Folk Toys

Most folklorists and cultural historians tend to ignore folk toys even though the study of these toys can provide valuable insights into the history of childhood. This lack of interest is reflected in the dearth of articles about folk toys published in folklore journals. The published information available is often written by devotees of folk art. The tendency to view folk toys as art objects is understandable since many of them are beautifully designed. It is, however, a mistake to study only the aesthetic qualities of these toys. In order to understand fully the cultural significance of folk toys, they should not be removed from the realm of children's play.

It is difficult to define exactly what constitutes a folk toy since the term has been applied to a wide variety of objects. Often religious artifacts, talismans, and other objects which have no relationship to children's play are referred to as folk toys simply because they resemble dolls or some other common playthings. Even if it is agreed, however, that folk toys are objects which children use in their play, a considerable amount of confusion still surrounds the term. Technically, folk toys are handcrafted, traditional artifacts which are made one at a time by nonprofessional artisans, but, in general usage, all handmade toys are usually classified as folk toys.

For those seeking general information about American folk toys, Sandra Brant and Elissa Cullman's book, Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in America, is worth reading. The chapter they devote to toys is lavisly illustrated with color photographs. Most books about American folk art also include information about folk toys. Two of the most useful of these books are The Folk Arts and Crafts of New England, by Priscilla S. Lord and Daniel J. Foley, and America's Folk Art, edited by Robert L. Polley.

There are several books available which provide instructions on how to make folk toys. American Folk Toys, by Dick Schnacke, is one of the best of these books. Schnacke writes about scores of toys, and he usually provides a little background information along with his instructions. Two other books of this sort which are worth mentioning are Naturally Powered Old Time Toys, by Marjorie Henderson and Elizabeth Wilkinson, and The Historian's Toybox, by Asterie B. Provenzo and Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr.

Very little has been written about child-made folk toys. Perhaps the most thorough discussion of this type of toy can be found in Child Life in Colonial Days, by Alice Morse Earle. In the last chapter of her book, Earle describes the playthings children made out of plants. References to child-made toys are sometimes included in autobiographies. Lucy Larcom, for instance, discusses the dolls she made as a girl in A New England Girlhood.

Numerous books about non-American folk toys have been published over the years. One of the most interesting of these is Florence and Robert Pettit's Mexican Folk Toys, Festival Decorations and Ritual Objects. The Pettits include a discussion of the sociological significance of Mexican folk toys in their book. Information about Japanese folk toys can be found in The Folk Toys of Japan, by Misako Shishido, and in Japanese Folk Toys, by Tekiho Nisizawa. Japanese Folk Toys was published in 1939 by the Japanese government, and it has a strong nationalistic flavor to it. Still, it provides an excellent account of the history of Japanese folk toys.

One of the few books to explore the complex relationship between folk toys and their owners is M. B. Goffstein's My Noah's Ark. The main character in this children's book is an elderly woman. In the book, this woman recalls the experiences she has had with a toy Noah's ark that her father made for her while she was a young girl. Because Goffstein concentrates on the meaning that this toy has for her character, her book provides insights into the significance of folk toys that cannot be found in very many other published sources.