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Meh. My kids demolish vintage '60s toys just as fast as they do modern toys.
If I want to eBay some good vintage find from the thrift store, I can't let them play with it. Son takes stuff apart, and daughter adds stickers or paint, then leaves it outside to rust into an unrecognizable morass.
At least plastic doesn't damage the floor or rust if left out in the rain. Also, modern toys tend to be rivited or epoxied together, which takes slightly longer to disassemble.
Metal toys last longer and can be fixed when broken...unlike most plastic toys which just get thrown out.
I still have toys that my children had that my grandchildren now play with....and they're definitely not plastic, like most toys today are...
A major pet peeve of mine. For example, when my brother was a kid, he had a set of different toy tractors and toy farm equipment that lasted well all throughout his childhood. Back then, at his age, everything was made with steel & metal.
Fast forward to today, with my brother’s son, most of his tractor collection are made with hard durable plastic. Most are already damaged in some way with pieces already broken off. My nephew had received a large toy combine last Christmas and it’s already in rough shape.
Boys & plastic toys don’t mix lol. As anyone would know, many boys like to play rough crashing their toys into things or whatever else they do causing the toy to break apart easily
Why would a toy manufacturer want a toy to last through one child's lifetime, let alone more than one. Its designed failure. Make a toy last a couple of seasons, the kid loves it and wants a new one. It has to be replaced and cannot be passed down. Then you sell 4 or 5 toys instead of one.
My MIL also pointed out that you have to consider survivor bias in the case of toys.
Plenty of toys made in the past were of bad quality, broke, or were mishandled to the point that they didn't survive past the owners childhood. Many metal toys rusted out and plenty of stuffed animals and dolls got worn out. A few choice items may survive but just like many toys today they got thrown out because they had enough wear on them that a child would prefer a new one versus something old/outdated.
Toys of old also had many outdated issues many modern day parents try to avoid. There weren't the same expectations of safety regarding toys therefor small parts may be broken off and swallowed. Heavy toys can cause injury if not used safely and cause damage to flooring or other items. Painted toys were covered in toxic paint and plenty of other reasons which is why the toys evolved to the way their made today. Most parents want to buy new items for their children no matter what quality it may be in. Toys are never really supposed to last past childhood and once they do they usually stay in good condition.
Both my husband and I have a couple toys from childhood. They didn't last because they were necessarily better quality (most of my husbands toys were from the dollar store); they lasted because we took good care of them as children and then set them aside instead throwing them away or donating them to a second hand shop. My MIL had several toys growing up in the 70s; she admitted to being spoiled and being a bit more rough on her toys because she could and know she would get a new one later. She had plenty of cool toys that goto ruined, lost, or simply malfunctioned and got thrown out. After a while her parents stopped paying for the mid-high price toys and started giving her cheap items knowing she would enjoy them just as much.
The modern world isn't as different as the past; children will continue receiving toys of all qualities and some toys will survive while most will fall apart, get tossed, and become completely forgotten. Yes, part of it is based on the quality and we can look around today and see many cheap toy options. But they had cheap toys back in the day too; some of them even survived if their owners were careful and considerate of what they had.
Why would a toy manufacturer want a toy to last through one child's lifetime, let alone more than one. Its designed failure. Make a toy last a couple of seasons, the kid loves it and wants a new one. It has to be replaced and cannot be passed down. Then you sell 4 or 5 toys instead of one.
Not always true. I collect vintage toys. Right now, several 100+ year old Schoenhut wooden circus animals are on my computer desk, recent estate sale finds. Their paint is worn and their elastic is stretched out so they no longer stand or hold a pose - but they are intact. The worn paint is especially noticeable on the giraffe's neck, which some small child must have held on to habitually. Elastic stretches with age - not with abuse. So - When time allows, I'll get them restrung, and while they won't be good as new, they will retain their considerable charm and be displayable. No missing legs, heads, or tails.
Schoenhut (based in Philadelphia) made their toys - circus animals and clowns, toy pianos and xylophones, dollhouses, dolls and more - to last. They are very collectible today.
My MIL also pointed out that you have to consider survivor bias in the case of toys.
Plenty of toys made in the past were of bad quality, broke, or were mishandled to the point that they didn't survive past the owners childhood. Many metal toys rusted out and plenty of stuffed animals and dolls got worn out. A few choice items may survive but just like many toys today they got thrown out because they had enough wear on them that a child would prefer a new one versus something old/outdated.
Toys of old also had many outdated issues many modern day parents try to avoid. There weren't the same expectations of safety regarding toys therefor small parts may be broken off and swallowed. Heavy toys can cause injury if not used safely and cause damage to flooring or other items. Painted toys were covered in toxic paint and plenty of other reasons which is why the toys evolved to the way their made today. Most parents want to buy new items for their children no matter what quality it may be in. Toys are never really supposed to last past childhood and once they do they usually stay in good condition.
Both my husband and I have a couple toys from childhood. They didn't last because they were necessarily better quality (most of my husbands toys were from the dollar store); they lasted because we took good care of them as children and then set them aside instead throwing them away or donating them to a second hand shop. My MIL had several toys growing up in the 70s; she admitted to being spoiled and being a bit more rough on her toys because she could and know she would get a new one later. She had plenty of cool toys that goto ruined, lost, or simply malfunctioned and got thrown out. After a while her parents stopped paying for the mid-high price toys and started giving her cheap items knowing she would enjoy them just as much.
The modern world isn't as different as the past; children will continue receiving toys of all qualities and some toys will survive while most will fall apart, get tossed, and become completely forgotten. Yes, part of it is based on the quality and we can look around today and see many cheap toy options. But they had cheap toys back in the day too; some of them even survived if their owners were careful and considerate of what they had.
Excellent post - I'm out of reps, sadly. Yes, if children are taught and encouraged to take care of their toys, many will last until the children are grown and the toys are collectible.
Meh. My kids demolish vintage '60s toys just as fast as they do modern toys.
If I want to eBay some good vintage find from the thrift store, I can't let them play with it. Son takes stuff apart, and daughter adds stickers or paint, then leaves it outside to rust into an unrecognizable morass.
At least plastic doesn't damage the floor or rust if left out in the rain. Also, modern toys tend to be rivited or epoxied together, which takes slightly longer to disassemble.
Have your children been taught to take better care of their toys? Perhaps briefly confiscating mistreated toys for a few days would help the problem. But talk about the problem first and tell the children what will happen if they persist in mistreating their toys.
If your daughter likes to redecorate her toys, steer her creativity in a more productive direction: art projects, building toys, and so on. Give her a largish box and let her make her own small dollhouse - scrapbooking paper makes good wallpaper, and smaller boxes can be easily turned into furniture. Just provide the obvious materials - "school" glue, safe scissors, crayons, felt-tip markers and so on.
If your son likes to take things apart, provide toys and puzzles that will help answer that curiosity and also will encourage him to make things and/or put things back together. Lincoln Logs, TinkerToys, Legos, etc.
Provide a toy chest or toy box and make sure toys don't get left in the rain. If your children are easily distracted and forget to bring their playthings inside at the end of the day (or when rain or snow starts), it's your job to remind them.
It won't hurt to ask a little more of the children, and would certainly be in their own best interests for you to do so.
My recollection of toys from the 60's is that many of them were pretty awful. Thin sheet metal, bad early plastics, etc. Toys today seem much better.
The plastics may have been bad in the'60s, but they weren't early. Plastics started appearing right before WWII, then the materials involved went for the war effort - after the war they reappeared and their use exploded.
The 1950s are considered a Golden Age of Toys for collectors - the other Golden Age would be the late 19th century.
Have your children been taught to take better care of their toys? Perhaps briefly confiscating mistreated toys for a few days would help the problem. But talk about the problem first and tell the children what will happen if they persist in mistreating their toys.
If your daughter likes to redecorate her toys, steer her creativity in a more productive direction: art projects, building toys, and so on. Give her a largish box and let her make her own small dollhouse - scrapbooking paper makes good wallpaper, and smaller boxes can be easily turned into furniture. Just provide the obvious materials - "school" glue, safe scissors, crayons, felt-tip markers and so on.
If your son likes to take things apart, provide toys and puzzles that will help answer that curiosity and also will encourage him to make things and/or put things back together. Lincoln Logs, TinkerToys, Legos, etc.
Provide a toy chest or toy box and make sure toys don't get left in the rain. If your children are easily distracted and forget to bring their playthings inside at the end of the day (or when rain or snow starts), it's your job to remind them.
It won't hurt to ask a little more of the children, and would certainly be in their own best interests for you to do so.
Thanks for the advice, but we're good.
I'm happy to see my children discovering how their toys work. Even if it means destructive disassembly. Too many people today don't have a clue how to even change a tire, let alone troubleshoot more complicated automotive problems. It all starts with being allowed access to a screwdriver and discovering why that car zooms forward when it's pulled back.
They buy their own toys from the thrift store with "stars" they earned from performing their chores and duties. How they choose to treat them is their business. They quickly discovered what the elements (or destructive play) does to toys, treasured items are now carefully stored. Natural consequences are an excellent teacher. Sure, I might choose to carefully store the vintage toy worth $70 on ebay (that we discovered for $1), rather than that crummy Dollar-Tree doll, but they're not MY toys, and I'm not in the habit of using eminent domain to seize my children's property and kragle it up on a shelf somewhere for the benefit of my wallet and some collector.
Not always true. I collect vintage toys. Right now, several 100+ year old Schoenhut wooden circus animals are on my computer desk, recent estate sale finds. Their paint is worn and their elastic is stretched out so they no longer stand or hold a pose - but they are intact. The worn paint is especially noticeable on the giraffe's neck, which some small child must have held on to habitually. Elastic stretches with age - not with abuse. So - When time allows, I'll get them restrung, and while they won't be good as new, they will retain their considerable charm and be displayable. No missing legs, heads, or tails.
Schoenhut (based in Philadelphia) made their toys - circus animals and clowns, toy pianos and xylophones, dollhouses, dolls and more - to last. They are very collectible today.
100 year old products are really not a topic being discussed here.
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