Mechanical Beetle made by E. P. Lehmann of Germany. Lithographed tin, patent date 1895. Loaned by the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich
Children and adults alike are fascinated with toys that move. Visit your local toy shop and you will find push toys, pull toys, toys that wind up, toys that are spring-loaded and battery-operated. Make a toy come to life and we are captivated.
The desire to animate toys has been around for centuries. Archeologists have found clay tops dating to 3500 B.C.E, horse pull toys were popular in the Middle Ages, the jack-in-the-box originated in the 16th century and clockwork toys date to the 18th century. More recently, tin and cast-iron toys such as mechanical banks and trains appeared in the 19th century. Inexpensive wind-up novelties became popular in the 20th century.
To celebrate the history of marvelous moving toys, the Fairfield Museum and History Center presents a new exhibit: Batteries Not Included! This vintage mechanical toy show features a variety of toys dating from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century. You won’t see plastics; these toys are made of painted tin, tinplated steel, and cast iron. Come see early Connecticut clockwork toys, including a cyclist, dancer, and locomotive loaned by the Wilton Historical Society. Rarely seen mechanical train sets from the 1930s have been loaned by collector Mark Tobias, and a delightful mechanical beetle from the 1890s is on loan from the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich. A live steam plant dating from 1925, used to power accessory mechanical toys, is included in the exhibit, along with two realistic mechanical milking cows all from the Fairfield Museum’s collection. A comic “Toonerville Trolley” from the 1920s has been loaned by the Barnum Museum.
G.I. Joe mechanical toy from the 1940s. Loaned by Mark Tobias
Readers participating in the One Book, One Town initiative will find these toys reminiscent of Hugo Cabret’s automaton. The exhibit complements the Fairfield Public Library’s book selection, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The award-winning book tells the story of an orphaned boy, Hugo, who is determined to reconstruct an automaton built with clockwork gears. To do so, he finds he must steal parts from a toy shop in the Paris train station where he secretly lives, keeping the station clocks running.
“The exhibit will allow families who are reading the book to see the kinds of toys that fascinated Hugo,” said Adrienne Saint-Pierre, Curator of the Fairfield Museum. “The mechanical toys are much simpler than the human-figure automaton Hugo restored, but they share many of the same kinds of small mechanical parts and clockworks.” Whether or not you are familiar with the book, you will marvel at these treasures, and at how far the technology of toys has come.
Batteries Not Included! opens to members of the Fairfield Museum and History Center on Thursday, February 19, and to the public on Friday, February 20. On early-dismissal days, Wednesday, March 18 and Thursday March 26, the museum will hold Hugo Cabret’s Timekeeper Tours, offering fun, hands-on tours, a scavenger hunt and opportunities to make your own spotting telescope. On Sunday, April 5, the museum will host a magic show with fascinating tricks and magic. For details, visit the museum’s website at www.fairfieldhs.org or call 259-1598 to register. For a full list of events and programs relating to the One Book, One Town initiative, visit www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org.
