TOYS OF BABY MILLIONAIRES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11307, 28 December 1898, Page 3

TOYS OF BABY MILLIONAIRES.

■;.'..,- "i-,.i; ;': ■;■;; ' ~.... t ,*. a . $'~ '\-r ;:. ,;.■-..':'■; .<*.- |i: Probably the. most;;expensive toy; turned ';out;this*'Clmstmas is a' colossal doll's.housed jTKe!:yr6rst.of it'is'tjiat ifs'tiny^^ futufetowner :wili- not be allowed'to get mu'ett enjoyment iouf,:of iit;y'. Although- it is b ; ig eiiougli; for,: iher: ladyship, to /walk.into,' .it' is "so" magnifi^ ?cent..that it'' J is..purely'x'a sKow"affair.";;lt is. fitted with'theelectric light; hasa real stove 'in the kitchen, capable of cooking/real/food and hot.- and cold water arrangements;vinj every bedroom. The bathroom is. a marvel of wonder n fitted.'with gold taps/ a marble , tank for the, : ddll inhabitants to take their dip, in,! a, heating;arrangement" lor* towels,.' a thermometer to' regulate the temperature' of the water, and a whole paraphernalia of the'most luxurious perfumes, powders, and other unguents. ">/' " "■'•; :.'...-,';. ,-. ;;• "As. a rule," declared-.a West, End/toy. 'mercharjt,".vfe,.find iriillibiiaires Very sensible. witH-regard/to/their...purchases./' They. may■ Lgive one or^tw.6 sensational;prde'rs.at Christ: mas time ; b.u'if. the bulk of .'what, we sellare. more .or, less usefiil'.. toys..,-. ..Children-'- hate expensive ones. . They like to pull their' i possessions "aboiit,".and feel that, triey are all'their own. ~. I'd wager that the little Grand Duchess Olga cares less for the superb, ■chest of .'dolls and dolls' clothes given her by ( ■the President of. trie Prench Republic than. for'the simple rag ones sent her'b'y.her augiist' 'grea't-'grandrnotberjjour Queen." ..',. ; It-is. rich' city/people, who, deal but their' ;hundreds at. this.season for'toys, and ..what - they are buying most largely now are soldiers. Germany makes alarge proportion/of (these, unfortunately. That..nation..does an enormous trade in'tpy& .Probably'out of the £1,000;000 sterling that/passes ficom.the.pgc-. kets of toy purchasers in Great' Britain per annum,.", £600,000 "goes . abroad,,.. Germany talcing.more than half /that amQ'in.t.; ■■■■'■ i -The run expected on Turkish and Qreek soldiers has been eclipsed by that on Gordon'; Highlanders, enough of which it has been, found quite impossible to supply. All. these lead/soldiers are made for:the Christmas trade by June, usually, and it was only comparatively yesterday that; Dargai, and the piper of national renown, created the' unusual demand for .the kilts', though kilted 'regiments'children" always choose... . r : ;The navy, does not go down half as. Well as the army among youngsters at Christmas, for the simple reasoh.that indoo^ toys are.wanted: in; the Xriri'ter.;/ All. the^.'same, there.is./nothing" children lpy:e more th^an_ dabbling in' .water.or on,tEe.water's,brink'Y'and the'trade, ;-j—piirelyjari/ English "one—in niodel/yachts, '■ steam.- liunchesj torpe'dp "boats, arid men-q'-: ■ war.'.'. is" a ■ steady' p'he, 'particularly fqr. the supply of those who live near the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens.' Millionaires in that neighbourhood sometimes give orders for these so-called-'tbys for themselves. They run into hundreds of. pounds. , .;".,. , There is always a fashion in animals, and 'this Christmas the Polar bear is the boom, probably, because-of the: great', excitement expeditions to the North Pole are now creating. One mechanical; toy ordered for the only child of a imilti-millionaire shows a ilarge room, iri.which are seated on sofas and (chairs, with instruments' of music in their paws, a happy family; of 20 dear ,little white1 bears. A key is'ihserfced beneath the room, where a lot of machinery lurks, and wljeiij, ■this is wound up; all the bears begin playing their 'fiddles and trumpets ari'd"beatirigP"the'ir* drums and tapping their hind paws on t&e floor in rhythm, to" the intense delight of ■ the'juvenile, onlooker. •■ : '' '.-.• ;\ ; Mechanical acrobats'are also "in'the ascendant/: this year, a;nd even mechanical strong /men, who'box with a will, knocking one another down, springing up again, 'taking; a restpand setting fco^for another round in themost approved style.' .■ , ■■'•■.'': A more peaceful machine than' these Mas. 4 made for the poor little crippled daughter, of' a very wealthy man last December. It is a perfect model ofy an old' lady 'with Teal knitting in her hands, at which'she'works steadily when woundup. ', V '^•';.. . ". '" Rockinghbrsesarways sell steadily.: They are'big, and children like big toys ; they are old favourites, and they are top/rather,ex-/ I pensive," so those'who make up their minds, to spend from 15gs to 20gs on some child can T easily get i-iU.'of that" sum. : Probably the' most costly rocking horse in" the /'world., is the one in the.King7o'f :Spa,ijj.'s;..^ursery',f;"a; real pony, oh which 'that young monarch" ' used-'to disport'himself, as a. child.' .'The ponyhad'been'afiivburite dne'of the Queen Regent's,; arid'when'it died her Majesty liad it converted' into aTiobby-horse for her son-^ indeed,,.the' King, who was.b^orn a king, is shown in. the Gallery of; Kings astride.the' very charger ambng.his ancestors., Ayhowere , all'painted,' iri'furtherance of a regal tradition, 'on. their war horses.-. It. is. provided, with" a splendid, saddle-cloth and I maghifi 1 cent trappings'. '■'■' • "'*; '■" ■i 'A favourite brick game is the.building.of, Windsor Castle, which can be aciiie'ved-most-creditably with small cubes'arid other archi- . tectural play-bricks'/and stones. In point of extrUvagance,' royalty is frequently outdone by;a wealthy magnate from .the Stock Excbange. ' One. noted for his.; generosity : sent his "wife '"£l.so'' to' buy a'doll, for his/ favourite daughter, the said doll to.be dressed lilce'iaI.bride, and-to have a complete■'trdusr seau, even to a bicycling dress, and a minia-, ■ture cycle—riee'dless to point" put,' a tri and not- a ba-cycle.. Por liis son, he himself ordered a rocking-horse, whicli was to be painted exactly in imitation of the Prince ;of Wales's fariioiis horse Persimmon, the winner of the Derby, to have a gold bit and stirrups, and a cloth richly embroidered with gold. : Orders aremorefrequently given'foi';" silver trappings than for gold.' ■ The Jubilee is responsible for another ex-■ pensive' toy. ' It is a mimic reproduction of the famous procession: all the troops, the carriages with the colonial premiers .and their, wives, the Prince 01 Wales on .'horseback,. ■ with the: other princes in his company, Lord "Bobs," Lord Wolseley, and the rest,, .the royal-ladies in their carriages, and the -;Queen ierself.' Such a present takes a kind' ,'of Exe'ter'Hall to set/it out in )^and/a.'.'whole;! afte'rrioon' to put it up and .take; itldown. :againya: fact' wtiicK makes it a /burden ':tio

its'owner instead of a pleasure.