Trolls are making a comeback! Toys, in some form or another, have always been a collectible, not because they were fine art or even rare when they were made. They become collectible and valuable because they were loveable. Loveable toys get loved, hard! Well-loved toys rarely survive beyond one or two childhoods, so pristine toys are rare. Collectors crave unused toys still in their original box. I find that sad. A toy that never got a chance to be loved. I think of the Island of Misfit Toys in the Rudolph cartoon movie. Sad or not, certain toys have become icons of their respective generations. Collecting those toys reminds of us our own childhood and older ones tell us about our great-grandparent’s childhood.I found an article entitled, “You Know You Grew Up in Eighties IF…” It included a list of toys that my children grew up with: Lil Strawberry Shortcake Pals, Trolls, Smurfs, Barbie and Ken, and Cabbage Patch Dolls. Toys of my generation were Roy Rogers cap pistols, Red Ryder BB guns, Rock-em-sock-em boxing toys, and plastic cars that exploded when you rolled them into a wall. Come to think of it, all my toys were violent. Was I a socially dangerous child destined to blow something up?
I wore out
all my toys except one, my genuine Lionel Steam Train, which ran on three tracks and whistled. Electric toy trains are one of the few toys that have enjoyed success in each of the last five generations. They have been around since 1900, but became extremely popular world-wide just after World War II. Lionel is company known for creating a durable toy that lasted beyond one generation. Working toys were passed on to one’s children. The motors and technology used were simple and repairable.
There are several companies still making the “O” gauge including Lionel, and many more making the smaller “half O gauge” known to children as “HO” trains. When I say children, I am talking about enthusiasts from 5 to 99 years young. “HO” has overtaken the older “O” gauge and become a multimillion-dollar hobby in America, Japan, Germany and beyond. Adults spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars building track, landscapes, cities and bridges. All this to run a toy around a track. There is even niche market for people to take unfinished locomotives and recreate an historically accurate model. They are made of brass, hand-painted, numbered, decal-ed, lighted, equipped with working smoke and detailed right down to the tiny steps, rails and simulated rivets. That is a long way from the original model toy train set sold in the 1950s. I think I will just stick with my Lionel train and let my granddaughter set it up this week. If you have a passion for model trains, send Ed a note at [email protected]
By ED PECK – Special to the Herald Times
