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We have some limited information on Yougoslav toys. Time Magazine featured a 1935 article in which 11-year old King Peter bragged about Yugoslav toys, saying they were mostly electric. Actully most were hand crafted. [Yugoslavia:"] Slovenia bordering Austria was the most culturally Germaized area of Yugoslavia, having been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There was a tradition of handicrafts. Perhaps the best known toy industry was Mehnotehnika in Slovenia. Mehnotehnika produced erector sets and high-qualty metal toy cars. Mehnotehnika from the Slovenian Izola founded (1952) was once manufacturing very inventive toys. A source claims that these toys were a symbol of growing up for a generation of Yugoslav chuidren. Toys from Izola were labeled with 'Made in Yugoslavia' and alsoexported to Australia, Brasil, and Canada among other countries. Much of what we notice from Yugoslavia was knockoffs of popular Western boys toys and a pletora of dolls. Barbie seemns absent, perhsps because of the very un-Marxist focus on fashions. We see a lot of toy cars which is interesting because very few Yugoslavs could afford to own one, although Yugoskave industry cme out with the Yugo, arguably the worst car ever made. Here we have two Yugoslav children, we think a boy and girl, with toys guns about 1960 (figure 1). The girl wears a Yugoslav Army hat. Note one is ahand made wooden gun.
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