Educational, wooden, and outdoor toys

Welcome to Greatamericantoy.com. Our site is dedicated to the wonderful world of toys and other playtime activities. Greatamericantoy.com is the place on the web to find the best information about new toys and old favorites; it is purely an informational site and does not endorse any particular product, company or brand.

Toys are timeless items. They are enjoyed by men, women, boys and girls. Adults and children of all ages seem to have a love and fascination for toys. Every American culture, from Native Americans to the modern day society has had toys. In fact, most modern day toys originated at an earlier time.

A great deal of modern day toys have a rich history that dates back to before records were kept on the subject of playtime activities. While the first toys were primitive in comparison to their modern day counterparts, many of them were similar to what is played with today.

For instance, one of the first known board games is thought to of originated in Babylonia around 4000B.C. This game was probably an early form of today’s chess or checkers. It just took years to evolve into what is played today.

Like the primitive Babylonian game, early American toys were simple. These great American toys were usually made from wood. Wood toys included dolls, games, blocks, whistles and hoops. Hoops were especially popular with children of all ages because they could be used in many games and play activities. These simple toys kept American children happy for years. However, as America grew the types of toys that American children played with began to evolve as well.

By the end of the Civil War the United States toy industry was booming. Wooden dolls and blocks were popular along with near iron toys. Iron toys included vehicles and figurines. These toys were a quick favorite with many American children.

Since then the toy industry has kept up an ever changing pace. It seems like a new toy is invented every day. Each toy that comes on the playtime scene has its own interesting history.

Dolls are one type of toy that enjoys a long history. With the creation and use of doll toys, doll houses soon followed. Doll houses first appeared in Europe and were usually rather elaborate pieces of work. These houses were usually miniature forms of houses that were common at the time. Over time custom made and handcrafted doll houses became less common. Today, most dolls and doll houses are mass produced. This type of production allows for a smaller retail price.

Regardless of the retail price, it seems as if America has a love affair with toys. Children pay with them and adults collect them. They are a happy and fun part of our everyday culture.

For more information about toys, their history and their effect on the modern day United States of America, check out the links below:

The Toy Industry Association - www.toyassociation.org

American Specialty Toy Retail Association - www.astratoy.org

The Toy Museum - www.awesometoymuseum.com

 

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