The Legacy Of Military Toys - Today
What is it about military toys that people love so much?
How is it that these types of toys have endured through the early days of the country, and on to today?
Kids and Their Toys
There's a short story by Saki (H. H. Munroe to his friends) that goes back to postwar England, where two young boys are playing with military action figures.
Their guardians, erstwhile reformers, suggest that they should be playing with less violent toys like figures of politicians and librarians.
Then, as one of the gift-givers looks in on the boys, to see how they are doing with their new safe replacements, Saki writes:
“Peeping in through the doorway Harvey observed that the municipal dust-bin had been pierced with holes to accommodate the muzzles of imaginary cannon, and now represented the principal fortified position in Manchester; John Stuart Mill had been dipped in red ink, and apparently stood for Marshal Saxe…”
“Louis orders his troops to surround the Young Women’s Christian Association and seize the lot of them,” exclaims one of the young protagonists to the other. “ ‘Once back at the Louvre and the girls are mine,’ he exclaims. We must use Mrs. Hemans again for one of the girls; she says ‘Never,’ and stabs Marshal Saxe to the heart.”
“He bleeds dreadfully,” says the other boy, inundating these new peaceful toys in red paint. .
“The soldiers rush in and avenge his death with the utmost savagery. A hundred girls are killed”—here Bertie emptied the remainder of the red ink over the devoted building—“and the surviving five hundred are dragged off to the French ships. ‘I have lost a Marshal,’ says Louis, ‘but I do not go back empty-handed.’”
Long story short: the boys take the nonviolent action figures and douse them with red paint putting toy guns in their hands.
The idea, taken through broad lines, indicates that we will always be entranced by military toys, and that these types of hobbies are a persistent part of the culture. Yes, it’s tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also very true, in a way.
Old Plastic Toys
You'll see quite a lot of vintage or even antique plastic and tin military toys at high priced antique stores around the country.
This was the last generation's military playtime accessories, and as they age, they’re becoming more rare and harder to find.
Then, you have your old models with glue that may contain our solvents and chemicals, but was a popular pastime in the middle of the last century.
New Toys For a New Time
Our toys have the same focus on military care and hardware, with a new twist – our proprietary block system!
Check it out – and tell us what you think of Saki’s words of wisdom. Will we always love war toys?