Figure 1.--You can see the excitement on this little boy's face with his new airplane. The snapshot is undated, but from the look of the plane it was taken in the 1930s. Many American boys at the time had long pants play outfits, by knickers were very common. This was less common in Europe.

Boys of course loved toys, all kinds of toys. Toys to an extent are affected by the chronology. Of course boys are boys and their interests are only partly affected by the passage of time. Thus items like balls, b;ocks, marbles, vehicles, and many other items are going to interest boys regardless of the passage of time. In fact, some of the items have been found in the remains of ancient civilizations, millenia ago. The chroinolgy, however, is a factor. Here two primary factors are involved--societal change and technology. They could be use both inside and outside, depending on the toys. Many of the impages of 19th century toys are from studio portraits, meaning that they were probably studio props. With the advent of the amateur snapshot around the turn-of-the 20th century we begin to get more realistic images of boys actually playing with their own toys. There are many different toys. These hve varied over time both by age and changing technology. Some toys like puppets were popular with boys and girls. Dolls were more for girls, but some younger boys played with them, especialy if they had older sisters. Other like toy soldiers were the exclusive territory of boys. And of course toys guns were a much prised toy, not to mention the BB gun. Boys in the 1930s-50s had the prenial confrontation sith mom over getting a BB gun--imprtalized in the film "A Christmas Story. Hoops and balls were perenial favorites. Things that made noise like whistles, trumpets, and drums were also popular. Boys loved to sail boats in the local park. Another favorites was toy trains--especially the model electric train when they became available in the 1900s. The train was a great toy because you could combine it with other items like toy soldiers. Construction toys beginning with blocks were popular. They have included Erector sets, Lincoln Logs and more recentlt Lego sets.

Chronology

Toys to an extent are affected by the chronology. Of course boys are boys and their interests are only partly affected by the passage of time. Thus items like balls, blocks (the first construction toy), marbles, vehicles, and many other items are going to interest boys regardless of the passage of time. In fact, some of the items have been found in the remains of ancient civilizations, millenia ago. The chroinolgy, however, is a factor. Here two primary factors are involved--societal change and technology. First, societal changes affect both boys' interests as well as parental values. When I was a kid in the 1940s-50s, ever boy had toy guns. Today many parents (especially mothers) refuse to buy toy guns for their children. In most cases, however, boys still want toy guns. The other major chronological factor is technology. Boys are not only intragued by technology, but technology creates all kinds of new toys. Here there is a major difference between boys and girls. Many girls do not share the fascination with technology that boys have.

Specific Toys

Boys of course loved toys, all kinds of toys. They could be use both inside and outside, depending on the toys. Many of the impages of 19th century toys are from studio portraits, meaning that they were probably studio props. With the advent of the amateur snapshot around the turn-of-the 20th century we begin to get more realistic images of boys actually playing with their own toys. There are many different toys. These hve varied over time both by age and changing technology. Some toys like puppets were popular with boys and girls. Dolls were more for girls, but some younger boys played with them, especialy if they had older sisters. Other like toy soldiers were the exclusive territory of boys. And of course toys guns were a much prised toy, not to mention the BB gun. Boys in the 1930s-50s had the prenial confrontation sith mom over getting a BB gun--imprtalized in the film "A Christmas Story. Hoops and balls were perenial favorites. Things that made noise like whistles, trumpets, and drums were also popular. Boys loved to sail boats in the local park. Another favorites was toy trains--especially the model electric train when they became available in the 1900s. The train was a great toy because you could combine it with other items like toy soldiers. Construction toys beginning with basic wooden blocks were popular. They have included metal Erector sets, wooden Lincoln Logs, and more recently plastic Lego sets.

Created: 4:45 AM 2/1/2009
Last updated: 9:31 PM 1/11/2010