Toys have been around since the beginning of time. Children have
always found something to play with. From rocks, pincones, and sticks,
to more elaborate dolls that were able to move and bend. Some cultures
had rituals that involved toys when children would pass from childhood
to adulthood. Toys are an important part of a child's life, they help,
not only to entertain, but also to enhance cognitive behavior and encourage
creativity. This is why many of the toys that are popular today are
learning toys and games.
Let's take a look at the timeline in the history of toys:
6,000 - 4,000 B.C.
A discovery of a Babylonian board game similar to chess or checkers
put toys back into history further than some people would have thought
that they would have went.
3,000 B.C.
Samarians played a game very similar to our backgammon. Egyptians
played with marbles that they had fashioned out of stone. Scandinavians
had the first pair of ice skates, which were made from animal bone.
A ball was also discovered in Scotland that dated back to this time
era.
2,000 B.C.
A game that resembled modern day checkers was being played by Egyptians.
Dolls have been discovered that date back to this time that were made
of string, fabric, and paper, these were also in Egypt.
1,000 B.C.
More traditional toys starting being invented during this time, such
as kites in China and yo-yos made of stone in Greece. Also in Greece,
girls were to sacrifice their dolls and toys to the goddess Artemis
the night before her wedding to signify that she was all grown up.
300
A game very similar to our parcheesi was dated back to this era.
900s
Playing cards started being used in Asia. (Although it is unlikely
that their original use was for a children's toy).
1759
Roller skates were invented by John Joseph Merlin. The first pair
of skates were more akin to our roller blades, they were a more primitive
inline skate with metal wheels.
1800s
A patent for dolls is granted and they are mass-produced in America
for the first time.
"The Checkered Game of Life" is invented by Milton Bradley
However, the first board game produced commercially was invented by
S.B Ives and was called "The Mansion of Happiness".
Alphabet blocks became a favorite children's toy.
The Steiff bears collection was created by Margarete Steiff.
Roller skates were improved upon with two wheels on each side and
an axle for each pair of wheels.
BRIO's first Wooden train sets were introduced.
The first BB gun was invented just after the Civil War.
Johann Maezel's speaking doll is improved by Thomas Edison's phonograph
technology.
Mah Johngg is invented in China.
Sleds for playing in the snow are introduced.
Three-dimensional kites are invented by Lawrence Hargrave.
Musical and soft toys are first mass produced by Gund.
1900s
Since the early 1900s we have been able to keep better records on
how many toys were introduced and what types of toys were invented.
But the invention of toys seems to have exploded in the 1900s through
the present. In the early 1900s the now famous Radio
Flyer Wagons were starting to be produced, Crayola crayons were
manufactured. Video Games were introduced, as well as many many board
games, new dolls, action figures, the list goes on.
Toys have been improved upon over the ages. Dolls, yo-yo's, marbles,
and some board games have been around nearly as long as humankind itself,
and children still adore these toys and ask for the frequently as gifts.
In the past children didn't always have toys available to them, so
they would make do by playing music with washboards
and cowbells as
well as creating things from left over wood
stove pipe and other items that would be recycled instead of just
thrown away such as paint
buckets and galvanzied
tubs.
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