Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Petit Monde Sauvage




Grasshopper pull toy, painted wood, France, 1930s 

I love the website of the French cultural institution Les Arts Decoratifs! 
Besides organizing beautiful and unusual exhibitions (remember Les Lalanne?), 
its online documentation is generous in quantity and high in quality.
These photos showcase some of the toys featured in the 2010 exhibition
Petites et Grosses Bêtes, dedicated to animal representations in the world of toys.
Pig, France, late 19th century 

Bulldog, Paris, 1912


Celluloid frog, Petitcollin toy company, France, 1920–30





Elephant, France, 1930–40  



Ladybug (I had this one as a child) and snail tin friction toys, 
Ernst Paul Lehmann toy company, Germany, 1950–60s

Cat with ball pull toy, France, around 1950

White mouse mechanical toy, Köhler, Germany, around 1955 

Bunny by Helen Diemer, Switzerland, 1959 
Owl, CEJI-Lang toy company, France, 1976 

Squirrels, Starlux toy company, France, 1985

Yorkshire, Aux Nations toy company, France, 1983


Bear by Susan Tantlinger, France, 1988

9 comments:

  1. MollyMay 25, 2011 at 8:50 AM

    I had a ladybug too. I loved it. These are great toys.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 25, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    What people could resist ? It is interesting how many early toys are similar to the wind- operated decorations that appeared in gardens around the world or against front doors as doorstops.These whimseys must travel into adulthood it appears. Hm-mm ? I wonder which came first. Toy or whimsey? Thought provoking post to me. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. manon gauthierMay 25, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    Great toys! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. pilipoMay 25, 2011 at 6:01 PM

    bellissimi e
    che nostalgia da bambino avevo un coniglio svizzero ( di mio padre) uguale a quello della foto.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kickcan & ConkersMay 25, 2011 at 11:34 PM

    These are great - wish I could have gone to see the exhibition.

    ReplyDelete
  6. renildeMay 27, 2011 at 1:46 PM

    I do have a soft spot for old toys,lovely post,x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Laura OttinaMay 27, 2011 at 3:22 PM

    Thanks for your comments, I am glad you like old toys as much as I do!

    ReplyDelete
  8. shelf appealMay 31, 2011 at 9:45 PM

    I wish I had seen the exhibition too. Lovely things.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownSeptember 2, 2012 at 8:53 PM

    I love all these antique and folk art toys. They are wonderful. The ones with movement are my favorites like the grasshopper and the cat and snail.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails