The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-11-21
THE CHRISTMAS TOYS.
Santa Claus Has Been Hard at Work and
will Have a Fine SAssort-
melt.*. 4&

Christmas toys are already on the mar
ket. All summer long the creators OF
chldren's novelties have been at work,
and the retailer is laying in his stock.
The keynote this year is to be sensible
ness in the matter Of toy selection. San
tn Claus has been at work on variety
of things intended to promote the health
of the child as well as to amuse him.
Hence athletic games are in the majority.
You will be able to buy complete
gymnasium on a small scale for the use
of the child this year, including every
thing that goes to make up the parapher-
MALTA Of muscle development. There are
of which are dumbbells and may be de-
tached and used separately.
There are punching bags that may be
used either on a bracket or on floor
an'l-ceiling rope. There are parallel bars
that may be converted into vaulting
horses. There is even a punching bag
and football combination.
There are geographical puzzles which
take in our new oversee possessions,
teaching the names of cities and towns
therein. There are maps which, when
placed together, form themselves into
miniatures of Manila Porto Rico and Gu
ba But they are not affairs which are
will need to have at least a smattering
of the topography of these countries be-
fore be will be able to. construct the
maps thereof.
Most of the leading novelties this year
are intended to furnish amusementt FOR
the elders as well as the youngsters. So,
while child will undoubtedly be 3fascin-
the order of billiards and pool, So also
will be the older members Of the family,
for some skill IS requifed to manipulate
many Of the games.
One of these games has even, aktsiped1
to the dignity Of COMPOSITION pcs } n.ala end
different from that which is played. in
public halls, however: The balls are
placed differently on the table and the
counting is not the SAINT.
Games generally are in demand, and
judging by the fact that one firm alone
has placed orders for 100000 sets of
ping-pong or table tennis, that game is
to be the popular indoor innovation this
winter. Another dealer whose orders are
nearly as large as those Of the dealer Just
mentioned says that there has been no
falling off in the popularity of the game,
and that it will be in even greater vogue
this winter than it was last year.
The classic building block is to be sold
in even greater variety than ever before,
and there are specimens of stone, cement.
wood and other construction. Kites are
also to be awarded the good little boy
not the old-fashioned affairs that: have
to be adjusted with long tails, but great
States weather bureau, to which the
youngsters may attach Leyden Jars and
do some experimenting on his own ac-
count. Malay kites are also on sale,
some of them feet high, but so easily
handled that boy under 10 may fly
them from the housettop without danger
Of being pulled from his perch.
For the little girls there arc dolls
the mothering INSTINCT is always assertiye
Tag dolls that will not break. The
chief novelty in this line includes two
dolls in one. It is planned to enable the
child to practice little magic to the
great surprise of her friends
For instance, she shows them a doll
dressed in blue. Placing it behind her
back she brings forth instantly black
pickaninny dressed in red. In either
case she has apparently only one doll.
How does she manage it? Under the
skirts of the white doll, which has no
legs, there are the head and bust Of the
plckanlnny doll. BY catching hold of
the head of this black doll the skirts i'm
mediately fall down over the white dolls
head, the arms hanging down beyond the
covered head and making the necessary
feet
FREAK toys are not to be in vogue this
winter. Those that are sold are in the
hands of the fakirs and will be obtain
able only on the sidewalks. The leading
novelty in this line is rubber case,
which, when Inflated looks like a. mon
Strous Frankfurter sausage and which,
when allowed to leave the hand, flies
swiftly up in the air, pqrsQi4g.a, gy rat ing
course. -, -.
1t loses. air as it. flies, however. and
soon comes down again near where it was
set off. A curious feature of the sale of
this toy is that the !!fakir Having lit in
charge employs corps of assistants to
chase the recalcitrant balloons and bring
them back to him. The crowd that gath
ers also loves to chase the: things on it's
own account. and there is, consequently a
great ~deal' Of excitement in the 'immedi-
ate neighborhood Of the balloon seller
New York Times.