toywizard.org

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

Michael Don Knapik (1956-2009) says: Toy elephants? No, I do not mean a very small species of live elephant, but elephants made by toy makers to be played with. You see, I wrote the first book on elephant collectibles called: Everything Elephants: A Collector’s Pictorial Encyclopedia.  As I collected information and images about elephant collectibles for my encyclopedia, I noticed that elephants made specifically as toys are quite numerous, so I created three categories (out of the 140 categories in the encyclopedia) to hold them: Puzzles, Stuffed Elephants and Toys & Games. In those three categories there are hundreds if not thousands of examples and no single article can show them all. However, I hope to give you a flavor of the variety of elephant toys available for the toy and elephant collector alike. Read More.

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

Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play also offers an idea opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children. Despite the benefits derived from play for both children and parents, time for free play has been markedly reduced for some children. This report addresses a variety of factors that have reduced play, including a hurried lifestyle, changes in family structure, and increased attention to academics and enrichment activities at the expense of recess or free child-centered play. Read More.

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

TOYchallenge is a national toy design challenge for 5th-8th graders. It’s an opportunity for teams of imaginative kids to create a new toy or game. Kids grow through engaging in TOYchallenge in many other ways, too: from developing a sense of teamwork, to becoming familiar with the engineering design process and building self-confidence. 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.

(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.