Evening star., 1936-12-10
More
Charming
Than Ever
Old Santa's Popular.
ity Hits New High
Peak.
BY LUCIE EBERLY.

WITH the trend leaning decidedly
toward constructive and instruc-
tive toys, what to give Johnny" and
little Mary" becomes more compn-
Gated than ever. Mechanical toys for
the boys and dolls for sister still head
the list, of course, but when one sees
the large display Of educational play
things, miniature work sets and COM
plete hrtle sport set-ups, it's diff
cult to choose.
To delight the young feminine heart
we find a clever array OF play furni-
ture-tables and chairs, etc, Just like
mother's-all in juvenile size. One
of the most fascinating Of all these
midget pieces was a ''life-si2e" kitchen
cabinet that Is equal to any culinary
demand. The cabinet is one Of the
most complete little affairs We have
ever seems constructed along stream
lines, has shelves and drawers, real
-four bin and condiment section. A
work table Is built onto the cabinet
in horseshoe fashion, making a COM
plete little kitchen unit. Kitchen
utensils, a small electric stove and
a breakfast nook ensemble consisting
Of two benches and table make the
perfect culinary department. The
stoves are equipped with heat regu-
lators, Just like mothers, and real
oven to bake little pies and cakes
makes them ever so desirable to the
little miss. Electric irons and ironing
boards to do up ''baby's" clothes con-
tinue to be popular. and you will find
this years models more cunning than
ever. Doll carriages reflect the mod
ern streamlining. too, and are perfect
replicas Of the real baby carriages.
Character dolls are more popular
this year than ever before. The "Shir-
ley Temple" continues to lead, but
Mickey Mouse" Is close behind, as
beloved Of both boys and girls. Tyrol-
ian character boy and girl dolls in
vivid costume dress are being featured
everywhere and we were amazed to
find one about Z inches high, COM
pletely clothed, even to hat and shoes,
priced at the modest sum of one dol
lar! We understand these new dolls
are gaining in favor and little girls are
having a difficult time choosing be-
tween them and the old-fashioned
baby dolls. A set of six dressed in cos
tunes of different countries proves to
be an educational gift as well as an
amusing one.
Gardening carts completely equipped
with all the necessary garden tools
are among the newest items to arrive.
The carts come in two sizes and are
two-wheeled, looking very much like
fruit vendor carts. The wheels are
rubber tired. Not only should these
be just the thing to induce children
to learn the art of gardening while
playing, but should also be a perfect
gift for the grown-up garden enthu-
siast who likes to putter around a
small town house patch" The tools
are all of practical proportions and
even pruning scissors are included in
the set. Small hothouse boxes for the
child are interesting, too. The set
contains IL tiny flower pots and
saucers and IL packages of flower
seeds, with directions. A tiny sprink-
ling can, hoe and spade completes the
ensemble.
Beadcraft sets seems to have staged
q comeback-having been popular
many years ago when mother was q
girEand are attractively boxed with
guide and pattern books. Midget
looms, exact replicas of large ones,
that enable the enterprising youngster
to make colorful scarfs for dolly, and
tiny table mats are proving to be good
sellers this year, too. For boys you
will find the ever-popular erector and
chemistry sets more fascinating than
ever.
Books are always popular for holi-
day giving, and the Juvenile book
counters are piled high with colorful
volumes of old favorites. Among
those seen for the tiny tots was a
set of three "Peter Rabbit" books,
packed in a box with toy Peter
Rabbit. This should make the story
reading doubly interesting to the
youngsters, since the character Of the
beloved story Is actually at hand.
Electric locomotives, having ac-
quired "whistling power'-tooting at
the turn Of the station bend, makes
the train set-up Just about perfect.
Tricycles and coaster wagons have
many new features, too-in fact, the
whole toy display at local shops has
made It evident that old Santa's
workshop has been very much on its
toes during the past year injecting
q goodly portion of realism into the