The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-06

II
to Toyland have not far to go
p6NEs9I this year. No need to seek out
- the frozen NORTH. where, accord
ing to tradition. Santa Claus has his work.
shop and Christmas trees bloom all the
year round; for Toyland Is Just a journey
down town. You can find IL variously sit
uated in a number OF Indianapolis shops;
sometimes 1t is the basement where Its
wonders unfold; again the elevator shoots
you up to the top floor into the midst OF Its
gIories. IL is a more wonderful Toyland
this year than ever before. All the dear
old fnmiliar toys are there-the dollies. the
tin soldiers. the observation-disclosures, the nom
descript but none the less cherished woolly
animals, and all the rest. But beside there
are an unlimited number Of mechanical
toys. which fascinate the grown-up givers
as completely as they do the toddlers for
whom they are designed.
When some OF us were little girls the
dollie who could say Papa" Mamma,
In more or less natural tones-rather less,
usually-wns a wonder to be listened to
and gazed at with bated breath. But the
wonders that the dollies do nowadays
throw those sedate papa-mamma dollies
quite into the shade. One lovely lady or
fashion sits before her toilet table, on
which are displayed all the beauty aids
which self-respecting real toilet tables
own, and, as she powders the tip OF her
dainty nose, she looks alternately in the
hand mirror which she holds to see IF
the powder shows" and at you to see
you admire her performance. Another fair
maiden waltzes untiringly whenever the
necessary machinery Is put in motion, and
does 1T enthusiastically, though lonesomely.
Mary. who had little lamb, goes toddling
or merrily with the lamb trotting beside
her; an attentive little nursemaid wheels
her perambulatored charge briskly down
the street-of course, Ii is a counter, but
she doesn't know the difference; bright
faced little delivery wagon driver waves
lis whip merrily over his trotting horses;
and. most wonderful of all. a picturesque
Spanish gentleman plays a melting melody
on his light guitar and as he does so low
ers his long-lashed lids. then raises them
to cast amorous glances from his brown
eyes. Altogether. IL is wonderfully ac-
cornplished lot of dollies that Toyland
shows this year.
These toys are necessarily expensive,
the mechanism is intricate and delicate,
though their cost is less than one would
suppose from their perfection Of detail.
Few Of them cost more than $40. and many
of them fall several dollars short Of that
sum.
ANIMALS ALMOST ALIVE.
Fully as remarkable as the accomplished
doll folk are the fascinating jungle folk.
There is a gibbering babboon who comes
across the counter In terrifying leaps and
hops. his pink jaws working In way
that causes an indescribable thrill
L.
q supple, striped creature. whose soft
limbs are so jointed that he steals
across the counter jungle with sinuous. un-
dulating movement that makes you look
around for a convenient tree. The mechan-
ism OF these toys took years to perfect.
The same action is apparent In some Of the
toy horses which bend their knees as they
move. instead OF hopping or walking stiff
lesecly-
The diving toys have place all to them
sleeves this year. Long ago the children
discovered that bathtub was the most
deli. htful place in the world when used
for other than bathing purposes. and the
flotiilas Of tiny boats that have sailed on
bathtubseas have been among the cherished
OF childhood's joys. But better than all the
homemade boats that ever were made are
the diving toys that the kindly manufac-
turers have designed this year for the
bathtub boys and girls.
The diving pike is one of the cleverest OF
these toys. The slender fish holds within
himself some ingenious bit of machinery
which, when wound up. sends him scuttling
down, down, down to the bottom of the
deep white bathtub. then up again to the
surface for an instant-then down he goes
again. The pike is rather an expensive fish,
for he costs "a; but almost as amusing as
he is the swimming fish. whose Tapping
tail sends him Swimming through the water,
and which costs less than a half dollar
Whales OF various degrees of ingenuity and
cost are also among the swimming toys de-
signed for the briny bath. Besides, there
are submarine boats and clever divers. who
60 down to the deep 10 look for pearls and
things. Then there are things that travel
by land also One small boy turned up in
the toy department of one of the stores the
other day accompanied by fond mamma
The obliging toy man put In motion a
clever little cab of tin, whose tin horse
trotted along briskly on his stiff little tin
/, legs.
Look. Johnny. at the pretty horse" said
mamma to the small boy. Look how
pretty he goes
Johnny looked. Johnny also shifted with
fine scorn. Don't want to look at old
horsies. Want to look at auttymobiles, !"
he said decisively.
OF course all young America has the fe-
And there are automobiles without
end 10 satisfy the demand. For very small
sum there is miniature Red Devil'' in
papier mache which toots a warning horn
as It rolls along the road: then there are
touring cars of all sorts. sizes and descrip-
tons. from Is cents up TO SIS some of them
as clever In design the big whizzy ones
which go whirling round real corners Not
quite so ingenious In the matter of ma
chinery but really more satisfactory are the
automobiles In which the small owners can
ride The riders are themselves the pro-
Polling power, as these machines are
worked by of feet, but they are
very satisfying In effect. Their prices are
from IS up to s35
AT MODERATE FIGURES.
The little tin cab and horse however. Is
one OF the very clever toys of the year and
its price is only g cents. Another tin toy
OF remarkable cleverness is a chicken.
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