We know that Roman and Greek toddlers played with clay rattles, animal skin or animal bladder balls, clay rattles, hand carts, clay dolls, hobby horses, hoops and spinning tops. After toddlers reached the age of 3 they continued to play with these toys, but they where also gradually introduced to using tools and weapons. So from a very early age the toys they used where intended to prepare toddlers for their adult lives.
From the dark to the middle ages knucklebones, barrel hoops, wooden toys like tops, wooden horses and puppets where popular. In this period puritans tended to object to these toys for religious reasons. They felt kids should only play with toys that where based on scripture. A popular toy from the period that puritans liked was a wooden carved ark.
By the 18th century the mass production of toys took hold. Pictorial alphabet cards, books, dissected map puzzles and board games sold well.
By the 19th century the quality of the toys had gone up and the prices had come down. Technical toys like steam engines, building blocks, magic lanterns and optical toys like the kaleidoscope and zoetrope sold well. Many of our current day toy companies started out in the 1890s and 1900s. They produced toy soldiers, zoos, farmyards and later cowboys and Indians and railway figures. When World War 2 broke out toy making came to a standstill. All the toy factories where converted for making weapons. For a while home made toys became popular again.
The most notable thing about toys in the 20th century is the influence of radio TV and popular culture on toys. With prices dropping further toys based on TV heroes where bought all over the world. Buck Rogers, Thomas the Tank Engine and My Little Pony are some famous examples.
Battery powered toys in the 20th century has replaced clockwork toys. However different the toys down the ages may seem, many themes tend to repeat themselves. Toys are still there to develop important skills to comfort and entertain.
Some famous toys from history:
Barbie Dolls - Invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel). The toy was named after Ruth's daughter Barbara. The Ken doll was named after her son. Barbie has had some criticism over the years. If she was a real human her proportions would be 36-18-38 which is impossible.
Boomerang - There are 2 kinds of Boomerangs. The kind which just goes where you throw it and the kind that comes back. Heavier forms of these sticks where used in War and for hunting in the Australian outback.
LEGO - Lego is a Danish inventions from Ole Kirk Christiansen and his son Godtfred Kirk two Danish toy makers. They invented LEGO in 1949.
Video Games - The first video game was created by A.S. Douglas in 1952. At the time he held a PhD degree at the University of Cambridge on Human-Computer interaction. His first creation was a version of Tic-Tac-Toe.
