1956-12-15 — Page 9

THE CHINA MAIL,

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1956.-

to the last because these bring And what is the result of all up dnother ct Mr Lines' guiding this? It is a car that is fitted principles. "Tey," he says, not only with elcetife Hghts and "are reflection of history a horn, but windscreen-wipers through the ages." And, by that, and radio (actually, a music fast as box), too. It is a police squad selentists develop new machines, car, complete with siren; a up

he

incons

That

toy makers reproduce miuleture fur tho generation of half-pint

and

that carries, them in per lorry

It is a tips, sand, current actually realists, breakdown truck with a crane that works; a fire-engine with And nowtvero han this been ladder and bell. It is a racing a tractor, a jeep and more evident then in that vast car and range of ways that, for want of a a special de luxe job with shaft beller term, shail call trans- drive and two-gear transmission. portation toys. Grandfather

might have been content to But if children are realists, so

their Kallop around ou a hobby horse are

parents, And

the

THE MILLION POUND

Y

TOY BUSINESS

QU will not find one

professional

child

psychologist on the

stuffs of the biggest.

By RONALD BOXALL

a tesiris bears that bore, in his imagination, 211 kl AN History

resemblance to great Earliest

carverl Leud grandfather's YOU] live horse, won len dolls to keep his T-

But year ghi'd und my child spring happ

want in pedal around in confort In a year that might be the

toy-making firms in the creatures, world. Only businessmen al technicians. Yet, in spite of this-maybe b cause of it--they have built ap ル

multi-million-pound the basis organisation ORA of knowing what pleases child's mind,

And what does please a chill's mind? Experience with my own two

small sons suggests it is a home- made bow

arrow. shiny,

parent's realism mostly takes the foras of * simple question: "How much does it cost?"

Well, of course, there are cheap toys and expensive toys. Fortunately, a child usually Ande the former as acceptable as the latter. Realist or not, he draWD copiously on his Imagination to that the de- signer has omitted or Mum and

afford. Dad couldn't

(Inciden- ally, where is the mechanical substitute for that nerve- wracking "brre-brrrrr-brrrrrr that makes up for the power unit?)

Nowa iley, a toll is made no cal thing locked at through the supply the details wynt, which feels unvarmity

walk

he human desti, her hala made of nylon, and she be mass produced by muxdern industrial method For the super-ren]ist chill, there are deits i nl talk (with the aid of a tiny concealed gramophone record). at even take a bottle, with - evitable ronsequences.

а

But the point is that, busival- muther than

ty dolls haven't changed in H

Dousand years, Today, they are chromium-plated bicycle; a

more like the real thing: they saucepan and spoon, used

TW more hygenie. a kettle drum, rather

are still dolls, than a toy dog that goes "woof" when you squeeze

il.

***

But they

But Mr firaeme Lines, LOOK through a toy catalogue who was "brought up" in toys and has spent his life selling them, has no

time for the saucepan and spoon theory. "Realism," he says. "That's what they want. The more like the real thing the toy is, the better they like it.'

***.

TRUE or false?

Well, Mr

Lines family hasn't built up the world's biggest toy fro on a falsehood. And their toys are so like the real thing that, to my mind, many of them are hardly toys at all but col- lectors' items,

"A child," said Mr Lines, "is, above all, a realist. So long as the only toy car was a piece of bent metal with four wheels on it, he was content. But he wasn't fooled. What Was

good enough for us in our child- hood isn't good enough for Dur Hons and daughters. They know there are toys just like the real thing and they аге satisfied nothing less."

with

But here it is necessary

and see how many things in it are really new. There, pro- minently, is the rocking horse, and unchanged in appearance

but made of new purpose, materials, Dolls' prams, too - beautifully-finished and well- aprung replies of mother's, in-

wrong end of a telescope. The principle is the same; only the vehicle has changed.

And, f course, technique. Have you ever thought of the ansamt of research Ind exper sence that went into chat two- by-une-mch model car that your child nught al this very moment be showing off to the kids next door?

***

Anissing

BUT, like it or not, you can't

separate loys and money. The first thing about it is that it amet certainly looks just like People being what they are, they the real thing that you saw in usually spend a Httle more than cun afford for their the car showroom only the other they day. That is because the toy in children's toys. Grown-ups are quality than dustry is one of the most com- better judges of pettive businesses in the world, children, and they will naturally buy." which toy car make the "best so the maker of the started to plan his prototytie the usually means spending a little moment the real thing was first more than they had planned,

cost But

doesn't interest shown to the public. Car maker children. They will have just as co-operate with the toy Industry by supplying original blueprints much fun with a toy acroplane from which the toy designer that shoots out of a catapult as that ig radio- Tho result--a works.

scale with model, perfect in every detail,

ane

controlled.

A crudely carved bit of wood was a “ship" to Grandpa. For his grandson today

the designers of the toy business offer things like this radio-controlled scalo version of a merchant ship.

to make a sharp distinction Anitely superior to the contrap- between toys and novelties. ons our grandmothers delight- The essential difference is ed in when they were children. that toys don't change (oh, But dolls' prams, for all that. no, they don't!), but novel-

And so on through the cata- tles are here today and gone logue, Dolls' houses, with all tomorrow. How many the furniture to go with them; children of today have ever fortresses with their garrisons seen a yo-yo? It enjoyed a of lead soldiers, And, of course, phenomenul popularity, at humming tops.

one stage of my childhood, yet now I wouldn't know which way up to hold one It was a novelty; 'n crize one moment, forgotten the next.

Davy

***

AND It will be the same with Crockett grils and supersonic-roy- apaco `jrns; · A Irric? vogue, and then gone forever..

.....

៧៩.ឆ

That is all very well as for The plain fact is, however, as it goes, but the frouble is it that it isn't the rich man's only goes when you push it, children who have the most ex What our modern child wants pensive toys. Working class is a car that not only looks like familles, I am told, spend more the real, thing but one that he per head on toys than the people whose names are listed in the can get into and drive.

social register. But there is the makers business is exception-I like to picture film not only to see that he gets as a successful bookmaker or a what he wants, but that he gets aholk living on oll royalties -- it even before he knows, be whose only criterion of value is wants it. Anticipating "want" money. before they are even formed in what Mr

.

The

loy

Aren't these the toys that childr you played with Certainly they are, but' with; a difference. The dolls, house is the child's mind is now now a neat suburban detached Lines calls "know-how. villa, and lis, fittings include. It pays because the firm of has produced a replica of a television pet and washing, which he is a member leads the machine. The fortress

has 'feld.

hardly changed at all În ap pearance, but the soldiers who man it carry modern weapoṇa

***

And one

For him (hardly for his child), British toy manufacturer

grand prix racing car

Is

by battery

.

that

driven l

and the world smaller version of

looks for like

a alightly

His real thing I won't wasta timo don't be tempted to

It because I am

of destruction.

Eloss it? AUTO YOU But best of all I like the "YOU'D never

buy one, but I can tell you, it you description of the

aya Mr Lines, but are interested, that in Britain it maker's

het much just we spend modem humming top. It has

costs £110. plus another: 2.10 Kimo Individually tuned vibro-brass

figuring Whether our for the battery. So far, 200 of But toys are different. Toys reeds, precision bulit gearbox, newesh toy car will be fed them have been ordered, which don't change. I could not sleep nylon gears to suppress gearbox with a horn and electric lights surprised the manufacturer, who case and of the ear designer him, produced it as a special exhibiw as a child unless my teddy bear hum, up to date wonders and

persis

budded

Talk, over

histica chowplace; almost as entach. bod; neither call my two small did-type top that had one note, drawing board puzzling over as it surprises me,

'rlaing to an ear-spilling scream, whother his latest model should Bonk But my teddy compared as dot bore down on the spiral be atted with automatic drive, Your child may not be amour very Interios article

the 200 speeding along at eight with theirs

W winder,«in, dofiriitely out: We And · 11log · him, whẽn wo willow bout in an electria

now have tops with triple reached a decoder Why do racing cary, but this Im

we treat Cour Of course, you might say, * change four-note chords, what- plony as top dos toddy bear is an exception and over they might be you know there are other toy tairy ofho will be the happie

A makes who would give their child on serin//WEEN (WEKLOVES

in aray caso 14 la bomparsi moderni, But dolls-

*** I havo delbetaloly, left, the avenuemar ao loose, at our you buy hainig that All, ami sikur keglions of listing, most important caposp

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