CHRISTMAS TOYS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21529, 29 December 1931, Page 8

CHRISTMAS TOYS

NOVELTIES FOR THE YEAR t ' • (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 18. A, tour of the toy departments of some of the large stores leads one to the conclusion that this has not been a year of great invention. The tendency in toys seems rather to be in the direction of producing in miniature the domestic utensils and sports accessories., of adult life. Miniature furniture, for instance, now includes comfortable chaises-lounges with detachable cushions, basket chairs, tables, deck chairs, trolleys' for the teaset, and out-of-door tables with sun umbrellas. The cheapest teaset complete with trolley may be had for 4s 6d. Writing desks and bureaux are to be _ seen in small sizes, and the motor car is reproduced at lower prices than usual. For instance, a car outwardly having the appearance of a racing model may be had for 635. More elaborate cars for the children of the rich are sold for as much as ill 4s. This was an age of aviation. Besides the excellent working models of aeroplanes (from 2s 6d upwards) the aeroplane design has crept into other makes of toys. Carrying on the principle ot lead soldiers, there is a apries of models which enables a child to set out a battlefield having all the planes, buildings, and guns necessary for aerial defence and aerial offence. Another series provides for the activities of civil aviation. Every provision is made for playing shop. British shops in miniature have now reached a high state of perfection, and are provided with automatic , cash registers, shelves for window display, and price cards. The tin and glass containers for the produce are all very realistic ana plainly labelled. The extent to which domestic contrivances are imitated is seen in the bath fitted with a geyser, and hand basins with pipes and taps. Lots tor the doll babies trimmed with organdie muslin or flowered cotton have sheets, pillows, blankets, and even hot-water bottles to encourage maternal care in the small girl. ' . Additions to the general equipment ot dolls’ houses are electric suction sweepers, ironing sets, wireless, electric cooking stoves, writing sets, tooth glass and tooth brushes, and fitted wardrobes in the new Empire woods. SOFT TOYS. * It takes some ingenuity to devise new forms for the soft toys which originated j in the Teddy Bear type. There are some new forms, however./ These are seen in the dog class. A British firm near Bumingham, which employs 1000 people, are making soft toys, with champion dogs ox each breed aa their models, ihe results are very lifelike. A fashionable colour is tomato red. The giraffe comes into his own this year with his natural/colouring and Lin. fancy colours. A novelty is the set of life-like but kindly disposed tigers and leopards. Bears of more Jife-like form than the Teddy are also being sold. Fpo-foo, a fluffy and comfprtab.e dog, should be a great favourite with young children. He is being sold for 9s lid. Then there aieducks and rabbits in new emerald green. One line of ducks at 11s Cd has a musical box inside which works with pressure and plays a f/ w h/s of the “ Wedding of the Painted Doll. A very delightful toy is a basket containing two Persian kittens for 18s 6d. . Soft' dolls with painted material faces—with the exception of one pccuil ltalian line—are all made in England now, and prices have gone down considerably. * three-feet dressed girl may be had for 27s 6d, and very attractive figure dolls ot smaller size are priced at less than 10s. For beauty and finish one has to admit that the special Italian line excels. The faces are hand painted the hair isi real, the clothes are beautifully made, and the prices range from 12s 6d to £4 10s. / Hand-woven hair, glass eyes, and clothes that all take on and off are features ot British soft toys, and modern fashions are represented; long dresses,,however, have not found favour in the doll world. There is a beach pyjama model doll, and several favourites —each face being a separate type of feminine beauty evolved by an artist—have been re-dressed. Platinum blondes” are prominent, and the new mode of hairdressing of curls on the nape of the neck has been chosen for nearly every doll. PRINTING MACHINES. Among the articles which should delight the boys is a serviceable printing machine for 10s 6d, made by a firm near London. The price includes a set of types and printing ink, and from the press it is possible to turn out small advertising cards. It is said to be particularly favoured by Boy Scouts. For more mature work, such as circulars, there is a machine costing 57s 6d, which is much more than a toy and could be used with advantage in any business office. Sailing boats, clock-work launches, and steam launches have reached a high state of perfection at reasonable prices. Although the electric and clockwork locomotives are perhaps the favourites, one firm makes a steam locomotive which for speed excels the former models. _ Clockwork motor cars and tractors still come fromAmerica, but a very finished car is being made in England at a higher price. -