Toys have been made since prehistoric times with the earliest ones being made from natural materials like sticks, clay, rocks or in Ancient Greece, terracotta or wax. Around 4000 BCE in Mesopotamia, children played with dolls made from clay and wooden carts with wheels. There is even archeological evidence of yoyos at this time made from wood and metal. At the same time, Egyptian children across the river Nile crafted small figures and toys from papyrus and reeds, as symbols of animals they loved.
In ancient Greece, children played with intricate dolls carved from wood or bone and also toy chariots which mimicked the Olympic Games which also began there. From the medieval era, toys developed new forms and meanings, bringing joy to children in castles and villages alike. In this era of chivalry, knights and ladies, toy makers crafted miniature armor sets and dolls dressed in medieval fashions.
Socially, toys were an important prompt in rites of passages into adulthood. Even some of the earliest toys had intrinsic designs with mechanical features or locks. With the changing status of children during Enlightenment, play started to be seen as an important aspect in children’s development. This sparked the development of more educational games such as puzzles, cards and board games. The industrial era marked the golden age of toy development, which became available even for working class families, and the introduction of mechanical toys powered by clockwork mechanisms.
In the 1760s the first toy soldiers were produced in lead and tin, however these did not become popular until the 1800s. By the Victorian period toys were being mass produced and became more affordable. The growth of the middle classes and attitudes towards children meant a rise in the toy industry, bringing along new exciting toys. Victorian children could play with marbles, tops, hoops and skipping ropes. Children from more affluent families could have dolls houses and rocking horses. From this era came the legendary Punch and Judy puppets as well as many classic toys that people still enjoy today.
The impact of both World Wars influenced the production and availability of toys, with inventive toys developing during these challenging times such as sock monkeys and paper dolls.
In 1902 the ‘Teddy Bear’ was created when US President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear cub whilst on a hunting trip. In the 1950s, lego was created and cinema and TV began to influence toys being created, as it does today. The 1980s saw an explosion of neon-coloured toys and rise in action figures. The 1990s saw the infiltration of technology in toy making.
There is no way to summarise the process of toy making because of the endless number of its different forms and global relevance. The materials used range from wood to plastic and techniques of making are often culturally significant and depending on the local craft traditions.
A list of toy makers can be found on the website of the British Toymakers Guild.
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