CHRISTMAS TOYS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 December 1930, Page 5

CHRISTMAS TOYS

NOVELTIES IN LONDON.

LONDON, November 14

A vi.sit to the toy departments of two of the great London stores convinces me that boys and girls have an amazing variety of toys to choose from. If- girls are • as interested as ever in dolls their tastes have been catered for by a realism and beauty which should satisfy even an artistic adult. Boys are overwhelmed by the variety of mechanical toys. Fortunately' the principle of arranging for construction by the boys themselves, is kept well in view.. It has to be quite frankly stated that it is Germany which leads the way in catering for the amusement and instruction of the young, and they are mainly German toys—with some notable exceptions—which occupy the stands in the London stores. i

Alost interesting of all novelties are the educational cabinets which are now provided for teaching young people chemistry, electricity, optics, and mechanics. A year ago mechanics and chemistry cabinets were put oh the market; the electricity and optic-s cubmots have been added this year. These, it may be said, are put up by one of the leading German chemical firms, and have already a wonderful popularity in the schools of Germany. The chemical cabinet contains sufficient chemicals and apparatus for GOO experiments, A book supplied with the cabinet explains in detail these experiments,‘The optics cabinet provided for 280 experiments ; and mechanics for 675 experiments dealing with solids, liquid®, gases, acoustics, and heat; and the electricity cabinet provides apparatus for 400 experiments. By the time any boy has worked out all these experiments for himself he naturally Has a very good foundation knowledge of the sciences he is pursuing. CLOCKWORK TOYS. This year a clockwork tractor from America is being sold to compete with a similar German article. The German tractor is provided with a snowsweeper, a. broom, or logging sets for an extra amount. Steam trains or steam launches are made in a factory in Norfolk. The launches will travel for two miles without attention, and the trains run for about balf-an-hour. American motor-cars are modelled on the lines of Kay Don’s Silver Bullet. In all the mechanical models serious attention is given to the strength of the spring. Model aeroplane makers are manufacturing parts which may be put together by the boy himself, to make an aeroplane with a wing spread of sft. Aerial tops actuated by a pressure screw have developed greatly since two years ago. Parts of clocks are now being sold for the possessor to build up himself. NEW GAMES. Among new games there is one known as “The Game of British Empire”—naturally, made in England. Each player starts with a cargo from London and has to deliver this and take up from the Dominions or Colonies what they export to England. The educational value of the game is obvious. Other notable games are the greyhound and boat racing games which provide for a little home gambling. Mild air guns for shooting wooden birds sitting on a rail should provide excellent bloodless sport, .and. a new skittle tennis provides exercise and amusement on tables of small proportions.

THE DOLLS. • Dolls produced nowadays] are very beautiful. What appears to ibe a nqvelty is the basket stand complete with doll, clothes, and cotton, wool, and needles for repairing the clothes. -A new American ■ doll is especially . attractive. It is unbreakable, has eyes that shut, and it cries, but the expressions of the face are particularly lifelike and pleasing. Hand-pa.inted Italian dolls are the most beautiful of all. but- they are limited in output and are expensive. They are not so nmch dollp as replioas of gaily dressed boys and girls. Every' national costume of Europe seems to be depicted, and each figure has its own expression. The soft woolly bear tvpe of doll is in ever Increasing varieties, and these are. from English factories. The colours are rich and there are ducks, birds monkey's, dogs, elephants, teddv bears, kindly-looking tigers, rabbits and giraffes. A special novelty this year seems to be a strangeriooking dog with the legs modelled after those of a spider.