A Toy Story

What would Christmas be without toys? Even adults need to have some special toys every now and again. Alan Hirsch,storyteller,researcher and collector of toys, gave a hands on presentation about the history of toys today at the Renton Historical Museum, the last of the programs, alas, until the new year. If you thought this was for just the kids, you were dead wrong. Many of the items that Alan showed had a past of up to 2,ooo years and some began as tools or weapons and then somehow evolved into harmless playthings that most of us would recognize today. I mean, did you know that before a man named Duncan introduced the "Yo Yo" to the American market in the 20's, it was called a "bandaleros" in Greece, and used to stealthily bonk the head of a passing enemy while you sat overhead,hidden, in a tree?

Everyone who came was touched by the beautiful creativity and simplicity of a time when we had to make our own "cartoons" (the toys that animatedly move when you move a stick or twirl a ball), or could play an innocent trick (the exploding outhouse that uses a mouse trap) or just marvel at human ingenuity (Jacob's Ladder that little Meera is playing with in the picture above). My mother whispered to me several times that she recognized many of the toys as ones she had played with back in the late 30's, when she was young. The joy of toys spans generations.For just that hour, we were all satisfied with such handmade entertainment and wondered were such toys could be found yet again.