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New Jersey at Play
Toymakers contributed to the rise of an American youth culture
Excavated from ancient Egyptian archaeological sites, some of the earliest known examples of toys came in the shape of animals. Thousands of years later, animal toys like the ever-popular rocking horse entertained children in eighteenth-century Germany and England. The use of the horse also spread to the American colonies where woodworkers crafted an array of equine playthings for children of well-to-do families.
With the advent of the machine age, toy making underwent a significant transformation as mass production techniques supplanted the handmade and larger companies replaced individual craftsmen. Locally and nationally, toys became a business. This wooden horse cart dating to the late 1800s has a simple steering mechanism controlled by a child's feet. Another mechanism turned the rear wheels and made the contrasting black and white horses move up and down. A printed instructional label on the underside of the cart identifies it as the possible product of a New Jersey toy company. The names of both the maker and owner, however, remain unknown. |