Toys in the 1930s required a LOT of imagination, which is a GREAT thing! Not to sound like a fuddy, but toys nowadays don’t require much more thought than “press a button repeatedly.” And there’s almost no need for pretending either. Well, that’s not the case with thirties toys. Very few electronics, and most toys were made of wood, fabric or cast iron.
Simple things like dolls, finger paint and die cast model cars were very popular. Also very popular were pedal cars and trucks. Some even had electric headlights!
Some legendary board games did come out in the 1930s, like Monopoly, Scrabble and Sorry! It’s hard to believe those games are that old!
The rich kids had Erector sets, toy trains and air rifles. The girls had all different kinds of dolls and doll houses to choose from. Also there was a wide variety of adult-like toys like kids typewriters, kids adding machines, and medical playsets.
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One things is for sure, kind in the 30s didn’t sit all day and stare at their toys. They pretended and played with them!
Learn a lot more about 1930s toys by browsing the authentic 1930s toy catalog pages below. Read the captions and look at the prices. It’s amazing to see how cheap everything was back then!
1930s Toys Advertisements
In-Depth Profiles of 1930s Toys
View-Master by Sawyer's (1939) »
Buck Rogers Ray Guns by Daisy (1934) »
1930s Baby Dolls: Withers, Quints and More »
Colonial Style Doll House (1937) »
American Character: Bottletot Baby Dolls (1937) »
Die Cut Stock Farm Playset with Barn (1937) »
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Great site! I’m Googled out looking for info on a toy from the early 1930s. It’s a wind-up elephant that walks, the body is wood covered with (from memory) orange heavy paper? the features are painted on. I’m not sure I still have it, the circumstances are unusual. I think it has a maker’s name on it and thought it was Schoenhut, but must be wrong since it doesn’t seem typical of what I’ve Googled. Any leads would be appreciated. Thanks. DoRi
It sounds a lot like one of the very early Fisher Price elephants; most were pull-cord, but they did for a short while manufacture some wind-up toys. You could try looking on their website for their history.
I have been looking for information on the 1930s….. and have come across your site. It has a tremendous amount on it and is extremely interesting. I am not sure how exactly it works?
Is it just for factual information and pictures etc?
I am looking for anything that can help provide information and possibly resources for work/activities…for elderly people with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Any comments from you or help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Kind regards
Felicity Leslie
Hopefully, I can get some information on a game I bought at a yard sale many years ago. I have googled it and researched it but have only found that it may be a game from 1933. The game is a tile game. The box has 6 corners. The name is Contack, yes it does end in a K, and was manufactured by, oddly enough, a company called the Volume Sprayer Manufacturing Company, Inc., and located in Tulsa Oklahoma. If you have any information I will be very thankful.
Here’s information from Board Game Geek: https: // boardgamegeek . com/boardgame/3203/contack
I have the “jeep” on the Popeye cartoon. He was a yellow character that would pop in and out like a magical friend of popeye’s. It was dated 1936 to 1938 ( kinda reminds you of a monkey figure) I cannot find it anywhere on line to research.
Does anyone have the name for a game from the 1930’s that was played either on the floor or on a table. It had a wooden board that had cut outs resembling bridges in a row with a cue or wooden rod and marbles or ping pong balls which were aimed into the arches with the cue. Do hope this makes sense to someone out there. Thanking you. Jenni
Answer to Jenni Curtis July 12, 2017. Yes, the game was called “Bobs”.
Richard Grimmond Port Macquarie NSW
Can anyone remember the name of a board game that had a complex layout of roads and streets including a number of obstacles e.g. pedestrian crossings, roundabouts, road works, traffic lights etc. that held up progress from one side of the board to the opposite side that your little car (half inch size) had to cross by collecting three cards (playing card size) with the matching image of the obstacle holding you up on the road you are trying to travel with the throw of the dice. It was available in the 1930s. If I can’t locate one I’ll try to make one myself
Anyone remember a game called dab? I work in a care home and some of the residents mentioned it and I can’t find anything on the website.
I have a toy that’s called a Snap Jack. It’s a cast iron clown that is hinged and when you snap it back it hits a metal base and makes a cracking sound; similar to the musical slap stick percussion instrument. I can’t find any info on it. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.
A GAME CALLED PUT AND TAKE INVOLVING A TINY TOP WITH NUMBERS AND WORDS.yOU SPUN IT LIKE A TOP AND WHEN IT LANDED YOU HAD TO PUT IN A PENNY OR TAKE A PENNY FROM THE POT.
I have a 1930 ish toy tank. No marks for copy rights, its red and one of the first plastics ever made. Any idea where I can find info or some one who might know? It was my Uncles as a child and he would be in his 90’s now if he were still living.