Classic Toys | Wooden Toys

Wooden toys have been a constant in children’s lives in households across the world for centuries, never going out of fashion, and always in favour. You’d be hard pushed to find a child’s toybox without a classic, well-built wooden toy or keepsake hiding away, revisited and played with time and time again.

Long ago, in the Roman and Greek Empires, children often played with horses, chariots, dolls, swords, spinning tops and more - all expertly carved from wood.

Fun Fact: Archaeologists have found wooden toys that date back to around 1200BC.

One of the most interesting and significant wooden toy finds was by archaeologists in Egypt who found a wooden toy tiger built with moving parts, believed to be around 2500 years old. When the tail was pulled the mouth would open, which just goes to show the imagination that was put into wooden toys even thousands of years ago.

In Germany during the early 1700s toy makers began to make a variety of toys from all different types of wood, with travelling salesmen selling wooden toys from their horse and carts all over Europe. Many would take orders in advance for special occasions as the popularity for wooden toys grew. Wooden puzzles, transport vehicles, blocks, peg boards and pull along toys were among the most popular.

Pull alongs have been a popular variation of wooden toys since this time, but they haven’t always been made solely of wood. Other materials used to make pull along toys included clay, tin plate and cast iron.

Wooden pull along toys were first mass produced in 1875 in a factory in Massachusetts by the W.S. Reed Toy Company, along with wooden circus toys, sailing boats and paddle boats amongst others. They were best known for the bright colours of the graphics which were made by either lithographed paper glued to the wood or brightly coloured stamped designs. It was these bright colours that sealed the popularity of these simple, yet beautiful toys.

Skipping forward to the early 1900s wooden toy makers started to venture into making more intricate designs such as miniature animals, soldiers and doll houses complete with miniature wooden furniture, all painted in vivid colours and with lifelike details. The most popular wooden toy of them all evolved in the 1930s, with the introduction of wooden trains and train tracks, continuing to be a firm favourite a century later.

The Lego Corporation was surprisingly an early big player in the manufacture of quality wooden toys, before it commenced the production of the ever popular inter-locking plastic bricks. Kirk Christiansen began the now world-famous Lego Company out of his Danish workshop in 1932, with wooden toys being the very first theme from the Lego empire. Plastics were then introduced in 1940, and then finally the Lego that we are all familiar with today was released in 1949.

With the introduction of other plastic toys in the late 20th century, the low price of plastic mass production, and the introduction of electronics, sales of wooden toys saw a steep decline. That was however, until recent years.

There has been a steady increase in wooden toy sales over the last 5 years, as more and more eco-conscious parents are returning to the joy and simplicity of wooden toys.

Parents and grandparents realise that due to the cheap nature of plastic toys, they do not last as long as the more durable wooden toys. They last a few plays before breaking or being discarded, ending up in landfill, taking years to break down. People are now more aware that their production also contributes towards pollutants, and plastic in general is harmful to the environment.

Wood is a recyclable, natural material so it is much better for the environment than plastic. Wooden toys can take much more of a bashing, and you can still get generations of play out of them; a huge advantage … more bang for your buck!

Wooden toys are built solely to intrigue and inspire the imagination of the child playing with them. It is up to the child to decide how far their imagination will take them. There are no flashing lights or sounds interfering with their natural decision making ability or over stimulating them.

As wood is a natural tactile texture it stimulates a child’s senses as they touch it during play. It is said that playing with wooden toys provides a calm and relaxed environment and learning experience for your child.

In this instance, simplicity truly is best. Wooden toys are here to stay. Check out our huge range of wooden toys.

Classic Toys | Jacob's Ladder

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Our Jacob’s Ladder is a traditional wood and lace click-clack toy and is a timeless classic, and a perfect edition to any toy collection. The Jacob’s Ladder is the original fidget spinner, perfect for busy hands.

The true origin of this classic toy, which produces visual and kinetic illusion is a mystery, however many believe that the toy finds its origins in China. We do know however that it received its earliest toy review in a 1889 American scientific article, describing the magic behind the mechanics.

In the 1700’s a Japanese polymath constructed one which was called Gennai’s Wondrous Click-clack; a name that is still around today. Another popular variation of this classic toy was an American 1940’s version, which had an indentation for a penny to disappear & re-appear.

Wherever it came from, the Jacob’s ladder is here to stay!

Classic Toys | Yo-Yo

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In 1928 Pedro Flores, a Filipino immigrant opened the first ever yo-yo (also known as yoyo) manufacturing company in Santa Barbara, USA. By the end of the following year an additional two factories had been built to maintain the popularity of this toy, turning out 300,000 yo-yos daily!

Although Flores was the first man in history to build a yo-yo factory, popularise and distribute Yo-yos across the globe he was not however the first man to design the yo-yo.

The first mention of the yo-yo goes way back to ancient Greece in the year 500 BC; these ancient toys were made out of various different materials such as terracotta clay, metal or wooden discs and were simply just called ‘a disc’. There was an ancient Greek custom that when a child turned a certain age they would offer toys of their youth to the Gods as a gift. Discs made from terracotta where often used as gifts for the Gods rather than play, due to the fragile nature of terracotta.

There have been many historical artworks found depicting people of all ages playing with Yo-yos, from Australia, Egypt and India, travelling through the ages to the upper classes of France and Scotland, before making its way to England. 

In 1815 Napoleon and his army are known to have been seen playing and relaxing with yo-yos before the famous battle of Waterloo.

Here at The Vintage Toy Box we stock several different traditional styles of yo-yos, all made from solid wood and beautifully painted. There are so many tricks you can learn and master with yo-yos including walk the dog, around the world, the sleeper and many more. This simple toy, inspired by ancient civilisation will keep the young and old entertained for hours.

Circus Toys - Roll Up, Roll Up

Roll up, roll up, one and all! Under the Big Top at the Vintage Toy Box we’re celebrating the spectacular long lived tradition of the circus and all things inspired by it.

Before we dive into all our fun circus themed toys and all the fun of the fair, let’s start off by going back to where it all began …

The circus began in ancient Roman times, and was very different to the circus we know today. In ancient Rome the term ‘circus’ simply meant:

a rounded or oval arena lined with tiers of seats, used for equestrian and other sports and games, including staged battles and gladiatorial combat

In more modern times the circus is now defined as:

a travelling company of acrobats, clowns, and other entertainers who give performances, typically in a large tent, in a series of different places.

The first modern circus had its big debut in England in 1770 and featured timeless classics such as horse tricks, acrobats, tightrope walkers, jugglers and clowns, (which were only introduced to fill in the time between animal acts). A marvelous adaptation of this traditional ‘modern’ circus was The Greatest Showman movie starring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, which was set in the 1850s and 1860s, and inspired by the story of P.T. Barnum’s creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus.  This movie is a magical illustration of all things we love about travelling shows.

Now, after centuries the circus has grown and transformed into the amazing spectacular that we now know and love, with amazing acts such as Cirque du Soleil  now taking centre stage worldwide and amazing huge audiences across the globe.

At The Vintage Toy Box we just love the spectacular show of the circus and have sourced so many fabulous circus themed toys to help you all take to the stage too.

Traditional Juggling Balls

The most common act in the circus is the juggling act, traditionally undertaken by either a clown or a trapeze artist. The art of juggling has been preserved for the past 4000 years, and can be traced back to the ancient Egyptian civilization where paintings of women jugglers were found on the walls inside a crypt.

Juggling however was not always found to be such a creative art. After the fall of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the middle ages, jugglers were often persecuted and seen as dirty scoundrels or even thought to be witches.

Despite that, juggling is, and will remain a firm family favourite. Learn to juggle with our brightly coloured juggling balls and then one day maybe you will be juggling clubs – like the clowns in the circus!

Wooden Diver

One of the acts in the circus that will leave you breathless is the diving event, which has been a key part of the circus for decades.  In 1948 a record was set that stood for almost half a century by Roy Fransen – the first truly famous shallow diver. He jumped from 34 metres and landed into water that was only 2.4 metres deep! After four decades of leaving people breathless while watching him perform his acts his good fortune came to an end when he died during a performance in 1985.

You can have your very own fearless wooden diver and you can help him practice and re-enact the famous circus act.

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Balloon Modelling Kit

You cannot have a circus without a clown, and clowns who make balloon animals have been a favourite among children at the circus for many years.

In the 1930s a famous clown by the name of Maar had all of his props stolen during one of his acts. He was then forced to solely rely on balloons to entertain his crowd. The story goes that he invented balloon modelling right there on the spot, amazing his audience of young and old. It has since turned into one of the favourite acts to be performed by clowns and child entertainers alike.

With our retro Balloon Modelling Kit you can make multiple different animals, with 40 balloons and a pump you will be able to perfect the art of balloon modelling in no time!

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Circus musical Jack-in-the-box

The Jack-in-the-box is centuries old. Most of the brightly coloured boxes feature either a clown or a joker that pops out when the handle on the outside of the box is turned to a certain position, as the music plays. The most popular tune to be played is ‘pop goes the weasel’.

In 2005 the Jack-in-the-box was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame due to its timeless charm that has captivated the interest of children for decades.

Our Circus musical Jack-in-the-box features a clown and has bright playful pictures on all sides. Build the suspense as you wind the crank, not knowing when Jack will pop out!

Fun fact: In France a Jack-in-the-box is called Diable En Boite which means Devil in a box!

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Spinning Tops

Spinning tops are among the oldest toys to ever be unearthed. A clay top was discovered in Iraq and was dated 35th century – that’s almost 6000 years ago! Another notable find is a wooden top that was found in the tomb of King Tut in Egypt and Roman tops that were made out of bone. Spinning tops made of fruits, nuts and shells have been discovered on every continent around the world – except for Antarctica.

Spinning tops come in all different shapes, sizes and colours and are made from various types of material.

Our spinning tops are made from tin and are brightly coloured just like the colours of the circus. Grab one today and see how long you can make it spin for, or even have a spin-off with some buddies. The world record for a spinning top continuously spinning is 50 minutes - can you beat it?

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Take a bit of the circus home with you with some of our other fabulous circus inspired toys including:

Create a circus kit - Perfect for little ones to explore their imagination as they built and perform classic circus tricks with this beautiful circus craft kit.

Circus Tattoos - Cover yourself with these awesome temporary tattoos which includes ten different designs, featuring the strong man and ferris wheel among other cool circus designs.

Monkey Trapeze - Help these cute little monkeys practice their trapeze skills. Just squeeze the poles at the bottom and watch them flip – around and around they go!

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Circus Jigsaw Puzzles - These jigsaw puzzles are as great and entertaining as the circus, so lets combine the two! We’ve got four beautifully designed circus inspired puzzles by French designer Londji:

• The incredible muscle man

• The trapeze artist

• The funny clown

• Circus Puzzle - A 38cm round puzzle which includes the ring master, elephants, clowns and more!

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We can even help you re-create the whole circus show with our beautiful wooden circus sets:

Circus Safari Jeep - A beautifully vibrant wooden circus play set with a fun collection of colourful characters.

Circus Play Set - Kids are guaranteed to use their imagination and creativity to put on a  top notch performance with this wonderfully unusual wooden play set from Artiwood.

Collect all of our fabulous circus toys and more in store and online!

Cool toys from back in the day!

Here at the Vintage Toy Box, we think that one of the coolest things about our toys is the fact that as well as being fun and taking you back to your childhood, you can also share them with your own kids and grandkids and let them see how cool the toys were back in the day! Do you look back fondly at the times you spent playing with great toys as a child? If so, you will certainly be inspired to find similarly terrific toys and games for your own kids or grandkids.

Well just for fun, today we are looking at some of the fun toys we offer which would be awesome to introduce to a kid of today.

The first toy we want to talk about is the awesome Slip N Slide Water Slide Toy. Such a simple concept that provides hours and hours of fun on a hot summers day. Our version is based on the variety from the 60’s which is really cool. You will get a kick out of telling the kids and grandkids how this was a big deal back in the day. It is a lot of fun to watch the kids run and slide down this and if you are feeling brave enough, you can have a go yourself!

Next up we have something that is secretly super cool, cheap and will prove to be highly entertaining. The Magic Drawing Slate is the perfect example of an old school vintage style toy, which at first glance many kids will turn their noses up at. Let’s face it, compared to the iPhone; it is a hard sell. But our Magic Drawing Slate has a ton of retro charm and looks like it was transported right out of the 1960’s. All kids are hooked after they do their first drawing. It’s a magical travelling toy that just keeps on giving.

How can you not love the graphics on the box for this retro inspired Tiddly Winks? Now here is a game that even the grumpiest techno addicted kid will have an awesome time with. While the whole style is clearly inspired by games of the 60’s, Tiddly Winks is such a fun, competitive and skill based game that after a couple of turns any kid will be hooked. Not bad for a game that is over 200 years old.  

That is just a small sample of the great toys and games we have here at The Vintage Toy Box. Just about everyone can remember their favourite toys growing up. If you wish to pass that type of joy onto other children in your life, shopping with us will certainly help you on that journey. If you are looking for a toy or game that is not just going to be fun to play, but also lets you share something from your past with your kids, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, then you really can’t go wrong with something from The Vintage Toy Box.

Traditional and Classic Wooden Toys

Our world is ever changing, but one thing that hasn't changed over the centuries is the fact that children love to play. 

Even though we live in a digital age full of electronic toys, there is still a big place for traditional toys in our kid’s lives. It is after all the simplest of toys that help develop children's mental and physical abilities. 

This is especially true when it comes to traditional wooden toys. These toys may appear inferior when compared to the big, bright electronic toys, but the undeniable fact is, they bring so many educational benefits to children. For instance, traditional wooden toys can unleash the creativity and imagination of children - they have to work harder for a "reward", they need to utilise their own imagination instead of receiving instant gratification in the form of a flashing light, a movement or a sound.  This helps their story telling abilities, their motor neurone skills and their social skills. 

Wooden toys are highly durable and can be passed down from generation to generation, evoking precious memories.  They often become family heirlooms, whereas electronic toys eventually find themselves in landfill. 

Wooden toys are generally much safer compared to plastic toys, not just for the child, but also for the environment, as their manufacture does not release harmful toxins and pollutants into the atmosphere.  Traditional wooden toys are great for the environment because they are all-natural and recyclable. 

You can choose from a wide range of traditional wooden toys. Some of the most popular toys over the decades are highlighted below.  

One of the most long standing and simplest wooden toys is a yo-yo. Yo-yos were first used in ancient Greece more than 2500 years ago. They became a real hit in the 1920s in America and are still one of the most used traditional toys. Even though they can be made from different materials, a wooden yo-yo is the best choice you can make. These toys are challenging, fun and relatively cheap - children can buy them with their own pocket money.  Users can use yo-yos in a basic manner, but they can also learn a wide range of tricks.  Yo- yos are a really popular toy in the playground, with generations of children holding trick competitions with each other. 

Another long standing wooden toy is a pop pop gun. This toy gun was first created by Edward Lewis in the late 19th century. The simple wooden gun uses air pressure to pop a projectile that usually comes in the form of foam or cork. This gun is totally harmless, but very entertaining for children. Of course, over the years, people have created many different models, but the wooden one remains the most popular. 

Both girls and boys still love playing with wooden boats. Some of these traditional wooden boats have moving parts and are built to represent real boats. They are designed in a way which allows for their use in water. Wooden boats for us conjure up beautiful images of lakeside picnics and parasols from a bygone era. 

Of course, wooden boat toys are not the only type of vehicle made from wood and still used as popular toys - we have wooden trucks, wooden trains, wooden cars, wooden planes - the list goes on. 

If you are looking for a great educational toy then you can’t go wrong with an abacus. An abacus is a traditional wooden toy used for basic math problems and counting. This toy and educational tool has been used since ancient times (circa 2500 B.C.) and this is how most children in the past learned how to count and do simple arithmetic. 

Young children certainly love wooden pull-along toys. They have been used for decades. Most of these toys originally came in the form of a duck which produced funny noises when pulled. Today, you can find wooden pull-along toys in different forms – lions, crocodiles, cows, dogs and even dinosaurs! We're only limited by our own imaginations. 

These are only some of the most popular traditional wooden toys you can still find in toy boxes and toy shops today.  As you can see they are still just as popular, useful and loved by children.  Wooden toys are timeless toys.

Classic Retro Toys

Classic retro toys are still loved by kids of today!

The first thought that often comes to mind on hearing the phrase retro toys is that they no longer exist anymore – that they are toys of yesteryear.  This however is far from true. They have become a lifeline for many kids in today’s generation, and likely will be for every generation to come.  The distinctive reasons as to why these toys are still so popular are that these toys provide excellent quality entertainment, are built to last, involve simple concepts, encourage the imagination, and since they are low technology, they are very easy to use. 

Retro toys are a creative outlet for many kids in today’s modern, busy world.

The toys of modern day are built to be disposed, in our throwaway plastic society – the noisier, the faster, the brighter, the better.  But this comes with a great cost, to society, to the land, to the air that we breathe, to future generations.  Toys are no longer durable and designed to be passed down from generation to generation.  Classic, traditional toys stand the test of time, and are a wonderful  way to conjure up old memories. They are one of the most fun ways of remembering past days of your own childhood.

Here are a few classic retro toys which have stood the test of time.

Marbles

This is a classic game which is still going strong today. It can be best played when a group of friends get together to have marble competitions. It is one of the best ways to build your child’s hand-eye co-ordination and turn-taking skills. The game never gets old. Basically, it consists of a collection of round coloured glass beads. So simple!

Yo-yo

These are one of the most classic retro toys which are loved by kids of all ages. They are easy to play with and are great fun. The toy contains an axle which connects two disks and a long length of string which is looped around the axle. You have to throw the yo-yo, spin and unwind the string and again look it back in its previous form. Hours of fun, and so many tricks that can be performed.

Frisbee

It is one of the best toys for kids to get engaged in some sort of physical activity. This game can be played for hours in the back yard, on the beach or on a camping trip with friends & family.  This toy has never gone out of favour over the decades. 

Matchbox & Dinky cars

These retro collections of cars and trucks are one of the biggest hits among kids. Children have been drawn to these collections for decades. If you present your child with anything from these collections, they are sure to love it, and you will see them spending most of theirs time with those set of wheels. 

If you want to surprise your kids with a gift, retro toys are the best way to go about it.

Vintage Toys in Australia

After moving over from the UK over 8 years ago, we've noticed that there is a wide shortage of vintage toys in Australia, compared to the UK. This really isn't surprising, considering the brief history of Australia, compared to Europe, where there's a huge abundance of toys from yesteryear flooding the market.

This makes it all the more exciting for us though when we go foraging and come across an old toy from decades ago, often still in great condition. We take great pleasure in then finding out from the owner a bit of history about the toy, particularly details about all the children who used to play with the toy, and who've had so many hours of pleasure holding it in their little hands.

Often though, more times than not, we find that whoever has the vintage toy in their hands often has no idea about where the toy has come from, perhaps picking it up from a market themselves, an antique fair, or perhaps a house clearance. In these instances we need to do a bit of research, in tracking down the history of the toy. Things to look for are details of the manufacturer, the year it was produced, which stores it was sold in, the location of the stores, and the original selling price of the toy. This will generally give you an indication of the demographics of the family that was the likely original holders of the toy.  From there you can piece together your own little story about toy ownership, the child, and their family.  We love doing this, as it takes us down memory lane, without ever needing to have our own memories to fall back on.  It's like stepping back in time, but without the step - what could be more fun?!