The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-18
Some of the Fads and Fancies
In PlaythIAgs.
"TIn" SOLDIERS ALL THE RAGE
War Has Created Demand for
Things Military.
This Season 10000 Dolls Will
Be Sold in Topeka.

Never in the history of Topeka was
there a more varied assortment OF toys
IL the stores. Hundreds of kiddies are
taken daily to the toy shops and their
eyes fairly bulge when they get
glimpse of the marvellous life-hke dolls,
the clever mechanical contrivances. and
the thousand and one other play
things.
There are fads and fancies in toys
Just as in millinery or gowns new
toy will be put on the market one year
and have a tremendous sale, while by
the next season it may BECOME neces-
sary to reduce the price in order to
toys, on the other hand. that are all
the craze for a period of several years
The Teddy Bear was the rage for some
years and is still! more or less popular.
especially the latest intrOductions with
eyes that shine.
Things Military in Demand.
1T is not surprising that with the
newspapers full of war dope" the last
few months that the youngsters have
their thoughts on things military
Tin soldiers are in such demand III
Topeka that there is probability that
to Christmas. In fact one big store was
sold out several days ago. ssa
Pop guns and air rifles are being
sold like hot cakes" and soldier or
police sets, including cap, breastplate,
belt or gun, are good sellers.
H. A. Spielman of the EmahiZer Il
6pielman company stated today that
ope Kansas man wrote in that his boy
asked for, three full regiments of Ger
man soldiers for Christmas. There are
soldier sets on sale at the stores rep
resenting a whole battlefield with SOL
diers. guns. and tents in the back
ground. There are guns that go with
the sets that shoot corkS. The children
stand at a distance and fire at the sol
oilers. They are attached to the board
by hinges and fall over when hit. Tnls
soldier set is proving great sport for
the kiddies. They are kept in stock by
several of the stores.
Toys Develop Mechanical Skill.
Then there are repeating field guns
out this year that shoot either peas
or small rubber balls which put
into a magazine. One stores has on
hand a line of soldier dolls with un-
breakable heads. These dolls are
dressed in the uniforms of the warning
nations of Europe.
Erector, MecannO, and other sets de-
signed to develop the mechanical skill
Of boys are more popular than ever
this year. Their sale was pushed in
Topeka last season and the demand for
them at the present time is tremendous.
Kcwpies Good Sellers.
In dolls the Kewpies with quaint
faces that please the children are in
strong demand. Some of them are
dressed. The baby or life-like dolls
sell readily. The prices range from five
cents to twenty-five dollars. So at
tractive and life-like are many of the
dolls nowadays that the clerks in the
stores tell of numerous cases where
women without children have purchased
them just because they like to look at
them and make dresses for them. There
are many small boys that play with
dolls as well as the girls and it has
been estimated that 10000 dolls will be
sold in Topeka for the Christmas
season.
Ferris Wheel in Motion.
1t was feared when the war started
that there might be difficulty in getting
in the usual supply of German toys.
For that reason American toy factories
worked over time to get out playthings.
and the stores ordered heavily in order
to be on the safe side. The stores re-
port that the German toys came
through as usual, and as they have on
hand an unusually large supply Of
American toys. the assortment of things
for the Riddles is larger than ever be-
fore.
German Toys Are Here.
At the Mills store the general stock
Of toys is on display in the basement
while there is a wonderful assortment
or dolls on another floor. In the base
ment the thing that particularly at
tracts the attention Of the little people
1s a Ferris wheel lighted with cleo
tricity, and in actual operation, which
was constructed with material in an
ErectOr set.
There are many clever mechanical
devices. The Panama pile driver is a
new mechanical toy, closely resem-
bling the huge pile drivers used in
building operations. Gravity Jim,"
the balancing man, with pole in hand,
walks carefully down a slide balanc-
ing himself at each step. The list of
mechanical toys includes big spring
trains, friction touring cars mechani-
cal autos. automatic dump cart and
automatic elevators.
There are hundreds of varieties. of
dolls in the Mills stock. and every
thing imaginable in doll equipment,
including furniture, bedroom sets. doll
cribs ranging in price as high as $3.50,