The Meeker herald., 1893-12-23
TOYS MADE IN GERMANY
NINE-TENTHS OF ALL WE BUY
COME FROM THERE.
America Gets Into the Game With Rub
hcr Toys and Educational Toys. But
for Tin Soldiers ana Wax Dolls We
simply Are Not In 1t.

simply Are Not in 1t.
"Of all the toys sold in America"
SAID prominent wholesale dealer in
toys to Philadelphia Times repre-
| sentative, "nine-tenths come from
Germany. Of these large proper
ton are made in one little place,
Sonncberg, town of about 10000
Inhabitants in Thuringen. Almost
the entire industry of this place is
confined to the manufacture of dolls.
The inhabitants are very poor people
and are brought up to doll making.
Before it is completed n doll passes
enrough many hands. 1he head,
hands and feet are made by one per-
son, the body by another, the hair is
fixed on by another, and the face is
painted by two other different peo-
pie. one doing the rough work and
the second the finishing touches.
The clothing is made by another per-
son and the dresses are put on by
still another
There are French walking dolls.
smoking men and other automatic
figures. but they are mechanical and
too intricate to be classed as mere
dolls or the rubber dolls fully one
half are made in America. where
anything that is machine made pros
pers to the exclusion of the imported
stuifs. The prices of dolls range
from one cent to fifty dollars, but the
mo popular. OF course, are those
that sell for twenty, fifty cents and
one dollar, although there has re-
Gently been II great run on five and
ten cent dolls AS with dolls so it is
with other toys. The most of them
come from Germany. where thcy are
made so cheaply. The same town of
Sonneberg furnishes many of them,
but more come from Nuremberg and
small towns in It's vicinity.
alt is in this district that magnetic
| toys, swords, guns, trumpets, horns,
woody sheep. jumping jacks. mon,
keys on sticks, jacks in the box and
ingenious mechanical toys are made.
The carved wooden toys come chiefly
from the Bavarian highlands, but
they are brought to Nuremberg to
be sold. The cheaper grades of
wooden toys are made in poorer Sax
ony and comprise cheap arks and
sets of furniture. How cheaply
these things are made you may
judge from this instance; Here is IL
toy set consisting of three chairs.
| bureau, table, II sofa and a mirror,
carefully done up in substantial
pastboard box. Now, after having
paid thirty-tive per cent duty, and
having allowed twenty per cent for
freight and other expenses. we sell
such furniture sets at scventy-fivo
cents n dozen and make reasona-
| bic prUUu. rutrN VI ufIuu: rUu
| figure ont the original cost If you
choose.
Porcelain toys - tee sets and
things of that sort-arc also made
very cheaply, the waste places in
the potteries being filed up with
their mods without much cost.
| Toy no -scs, cows, elephants. cats,
dogs, lions. tigers and all kinds of
animals are made chiefly in German
prisons. Many of these are ingenious
novelties, being so constructed as to
be able to move heads and emit
noise resembling more or less the
natural cries of each animal The
retail price OF these toys runs from
| Fl fly cents to $50. or the wooden
toys, fully one-half are made in
America They include A b c
blocks. building blocks and games.
chinery. 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 exported for the
| European market.
The majority OF rubber toys come
| from France. mostly from Paris, but
the manufacture of this line of play
things is constantly increasing in
America, and the American rubber
[ toys are really the best to be had.
| The reason that America has not
| taken the lead in the manufacture of
rubber toys is found in the fact that
the great demand for other goods
shuts out the toys Toy watches are
remarkably cheap and are made in
| France. We sell the watches with
chains, charms and movable hands
| for twenty-five cents dozen, after
having allowed for duty and freight.
| OF the standard games, the best
chessmen come from England; back
CANNON and checkers are made alto
gether in America; bone dominoes,
dice and the cheaper grades of chess
men come from France; toy printing
| presses. locomotives and ill that
| line of goods are domestic.
10y printing presses were form
erly almost wholly furnished by Ger
many, but lattcrly the Americans
have superseded their Teutonic
brethren. In educational toys Amer
| lea leads the world, and exports
| large quantities. So it does so in
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