toywizard.org

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

(A. C. Gilbert 1884-1962) Gilbert was one of the most multi-talented inventors of all time. With many fields open to his ingenuity, he chose to educate and entertain children through toys. He was born in Salem, Oregon in 1884. His boyhood love was magic tricks. He became so proficient that he once matched a traveling professional magician trick for trick. Gilbert was also a brilliant student and attended Yale Medical School. He helped pay his tuition by performing as a magician, and founded a company, Mysto Manufacturing, which sold magic kits for kids. In 1909  Gilbert finished medical school and decided to expand his growing toy business rather than practice as a doctor. Read More.

 Today’s Erector Sets keep pace with technology and cultural changes.

Highlights from an antique auction that include an A.C. Gilbert Erector Set, 1930, set number 10, estimated to bring $8,000-12,000. Shown at right is an A.C. Gilbert Erector Set, 1932, set number 10, all original parts, estimated to bring $20,000-40,000. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

 John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

History Channel says: Discover the origins of your favorite toys and games, from chess and checkers to Barbie and Atari. Find out how many crayons are produced each day, who invented Lincoln Logs (hint: he’s the son of a world-famous architect), and which classic toy truck is the brainchild of a group of Minnesota school teachers. Plus: Learn more about the industry’s most successful inventors, including Milton Bradley and the Parker brothers. Visit Site.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO (This link takes you to a series of videos on toys so wait a second after the first video for the next one to begin.)

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. MIT OpenCourseWare is a free publication of MIT course materials that reflects almost all the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

ChildTrek says: Children do not come with manuals. Yet, there are developmental patterns you as parents and caregivers should be aware of. These patterns help you manage the changes and quirks that inevitably come as your children grow. They help you know when to introduce learning goals when they are likely to be learned. This increases the likelihood of success and lessens frustrations at both ends. Read the ChildTrek articles.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

The following statement was prepared by the Spanish Toy Association (Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Juguetes – AEFJ) and provides the many vitally important reasons why toys are so necessary to the development and well-being of children. This statement was endorsed by the members of the International Council of Toy Industries at their Annual Meeting in June 2006.

Children have played with toys throughout history and in all cultures.  Toys promote children’s well-being. Toys have a central role in children’s play with one another and help them develop socially. Toys support the right to play in childhood which is essential to healthy child development. 

Restriction of the right to play and the time to play has serious consequences on children’s development and their later behaviour as adults. Toys are vital tools that help foster the mental, physical, emotional and social development of boys and girls. Toys support the right to education through encouraging play and learning.

Toys are basic instruments for the development of children’s fantasy, imagination and creativity. Toys are available for all stages and ages of child development. They enrich family life by fostering fun, amusement and communication between all family members, regardless of age.

A safe, secure environment is essential for play. Toys must be safe and of high quality to avoid foreseeable hazards. Providing they comply with all the conditions necessary to ensure children’s safety, toys are an integral part of their development.

Photo of World War II rescued children.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

From the Museum website: Thinking about the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, it struck me as fitting that we have two cute Copenhagen-made wooden toys in our carbon sinks showcase in the exhibition Ecologic: creating a sustainable future. The toy zebra and elephant have sat there since 2001, alongside a wooden chair, a seashell, a pile of wood chips, and a huge slice of an Australian red cedar tree. The toys, designed by Kay Bojesen, are part of a collection donated as a bequest by kindergarten teacher and toyshop director Monica Piddington in 1970. I doubt that anyone at that time saw the toys as carbon sinks! However, making toys, houses, furniture and other treasured objects from wood is an important human contribution to sequestering carbon – but only if we truly treasure them and protect them from rotting (which would unlock the carbon in them, adding methane or carbon dioxide to the atmosphere). Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

Robert Lang is a pioneer of the newest kind of origami — using math and engineering principles to fold mind-blowingly intricate designs that are beautiful and, sometimes, very useful. Read More.