The Sentimental Work of Play: Manhood and the American Toy Industry, 1900–1930

Abstract

In 1919, a writer in the trade journal Playthings recalled the lengths to which the “American toy man” once had to go to “disguise or hide the fact” that he made or sold toys for a living: the toy manufacturer would call his operation a “wood-working plant” to make it sound more dignified when he applied for a loan; wholesalers would mention the toys they kept in stock only if they were asked about them; and during the brief Christmas season when toys were featured, retailers would stick them in the basement. In all aspects, the writer suggested, toymaking and toyselling in the United States had once been questionable occupations, “Unworthy the Respect of Sound Business Men,” as the subtitle to the article put it. But today, he concluded, “there is a change— a wonderful change— all along the line. There is a pride everywhere.” Or, as another toy man boasted in 1913, “The domestic toy manufacturers comprise today a sturdy industrial body. Barely a decade ago this could not be said.”²

Portions of this article originally appeared as chapter six in Woody Register, The Kid of Coney Island: Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001). I am especially grateful to John L. Thomas, whose intellectual friendship inspired this work, and to John Grammer, whose support is immeasurable.