Welcome to our guide for kids toys and other products here you will find information about our range of childrens toys, bestselling toys, cheap toys and even popular brands.
Before the 20th century children had very few toys and the ones that they did have were precious. Furthermore children did not have much time to play. Only a minority went to school however most children were expected to help their parents doing simple jobs in and around the house or out in the fields.
Toys have been around for thousands of years through from where the Ancient Greek boys used inflated pigs bladders as balls, dolls made from wood, hoops and also the classic spinning top. Roman children played with many of the same toys however they also played board games with dice...
Toys changed little through the centuries. In the 16th Century toys like the yo-yo and the ball and cup were played with by children.
Many new toys were invented in the 20th century. Plasticine was first made commercially in 1900, also in 1900 Frank Hornby invented a toy called Meccano. Other really popular toys in the early 20th century were tin cars and in the 1920s train sets became very popular. Soft toys also became common in the early 20th century including teddy bears.
During World War II most toy factories were turned over to war production. However in the late 20th century plastic and metal toys became much cheaper and much more common. In the 1950s Lego became a household name and Mr Potato Head was invented in 1952. The skateboard was invented in 1958. Barbie dolls were invented in 1959 and Action Man went on sale in Britain in 1966. In the early 1970s space hoppers and clackers were among the favourite toys played with. At the end of the 20th century computer games became very popular.
In the 21st Century there are now thousands of kids toys available to buy and also many more to be invented...
We hope you'll find our kids toys guide of help & interest.
