Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-03-09
THE GERMAN roy INDUSTRY.
Over $l0,00O,000 Worth of Toys lex.
ported Yearly.

Although the little Thuringian town
of Sonneberg, the center OF the mod
ern toy industry, says Uhland's Wo-
chenschrift, is commonly considered
as the birthplace OF toy-making, II
cannot be denied that the first at
tempts In the ant were made by me
village of ludenhach, situated further
to the northeast by reason Of It's
favorable situation near the Nurn-
berg -Sachsische Geleitsstrassc road
much frequentcd over since the 18th
century, and the only means Of com
muncating with Leipsic and Nurem-
berg, the village could always readily
dispose Of Its crude wooden house and
kitchen utensils, and later, Of its lit
tie chairs, tables, animals, crossbows,
swords, gun and musical intruments.
Even long after the art of making
wooden-warc had been introduced In
Sonneberg. NeWemberg was still the
market for these peasant products,
and continued TO make the most by
the transaction Not without reason
did the city cali SOnncbcrg Its Gold
tochterlen (littIc gold daughtcrl. Not
until the Thirty Year war had de-
stroyed all the regular trade com.
munications did the Sonneberg trades
men themselves begin to travel about
with their wares. The inhabitants
of Judenbach, on the other land,
could never conclude to leave their
native village In order to sell their
products. While In Judenbach the
toy industry did not attain great pro-
portions, in Sonneherg the trade, as
early as the 18th century, had grown
to such an extent that when public
markets were established in Frank
fort on the Main the merchants OF
Sonneberg were granted equal exemp-
ton from taxes and duties with the
merchants OF Nuremberg.
Til the 18th century, toys were
colored with poisonous bismuth
paints. An important step in the de-
yelopment Of the industry was the
endeavor to make those parts which
we're with difficulty carved OF some
doughty substance frye -four mixed
with lime water) But this substance
softened and widowed when moist
ened A decided advance can there
fore be recorded only when Friedrich
Muller, a citizen OF Sonneberg, began
to use papier mache, substance Of
which he had heard from a French
soldier. The figures were no longer
modelled as before, but the plastic
mass was now pressed into shape by
molds. BY means OF this new sub
lance Sonneberg produced It's wares
with almost mechanical rapidity. Toys
were no longer made in the houses Of
peasants, but in factories. The cost
OF these new wares. was, moreover
considerably reduced-a most sig
nlficant factor in the manufacture Of
toys.
Strange to say, in the making Of
dolls but little progress was made.
Not until n new method was intro
duced into Sonneberg, which came
from China, by way OF England, can
any great improvement be recorded.
England, can any great improvement
From the first Chinese dolls OF LOOK,
with their movable limbs strung to-
gether by cords drawn through the
joints, colorIng the faces OF these
dolls. white lead. poisonous paint.
was long employed, until, by legisla-
tive action, it's use was prohibited.
Nowadays the innocuous zinc oxide
and similar harmless colors are used.
The hair dolls, after many failures
With other material, is now made OF
mohair and the fur OF Angora goats.
In this manner The toy Industry
slowly developed to It's present state.
How numerous are the varieties OF
toys now made may be inferred when
II Is considered that the design room
OF sonneberg factory contains from