Construction toys of the early 1900s
Feb 27, 2015 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
Lincoln Logs
This cold snap has me thinking about childhood. Growing up in Nebraska, nothing was better than waking up to find a blanket of white snow outside and an announcement that school was cancelled. Granted, snow days were pretty rare (which just added to the special excitement when it did happen). But now that I’m an adult I see the cold in a new way. I’m more annoyed than in awe. It reminds me that I should appreciate things more – see the world through the eyes of a child every once in a while.
And on that note, I decided to research some of my favorite toys. These treasures helped make snow days extraordinary. You can’t be too bummed out about staying inside when you have hot cocoa and a whole day to create a world of your own. Let’s dig in to the construction toys of the early 1900s, shall we?
We’ll cover the big three – the holy trio that helped open up a universe of imagination – Erector Sets, Tinkertoys, and Lincoln Logs. Interestingly enough, they all debuted around the same time. (We’ll investigate the “why” in a moment.) But first let’s discuss some fun facts because isn’t that the best place to start?
Erector Set Ad, 1922
Erector Sets were the first American construction toys made with moving parts and motors, released in 1913 by A C Gilbert of Connecticut. Tinkertoys came onto the scene a few years later, a product of Evanston, Illinois. Lincoln Logs were pretty neat in that they were the brain child of Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, John Lloyd Wright. John was traveling with his dad during the construction of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. This hotel (which sadly was demolished) used an innovative foundation technique of interlocking beams. As you can guess, this design influenced the trademark Lincoln Logs system.
Again, these giants of the toy industry were available to eager consumers in the early 1900s (from about 1913-1916 to be precise). Which leads me to wonder, what was so special about this time frame in terms of how construction toys were received?
To answer this query, let’s step back in time for a moment. About fifty years prior, alphabet blocks were all the rage. And because kids are awesome, these blocks soon went beyond their original purpose of literacy to be used in constructing all sorts of fun structures. It’s obvious kids have a natural propensity to build, but why did this trend manifest so clearly in the early 1900s?
Tinkertoys in all their glory
The creator for the Erector Set was inspired by bridge structures and we already know the source of the inspiration for Lincoln Logs. So architecture and real world design definitely played a role. The grand structures of the time were inspiring everyone so it’s not a stretch to imagine parents wanting their kids to get in on this creativity – to be the builders of tomorrow’s future. (Side note: tinkertoys were created once the inventor noticed kids playing with leftover spools from their moms’ sewing baskets.)
Architecture during this time was inspired by geometry, simplicity, and yes – construction/craftsmanship. You had the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Futurist movement, which would go on to inspire Art Deco. Bridges were another way that structural advancements and stylistic preferences were expressed. Check out this list of bridges built during the 1910s. So we know what the inventors were influenced by, but what about the state of play itself? Why were kids suddenly being engaged in this active and imaginative way?
On the one hand you had changing attitudes and, on the other, keen marketing agencies. At the close of the 19th century people began to feel like childhood should be protected. To take this to the next level, play was seen as an extension of education – critical for helping children prepare for real world challenges they’ll face later in life. The driving forces behind the pro-construction (and pro-play) attitudes were Friedrich Froebel and Maria Montessori.
Erector Set, in action
Froebel’s “gifts” were nothing more that plain geometric shapes, but the beauty was in their simplicity. Supervised children enjoyed configuring and re-configuring the pieces during play time. In contrast, Montessori used blocks of various materials to engage children’s senses. The consumer market ate these theories up as more toy products were produced. Easy to make and easy to sell – pretty good gig, no? As a further not to historical context, the undercurrent for some of this was to discipline boys (yes, girls were treated unfairly).
People sometimes say “you are what you wear/buy/listen to, etc.” But construction toys of the early 1900s said “you are what you build.” So tell me, with the advent of computers and technology – what do today’s toys tell our kids? And do you think that the act of building provides valuable experience you can pull from later on?
Cause A Frockus would like to thank the following resources: Laserpegs, Playground Professionals, The Institute of Play, Children at Play, Construction Toys FAQs, Toy Timeline, and public domain images.