TOYS OF 1932.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20731, 16 December 1932, Page 25

TOYS OF 1932.

A JTQW OF LONDON STOBES. ppPJAS NOVELTIES. MHo* ALL ELEMENTS. November 11. HHIHiiWB * tour of the toy great London stores people are not toyset their hands to llßEiff staaufacturing they 9H|||BBi| the foreigner. .Thus.

we find to-day that England is producing more cheaply than Germany and America those toys which have been firmly established from generation to generation, such as dolls, lead soldiers, and trains. Britain has taken the lead in tho development of aviation, and it is natural to find that she controls tho market for toy aeroplanes. Nevertheless, when it comes to new inventions in cheap mechanical toys Germany still leads. The engineers and inventors who could produce these in England have never given their full attention to th}s form of work. There is, for instance, this year a clockwork two-wheeled bicycle ridden by a leaden, man. "When the bicycle has a tendency to fall to one side or the other the rider is turned to that direction by gravity and his arms turn the handles just sufficiently to bring the bicycle back to an upright position. It is an ingenious but simple machine, and not unnaturally it comes from Germany. Such things as these the foreigner invents, and a year or two later the English manufacturer tries to improve on the idea, but the novelty has worn off by that time. It is the second week in November, but already parents and children crowd

the toy bazaars of the great stores and Father Christmas is to be seen plying his customary trade of benevolence. Provision for Christmas parties may be seen not only in the tinsel decorations, but in a score of other amusing devices. It is the age of rubber and tho principle of shock and surprise is worked out in a %'ariety of imitation articles. Thus there are cigarettes and cigars made of sponge rubber. There are walnuts of rubber true in appearance to the original, and when tho nutcrackers are applied the nut squeaks. There are match-boxes which squeak at a touch, pens, knives, biscuits, apples which provide a similar shock and surprise. Finally, a rubber pistol shoots fluff balls with some accuracy of aim. Animal Heads. Another • group providing fun for parties consists of the heads of wolves, bears, donkeys, sheep, and cocks, by which the boy or girl may. indulge in the experience of Bottom the Weaver, and be translated temporarily. Guessing whose head is inside these animal disguises would doubtless form a pleasant introductory game for the party. In addition, there are fancy noses, and very real- hats for revelry. For the boy fond of transport machines there is an almost endless array. Metal aeroplanes which move in circles when suspended by string are in many designs. For 3s lid an aeroplane with red and gr*n lamps may be had. A fine air boat may be bought for 6s lid. Then there is every imaginable type of motor-car propelled by clockwork and complete with electric light. A solid serviceable car may be had for 10s 6d, a better 6ne for 18s 6d, and a car de luxe for 255. This last is about 2ft long and has rubber tyres. Motor charabancs cost 12s lid, and the model of the latest General Omnibus Company's six-wheel double-decker is priced at 13s 6d. Then the*re are lire engines and ladders with hose and pump, aeroplane carriers which float, and a very fine seaplane which propels itself on water, but does not rise to the lighter element. Range of Cannon. One firm is turning out a complete series of cannon, which may be used safely in a bombardment. The spring cannons range in price from Cd to 3s 9d, but the senior models are more effective. They fire rubber shells by means of an ordinary paper cap. Fieldguns, realistic in design, cost from 2s 3d to 10s 6d; heavy field-guns, 15s 9d and 245 ; anti-aircraft guns, 20s and 40s; heavy siege guns, 28s 6d and 575; howitzers, 7s 6d; and coastal defence guns, 25s and 48s. All these are modelled on the full-size guns. Yachts and speed boats seem to be growing in popularity, though the former are probably more favoured by adults. The clastic-propelled speedboat may be had at a modest price, but a boat with geared and double clastic propellor costs 15s Od. Steam boats are wonderfully efficient and travel on one lot of fuel for as much as a mile. There are also electrically propelled launches costing 57s 6d. An old design showing coloured sparks when a "disc is revolved rapidly has been greatly developid. Thus, a clockwork engine emits r. shower of sparks when in motion; a top sends out coloured sparks, and ' a military tank carries a gun from which there comes a burst of fire. The effect, of course, is brought about by means of flint and steel A 'good deal of ingenuity has been)' Shown in the solid English, toys for babies. Tlius, a rabbit on threewheeled tricvele is' so arranged that the child with 'the leading string cannot pull it over however sharp an angle he turns. A penguin when led with _ a String walks and waddles with tne greatest realism, weights on his feet keeping him in an upright position. Dolls and Animals. . In one of the largest and best of the London stores a very fine Arctic scene baa been arranged. On the ice floes in the foreground are a group of polar,

bears, most true to life. Some move their heads from side to side, and others open their mouths and growl, at the same time their eyes arc lighted up with internal electric globes. This gives some idea of what is being done on a smaller scale with soft animal toys on the original principle of the woolly bear. There are very few of the domestic and better known wild animals that are not represented to-day. Cats, dogs, hens, horses, rabibts, ducks, leopards, lions, elephants, are to be seen in lemon, bluo, brown, green, and red. They are well made in England, and at prices with which rrt> foreign country can compete. An excellent unbreakable, washable, hygienically stuffed doll comes from America, and is sold for from 12s 6d to 255. The elaborate hand-painted human figures which may be used for decorative effect come from Italy, and sell for from 13s 6d up to several guineas. The rest of the dolls are made in England, and to-day supply the bulk of the demand. New Magic Lantern. Among new games one finds the gambling tendency of the times well catered for. A new dog Derby game makes use of the tendency of the dogs to "work for the inner track, and tlio object is to head off your opponent. Advancement is directed by means of dice. A new game which requires manual dexterity is played with a shuttlecock and ping-pong bat. The latter has a cup in the middle of one of the surfaces, and the object is to catch the flying shuttlecock in the cup at special intervals. It is not as easy j as the expert makes it appear, as tho shuttlecock has a tendency to bounce out of the cup, and this has to be counteracted by the steady withdrawal .of the bat. There are some captivatiug new' British-made games of forfeits and fortune-telling, priced at 2s 6d each, both are made by a woman manufacturer. For house-making on a small there seems nothing missing. The miniature tea-set idea of twenty or thirty years ago has so developed that a child to-day (given the means) could completely furnish a house. No detail of kitchen, living room, or bedroom seems to be missing. The old magic lantern has been vastly improved by a new invention. Tiie new machine reflects.any picture on to a screen, and it is not necessary to have a glass negative. Four electric globes lighted from the main throw their light oa any picture or photograph pasted on a cardboard slide, and an arrangement of mirrors and lenses throws the image forward not to the screen, even reproducing the colours faithfully. These are from 265, but a toy machine less effective may be had for a few shillings. latest of the Kite Family. Improvements are seen in the model aeroplanes. One maker has obtained greater resistance against the twisted rubber by the arrangement of two bowshaped longitudinal sticks. The rubber passes between them. Another maker has affixed a tail which automatically corrects the deviations in flight. The very latest development, however, is' a metal machine which is wound up by a handle, while it rests in its box. The rubber is geared and duplicated, and the flight of the machine is excellent. If it should strike any object when in the air the wings and other parts become detached and drop unharmed to the ground. The latest and most effective of the kite family is also on view in two of the stores. This is a single-plane, collapsible kite with a fixed "schooner bow." The schooner bow acts as the kite proper, and the rest of the kite, lying en the wind instead of against it, acts h.b the tail. Hence no ordinary tail is required. The larger the Kite-O-Plano the steadier the flight, and Londoners have already seen a 17ft Kite-O-Plane in restful flight over one of tho parks.