The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-18
NEW DISPLAY.
Christmas Season Brings Out New
Toy Features.

The old SAYING PLEASED with a rat |
| tie, tickled with a straw would not APP
ply to the modern child by any means
The modern youth would turn up his |
nose in the greatest disdain at the toys |
considered amusing a decade ago. This |
is the age of imitation and of action, /
and a toy that has not the semblance of
some machine. utensil or tool of the |
larger world, or some action of life, is
discarded by the up-to-date boy and /
| girl and thrown on the rubbish heap to /
turn to dust Realism is the WatchWOrd |
| of the time, and the minds of the toy |
makers are racked every year to turn /
out something new that will simulate |
/ life and the realism of living. Fortunes /
are made in simple contrivances to be |
sold at Christmas time, and some of the |
most ingenious minds are employed all |
the year round to devise toys for the /
children of the world. Europe is still |
the home of the toy. For centuries pa |
tent toilers have worked in little coODed |
up places at dolls and toys of every de- |
scription, and it has become a second |
nature to them. but here in America |
patience has not yet been learned and |
the slow painstaking methods that OBJ |
tain on the other side of the water re |
fuse to be transplanted- Each year ship
| loads of toys are conveyed across the
Atlantic and sent to the great toy-dis-
tributing centers, and Chicago is one of
these. Each Christmas time millions of
dollars are spent for dolls, for toy furni-
ture, toy machinery and things to
amuse the developing minds of the
country. The larger department stores
set aside several floors for toys, and at
this time of the year these are centers
of a vast interest. The toy departments
are thronged with mothers who bring
their children TO see the magnificent
outlay, and the showing this year sur
passes anything ever seen in the world
before. Perhaps the most startling toy
of the year is the walking doll. This
} continuance is dressed in different
, shapes, but more frequently appears as
, a man. 1t is so balanced that after the
! clockwork in its interior has been
J wound it starts to walk in very life
like manner, to the .ecstatic delight of
! the young children. One of the most
real appearing animals is tiger with
. red hair and striped like the live animal
This toy creeps across the floor with
stealthy tread wagging its angry head
from side to side and emitting now and
then truly terrifying growl
Frogs that leap and at the same time
I croak are great favorites and all ami
mails that simulate life are the favor
ties. One of the most interesting toys
( is a walking boy who not only strides
5 sturdily over the floor, but drags a little
s cart containing a tiny girl with f1axen
a hair. The most popular toy ever in
vented is called the balky mule. 1t was
< put out a year or so ago, but still sells
a enormously. One firm in this city alone
: purchased $50 gross of this sort. The
=. inventor made vast fortune. The
: mule is hitched to a little cart and
. | driven by a clown. The animal is pro-
. | PEELED forward for some distance by
> mechanical contrivance. and then all at
{ once balks in stubborn manner, much
like the real donkey IN a tantrum- This
4 year one of the novelties is the auto
/. mobile, and this toy is found in all
styles, from the little tin things at rs
}, cents each to vehicles that run by gaso-
n line and cost SIS each. Nearly all toys
are made in expensive and inexpensive
!. lots, so the poor child may have the
:, very same toy as his richer neighbor, al
though at a reduced cost. OF railroad
+ trains there are no end and they sell
t, from 10 cents up to SIS, the latter of
course, running with steam motive pow
/. ser. Stationary engines are favorites
among the boys and these may be had
/, in all grades. All sorts of railway ap-
pliances, such as derricks, switches, Gull
: verts, bridges, cars, water tanks, and
even stations, are found in the boys de-
:. partment. Machine shops, fully equip
:, ped with every known tool are to be
purchased at a moderate COST and all
|, sorts of appliances for developing the
mechanical faculty in boys are for sale.
!, One of the unique displays is that of
t. the small stables fitted with all the ac-
cessories and containing horses with
[. real hair COWS and other live stock.
n Harness, vehicles and farm implements
are shown in connection with these. For
the modern girl there is variety Of
dolls that is simply bewildering There
are blonde dolls brunette dolls, bisque
e dolls, rubber dolls and wax dolls in the
: collection, and they are dressed in every
O variety of attire, from the grand ball
! dress to the little calico slip. There are
i colored dolls, Chinese dolls, Filipino
: dolls and every nationality is there to
be chosen from. The doll houses are
sumptuous and some are SO arranged
that they may be lighted with electric
ity. Little cook stoves with gas fix
K lures are among the novelties, and there
s are miniatu limitations of every arti-
is Gle to be found in the home of a mil
p lionaire. There is 2 vast display of doll
=. furniture, and the millinery for dolls
II this year is especially stunning and is
kept in department by itself. Some of
= the sets of furniture cost much as
for the furnishing of a real home, the
!. top notch price being $50. There are toy
pianos from which real tunes may be
extracted by the skillful little players,
and all sorts of musical instruments for
= the musically inclined youth of the land.
U One of the strangest bits of toydom is
n what is called the drunkard. This con-
2 ssts of a toy man with a battered silk
u hat When he is wound up he staggers
l. and totters about over a fiat surface,
d frequently putting a big black bottle to
9 his lips. Submarine boats are new this
u year, the odd little boats being so con-
, structed that they float on the surface
for a time and then suddenly dip and
:, run under the water. The showing of
= toys this year is far more extensive than
II ever before, although there are many
II inexpensive toys shown in the vast as
. sortments.-Chicag Chronicle
! Ten Christmas Weddings.