Toys from the 1920’s

The next few posts will explore the cultural and generational changes through the toys of each decade – kinda fun and interesting.

Toys From The 1920s
The first twenty years of the 20th century saw the introduction of the Teddy Bear, the Raggedy Ann Doll, and Crayola Crayons, merely advancements of existing popular toys; dolls and drawing materials. Parents who had grown up in the waning years of the 19th century still handed down handmade dolls and wood toys to their children, so companies merely thought of exciting new ways to present that style of toy.

In the 1920s, it was more of the same. However, something else happened midway through that prosperous decade. Technology and Pop Culture exploded beyond the scope of anything anyone else had ever seen, making it possible for everyone in the country to listen to the same show on the radio or watch the same stars in film, or drive the same vehicle down the road.

The toys reflected the boom. Die cast metal toys and the first mass produced airplanes and cars for young boys were spreading rapidly, while the Raggedy Ann doll was introduced in 1918 and became immensely popular before being surpassed by Madame Alexander dolls in 1929.

That’s not to forget the novelty toys that seem to stick around longer than anything else, such as the Yo-yo, also introduced in 1929, and mini-golf which first struck the tiny green lawns behind shopping structures in 1926.