Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-22
NEWS FROM TOYLAND
M-New Wrinkles IN Toys.
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Wnue toy dealers complain that the de-
signers OF toys have been unable to offer
as much in the way Of novelty this year
as during some other years. toydom is not
without Its attractive novelties for the
Forthcoming Christmas It is true that
there is no substitute for the Teddy Bear.
nor Is there any other single toy on the
market which promises to become even
half as popular as it was a few years
ago. There are. however. some wonder
fully ingenious mechanical toys and many
amusing little child and animal creatures.
A peep into the pack of Santa Claus re-
veals models of airships and box kites.
Some OF these are so carefully designed
as to serve as models in lecture rooms
where theoretic aeronautics is taught.
A set of pingpong players who handy
the ball back and forth as if they were
really intelligent beings is to be found on
some toy counters. A man with a gyro-
scope concealed in his stomach is able
to give very lifelike exhibitions of his
agility. He can walk or stand on his head
with equal facility. Another attractive toy
is the auto-circus. 1t has two acrobats
who do swinging bar and trapeze stunts
of the hold-your-breath variety. Ele-
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their heads and turn somersaults, Teddy
Bears that travel on roller skats, Eskimos
who ski on long runners. pistols which
repeat as often as a Winchester rifle and
fire departments which run to the fire and
then operate their hooks and ladders. are
among some of the newer mechanical
toys.
!: \
the boys is an automobile sled. 1t has
levers running up
Automobile Sled from the two
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attached. The child raises the lever on
one side and the pushing rod sets itself
in the snow. AS he pulls back on the
lever the sled goes forward, and after a
little practice he is able to ride up a hill
as well as coast down. Another toy Of
this kind is the coasting sled which has
wheels instead Of runners. The guiding
mechanism is the same as that on sleds
with runners. Another Of the same va
riety is the two-way glider. 1t is a wagon
mounted on wheels no higher than sled
runners. The axle Of the front wheels
has a drum around it. The youthful
owner of the glider winds a long rope
around this drum and can travel many
yards by pulling the rope as he goes. The
Marathon racer is another new toy in the
vehicle line 1t has three wheels. one in
front. and is hung low down so that there
Is no danger Of upsetting. A boy may
use 1t as a wheel coaster, as a wagon
or as a push-cart.
In the line of noise-makers there is as
much variety as one usually finds at the
Christmast season. 1t may be true that
1t is impossible to make a silk purse out
Of a sow's ear. but 1t does not follow that
it is impossible to make whistle out of
a pigs tail. There is such a whistle on
the market today known as the squeeler.
and it is one Of the most wonderful noise>
making contrivances OF the year. An
other toy that involves the pig is known
as ''Clemenceaus last gasp" It is funny
little pig whose head is blown up and
when it collapses it gives a queer sort of
grunt that is supposed to typify the po-
litical death Of the great French premier.
The toy made to instill the habit of
thrift in the childish nature, such as the
little slot bank,
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