The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-02-21
THE GERMAN TOY INDUSTRY.
Its History and Development.

| LIS IllSIOIy anu 1CNClpPiiiSht'
Although the little Thuringian town
of Sonnebery, the center of the modern
top industry, says Uhlands Wochens-
chrift, is commonly considered as the
birthplace Of toy-making, the first at
tempts in the art were made by the viii
lage Of Judenbach, situated further to
the northeast.
| Till the eighteenth century toys were
colored with poisonous bismuth paints.
An important step in the development
OF the industry was the endeavor to
make those parts which were with diff
| ficutly carved of some daughy sub
stance (rye flour mixed with lime
| Water). But this substance softened
and widowed when moistened. A deci-
ded advance can therefore be recorded
only when Friedrich Muller, citizen of
Sonneberg, began to use papier mache, a
substance of which he had heard from
French soldier The figures were no
longer modelled as before, but the plas-
tic mass was now pressed into shape by
moulds. BY means of this new SUBJ
stance Sonneberg produced it's wares
with almost mechanical rapidity. Toys
were no longer made in the houses of
peasants, but in factories
Strange to say in the making of dolls
but little progress was made. Not I'M
til new method was introduced into
Sonneberg, which came from China by
way of England, can any great i'm
provement be recorded From the first
Chinese dolls of 1852, with their nova
h1n limbs CT \
drawn through the joints, developed the
so-called 'jointed dolls" In coloring
the faces of these dolls, white lead, a
poisonous paint was long employed, I'M
til by legislative action it's use was pro-
h1bited Nowadays the innocuous zinc
oxide and similar harmless colors are
used. The hair of dolls, after many
failures with other material, Is now
made of mohar and the fur Of Angora
goats.
In this manner the toy industry slow
ly developed to it's present state How
numerous are the varieties of toys now
made may be inferred when it is con-
sidered that the design room of Some
berg factory contains from twelve to
eighteen thousand designs.
In order to maintain the position
Winch tICy nave IGhCuGQ, COy-n1dk
are compelled constantly to bring forth
new models and to adapt their products
to the tastes and pecularities of foreign
purchasers. Years ago the chairman of
the Sonneberg chamber of commerce
and industry proposed the collection of
toys made by foreign manufacturers, in
order that Sonneberg toy-makers might
thus be able to acquaint themselves
with the wants and peculiarities Of for
elgn markets. Such a collection Of
models has now been made and does
good service for the manufacturers, as
we'll as for the students at the various
industrial schools of Thuringia
The toys at present made may be d.
vided into the following groups: 1.
Wares made entirely of wood, such as
crossbows, guns violins, flutes, chess
and drausht boards, rattles, jumping
nut crackers, soldiers, nine
pins, rocking horses. 2. Articles made
mostly of wood, such as lighthouses,
Kitchens, shops, furniture, Punch-and-
Judy shows. g. Mechanical toys 4. Pa
pier mache articles, such as harlequins,
riders, caricatures of national types, an
lmals covered with felt or leather, shep-
herds houses, menageries, figures of
Santa Claus. 5. Animals covered with !
fur. 6. Metal toys, such as tin figures, |
toy trumpets, weapons and theaters. Z. |
Figures and toys made of china, burnt
clay, stone and glass. Among these |
toys may be mentioned toy dishes, mar
oles and articles of various kinds made
II blown glass. s. Christmas tree deco
rations of glass, metal and wax. In
Lauscha wax is the material most used.
}. Dolls with appurtenant wagons
chairs and swings.
Toy factories are now scattered more
'r less over half of Germany. Accord
ng to the latest statistics there are 40
'29 persons engaged in German toy
manufactures, of which number forty
our per cent. are employed in Sachsen-
Neningen. In the region about Some
'erg about thirty-four per cent. of the
population are engaged in toy-making,
lot including those who in addition are
MISUNDERSTANDING Ameri-
an.