Saturday, December 29, 2012

Australian Toys

Saturday, December 29, 2012


Australian Toys

   Hello everyone. sorry for not writing, but I've had the flu this week,and was not feeling well! I had aches all over, fever, couldn't sleep for 2 days (that is the worst!), and lacked an attention span! I was out of the house this morning to meet the gang at Dunkin Donuts near me. The store is closing today after 31 years,and the owner is moving on. We all said out goodbyes, and who knows where we will ever meet.The place was great because the owner let us stay there for hours chatting away about whatever what in the news or whatever was on our mind.  Just like out toys, this place has had its place in time. I'll probably go to Tim Horton's (A Canadian Institution) , but there's no  "hanging around" for 2 hpours there. In and out, and about in 10 minutes!

   This past week, I wrote about the Triang toy company which was in Great Britain,and who also had a company named Thistle in Montreal, (Quebec, Canada). AS I was researching the company, I came across someone who had a connection to the site:


(Please press on the address above to be redirected there)


    I wrote to Dave Bates, a first time to ask him for permission to use his images, and of course he said you.  I then embarrassingly had to wrote him a second time, because I didn't  write down his site address. Fortunately, Dave diplomatically overlooked my "error", and fortunately for me, writing doesn't show the other person how many shades of Red I Was turning because of my "faux'-as"!

   It turns out, that Australia had a toy industry in the 1920's, and probably still has one. The country figured it was better to make toys there than to important them, and the concept also provided jobs. Of course, with today's "global economy", that concept seems so "alien". I think dave is the overseer of the site. 

The site provided interesting anecdotes about the Australian toy industry, and also short stories about people who worked in the industry back then. THe site also talks about ol toys and even the Triangs, and the battery-operated 1950's Japanese toys that had something like 85-95% of the world market share in those specific type of toys. 

Copyright 2012  http://www.pedalmania.jigsy.com  (Mr. Dave Bates)
Please do not copy without the written permission of the above)
Copyright 2012  http://www.pedalmania.jigsy.com  (Mr. Dave Bates)
Please do not copy without the written permission of the above)

     The site has lots of nice reproductions of old ads from the times when the toys were produced. 

Copyright 2012  http://www.pedalmania.jigsy.com  (Mr. Dave Bates)
Please do not copy without the written permission of the above)


Copyright 2012  http://www.pedalmania.jigsy.com  (Mr. Dave Bates)
Please do not copy without the written permission of the above)


     When you read the description of the red cars above, you realize why the front grill and headlights didn't rust. They were nickel-plated


Copyright 2012  http://www.pedalmania.jigsy.com  (Mr. Dave Bates)
Please do not copy without the written permission of the above)



Copyright 2012  http://www.pedalmania.jigsy.com  (Mr. Dave Bates)
Please do not copy without the written permission of the above)



Copyright 2012  http://www.pedalmania.jigsy.com  (Mr. Dave Bates)
Please do not copy without the written permission of the above)


    Now that I've looked at the above image, I realize that I did have a tricycle. I got mine when I was older, so I didn't need blocks of wood that went on either side of the pedals, to allow them to be in contact with your feet.  At that time (early 1950's)the tricycle came in 1 size only. So if you were a younger "kid", your feet would not reach the pedals from the seat. My brother and sister (3 years younger than me) would have has those blocks to give them those extra 2 inches to reach the pedals.

That's it for today.
Have a great day, wherever you may be.

Stacey






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