Toys · 1931
Depression-Era Ingenuity and the Birth of Classics
Despite the worsening Great Depression in 1931, toy makers found success with affordable tin novelties, durable wooden push-toys, and engaging parlor games. From the debut of Fisher-Price to nationwide yo-yo crazes, play provided a bright escape for American children.
- Fisher-Price / Wooden Toy / USA
Fisher-Price Dr. Doodle
Debuting at the 1931 New York Toy Fair as part of the original '16 Hopefuls' line, this lithographed wooden quacking duck quivered and waddled when pulled along.
- Donald F. Duncan / Skill Toy / USA
Duncan Yo-Yo
Donald Duncan's aggressive 1931 marketing campaign and touring trick champions sparked a massive nationwide playground frenzy for looped-string wooden yo-yos.
- McCall Pattern Co. / Plush Doll / USA
McCall's Mickey Mouse Sewing Pattern #826
Licensed directly by Walt Disney in 1931, this popular pattern allowed mothers to craft early stuffed Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls at home using scrap fabric.
- Alfred Mosher Butts / Word Game / USA
Lexiko (Early Scrabble Precursor)
Architect Alfred Mosher Butts designed this tile-based letter game in 1931, analyzing the front page of The New York Times to calculate letter frequencies.
- Effanbee / Composition Doll / USA
Effanbee Patsyette Doll
Standing just nine inches tall, this molded composition doll joined Effanbee's famous Patsy family in 1931, complete with jointed limbs and painted side-glancing eyes.
- Dowst Manufacturing / Model Cars / USA
Tootsietoy Die-Cast Automobiles
Dowst Manufacturing expanded its die-cast zinc toy vehicle line in 1931, offering pocket-sized sedans, trucks, and biplanes for under a dime.
- A. C. Gilbert Co. / Construction / USA
Gilbert Erector Set
Featuring patented steel girders, nuts, and bolts, A.C. Gilbert's 1931 construction sets allowed boys to build motorized miniature cranes, bridges, and skyscrapers.
- Louis Marx & Co. / Mechanical Toy / USA
Marx Wind-Up Tin Toys
Louis Marx & Company dominated 1931 dime-store shelves with inexpensive clockwork tin novelties, including eccentric tumbling acrobats and whirring automobiles.
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