Schoenhut's little-tot's building blocks.

[approximately 1925] ([Philadelphia, Pa.] : Schoenhut)

1 set of building blocks (50 pieces) : wood ; various sizes in cardboard box 3 x 36 x 19 cm

Exhibited: "Les jouets et la tradition moderniste = Toys and the modernist tradition", Centre canadien d'architecture, Dec. 15, 1993-May 1, 1994.

Schoenhut's offered a variety of building block sets, some colourful and decorated, others unembellished. This "Little-tot's" set, for example, includes the following description on its cover: "An assortment of plain wooden blocks, made of clean wood, sawed to various sizes and shapes on the multiple basis. No cheaply colored or printed blocks used, no round dowels or columns used (thus avoiding slipping on when lying around the floor)". Other plain sets included "Hill" Kindergarten-Primary Floor Blocks, with large blocks made of "nice, clean Basswood lumber", the smaller pieces of maple; and "Wood-to-Build", also made from "nice clean hard lumber", unpainted. By contrast, a catalogue of ca. 1930 offered, in addition to the plain "Little-tot's", alternate sets which were decorated and colourful, comprising an assortment of the regular blocks with some pieces "decorated as windows - doors - archways - etc.", and some "nicely colored with stain". Other coloured and decorated sets included "Alphies" A-B-C Blocks and Blox-DeLuxe
Schoenhut's produced other architectural toys as well; there was "Build-a-Village", a group of 6 buildings to set up and paint; "Naborhood Store Builder" and "Community Store Builder", both of which could be decorated with Christmas lights; Hollywood Home Builder, an instructive toy which would "also amuse daddy"; and "Nested Blocks", a set of small, brightly-coloured hollow boxes
The Little-tot's set is unaccompanied by any instructions or design sheets except for the illustrated label, which is indicated as being a sufficient guide to the use of the blocks.

Wooden toys United States Specimens.
Blocks (Toys) United States Specimens.
Toys United States Specimens.
Jouets en bois États-Unis Spécimens.
Cubes (Pièces de jeu) États-Unis Spécimens.
Jouets États-Unis Spécimens.
Blocks (Toys)
Toys.
Wooden toys.
United States.

Stacking assembly system toys.
Specimens.

A. Schoenhut Company.

Location: Library main objects 70278
Call No.: TS2301.T7.W6 A83 1925
Status: Missing