly
after Christmas, fat that makes us
direct our attention and energies 10
preparation for the Spring tra'le IN out,
door games. Novelties of all kinds sell
best with us rs they do in the European
market, and toy dealers are always on
the lookout for them. The French
probably lead in the invention OF novel
ties. but the Germans are quick 10 mi
tate them in cheaper goods. improve
ments are being made constantly anu
the perfection attained in some toys is
remarkable. For instance, the winking
and talking dolls of to-day are 100 per
cent. better than those of few years
ago $3.50. .horo
TOYS are made the laborers are miserao,,y
moor. while the merchants are rich.
Bnt these laborers are so contented IN
their poverty that they have no ambition
70 Get ont OF it. For generations they
have made toys for comparatively noth
ing. aud they know of and care Tor
nothing else. This fact, in my opinion,
will prevent America from producing
general toys ON large scale for a long
time TO come.