Evening star., 1932-11-27
SHORTAGE Of TOYS
FEARED IN RUSH
Workshops Employing 100,-
900 Speeding Operations
for Christmas.
Dispatch to The Star.


NEW YORK. November 26.-The
American toy industry, whose work
shops in 35 States employ 100000 peo-
pie. is speeding operations today to pre-
vent a pre-Christm3S toy shor .2g-. A
shortage is threatened because until
last week retail buyers placed Their
orders cautiously, pending actual sales
to customers
From all parts of the toy map comes
word of increased activity to fill belated
orders-from New York City, the chief
doll manufacturing center, New Jersey,
with its metal toys; Pennsylvania, with
its metal and musical playthmgs ONO,
with its crayons, blackboards, wheel
goods. airplanes and scooters, and Con-
necticut, with its steel construction sets
and bell and chime toys.
Orders Are Delayed.
Although the trade estimates that
the retail value of toys sold this Christ
mas will approximate $1T0000, coo,
against 5000, 900. 600 in 1931-partly be-
cause of lower prices and reduced pur-
chasing power-quickened operations
were necessary because up to November
l. according to statistics OF the Toy
Manufacturers Association of America,
orders placed were 35 per cent under
those of a year ago.
In an effort to put their industry on
a year-round basis. since toy demand Is
less seasonal than formerly, 200 manu-
facturerS from all over the United
States will meet here December l, ac-
cording to James L. Fri, director of the
association.
Meanwhile, New England is speeding
its output OF games and wooden toys,
Massachusetts, is hurrying the output of
baby carriages, Indiana IS turning out
children's and doll furniture; Illinois,
blocks. electrical trains and mechani-
cal playthingS; Ohio. rubber goods;
West Virginia. marbles; Kentucky
wagons and velocipedes; Michigan, air
rifles and toy cannons; Georgia, stuffed
animals: Tennessee. furniture, and
California. washington and oregon,
wheel goods and wooden and metal
toys
The growing popularity Of games,
part of the back-to-the- home move
ment resulting from the depression, is
increasing the year-round output Of
toys Since 1929 there has been more
than 100 per cent increase in the sale
OF games-and most of these childhood
games are being adapted to adult taste
such as marble games, like bagatelle.
TingtoSs. dart and arrow games, minia-
ture billiards, tops and horse racing
games
Huge Total Expected.
About S30,000,00O in retail sales Of
games will be made for this entire year
Moreover. other toy types are growing
proportionally. for one of the curious
things about this industry is that it al
ways does well during depreSsions.
Children just now are showing great
interest in practical miniature ma
chinery, electric stoves. washing ma
chimes, electric irons. vacuum cleaners,
tiny green houses and kitchen cabinets
with every kind of cooking utensils.
Toy autos have real Streamlines, bal
loon tires and chromium plate Play
store sets have real telephones, adding
machines, cash registers and bank safes
And children'S furniture is styled in
period lines, whether for home or office
New toys this year include remote
control trucks that plug into the wall
and by a switch can be made to 90 for
ward or backward or dump their con-
tents; parlor microphones that really
signal dispatchers.
The keynote of the entire industry is
educational value-in a word, to make
children's playthings a part of the de-
velopment of their faculties. This trend
is in evidence in progressive schools and
settlement houses and is one factor in
creating a year-round demand for toys
and thus stabiizing employment for
more than 100000 American workers.
tCopyright. 1922