Kids Toys Sixty Years Ago

Kids Toys were unheard of in the 1950's, we had to make our own from any scraps we could find; whether that be cardboard, scrap metal from the dumps, old discarded prams, bricks found in the yard, sandbags from WW2, corrugated sheeting thrown aside by the army (we lived near an army base) or empty shells found on the target range.

These scraps of rubbish came in handy for making almost anything. Kids in the 5 - 10 age bracket are very creative and used this found junk to make some incredible toys.

One of the wonderful toys that came out of this was a trolly, a four-wheeled transporter made from several prams—and seats two kids. There were large wheels on the back to give it a "rakish" look and we thought it would also give us more top speed, which it did. This trolly had an extended piece of wood at the front for the steering mechanism. Brakes? Nah! Who needs brakes when speed is exhilarating?

Our major problem came on going downhill so fast the steering used to lose control and we used to veer left or right because the sterring mechanism was over-sensitive. It took us a few days to figure this out with the use of two small pulleys where the steering rope was threaded through to reduce sensitivity. This worked well and we (the four of us) were very proud. Our ages were 5, 7, 8 and 10. The Trolly Team.

Other creative toys we made were; small "homes" made from curved galvanized sheeting from the army base, the two girls (sisters) were so enthralled they used to play in these minature homes for days—and would stay there playing inside until dusk.

My younger brother Phil made a two-wheeled scooter also from a disused pram, pieces of scap metal with a wooden base which was much wider than today's modern scooters. Scooter designs have not changed much in 50 years  except they now have two-stroke motor power, they are much lighter and perhaps a lot safer. Some may even have a GPS.

Do you remember those special toys you had as a kid and still get a little nostalgic about it? Maybe those toys were also from the 1950's?

Fast forward to today in the year 2010; in about 60 years toys have come a long way with quite ingenious designs and techno advances. These keep kids minds open to new innovations especially the educational toys. Here is a list of kids toys and their description...go check.