I purchased this Life magazine, published December 9, 1940, because it had what I thought might be a dollhouse produced by Schoenhut to sell exclusively by FAO Schwarz, but found instead a whimsical article on what kids might be wanting from Santa in the days before the start of what would become known as World War II.
The Life magazine staff took their cameras to what they referred to as "the best place in the world to look at toys and try them out"....F.A.O. Schwarz store in New York City. Life did admit that "Schwarz's prices and products are primarily for the well-to-do....but still was any toy lover's idea of heaven."
First in the article were "dress-up" clothes for boys and girls....
a Red Cross nurse uniform, authentic tuxedo for boys,
and outfits for cowboys, Indians, policemen and aviators.
But like the kids of the 2020s, the kids of 1940 also wanted riding toys
Pick Building Kits were available, YES building with toothpicks!
A Ferris Wheel, 27,000 toothpicks, plus 5 models to choose from, or
a 7' high Eiffel Tower, 30,000 toothpicks, plus 9 different models to build.
For boys, things "to run":
A City Bus Terminal with 3 buses and a taxi cab, or a $50 scale train model.
A U-boat that goes under water, with fins that adjust for deep and shallow dives,
and a "gasoline station" with pumps and a lift for jacking up autos.
And for girls....things to dress:
A doll with tiny magnets in her hands so she can hold things.
The doll costs $5, but there are 28 gadgets you can buy that she can hold. Gotcha!
The mannequin dolls on the right were made for the older girl "who is beginning to get very fussy about her clothes." With jointed arms and legs, wigs and painted nails, "the little miss can try out her own ideas of how to dress."
These war items were supplied by British toy makers
for trade on both sides of the Atlantic:
Bristol Blenheim fighter-bomber with 10" wing spread,
and anti-aircraft gun with crew and range finder
Well equipped parachute troops, and a pilot who has bailed out successfully .
And on to the dollhouses!
The Southern Colonial mansion, furnished as below, cost $98,
"with lights that light....but no running water!"
I spy Strombecker furniture in the bath and children's room, some Lynnfield in the living room, a Lynnfield sink in the kitchen, and thanks to George Mundorf for identifying the kitchen chairs as Wisconsin Toy and the kitchen table as Strombecker. The dolls are Minikins, identified by this same picture in Marcie and Bob Tubbs publication Dollhouse and Miniature Dolls 1840-1990. Minikins, handmade by The Small World of Roxbury, Massachusetts in the late 30s to early 40s, were also sold at FAO Schwarz.
This Plantation Style Colonial No. 587, made by Rich Toys in 1940, bears a striking resemblance to the southern colonial dollhouse listed above. It is probable that Rich Toys produced the southern colonial house to be sold exclusively at FAO Schwarz. Over the years, collectors have discovered that several manufactures of dollhouses produced dollhouses to be sold exclusively at FAO Schwarz.
The picture of this dollhouse is the reason I purchased this 82 year old Life magazine. Schoenhut made several models of their dollhouses to be sold at FAO Schwarz toy store. The designs were similar to what they produced for sale under their brand name. The above house sold at FAO Schwarz shows a strong resemblance to my Schoenhut Beverly Hills below, produced between 1937-1939. The experts I consulted said yes, they believe Schoenhut produced this house to sell exclusively at FAO Schwarz....but most important, do you have this model to share with us?
And OH! the dollhouse furniture available!
I see a collection of Lynnfield and Tynietoy.
Troy, every item on this page of dollhouse furniture
sold for a total of $87 in 1940! Troy collects both.
Accessories were also available...
....mops, brooms, lamps, candelabrum, cuckoo clocks, cocktail sets, roast turkeys, poached eggs on toast, bowls of lilies....this assortment cost about $11.
The lamp in the middle of the page is a Dolly Dear product; check out Patty Cooper's book on Dolly Dear published in 2021.
Beautifully dressed costume dolls
are for grown-up girls and girls who never grow up...
For little girls who like to dress dolls,
Sonja Henie has 15 changes of costume.
Today's armies must be modern and mechanized:
"An elaborate battle, with an attacking force equipped with bombers,
heavy artillery, mechanized forces, pontoons, parachute troops.....
....has crossed a stream and fallen upon an entrenched enemy. This shows how toy's of 1940 could provide a useful home education in the military arts."
Of course, 82 years later, this doesn't hold as true.
Lastly, the Feed-me Bear....
Put food in mouth, it comes out of the zippered back.
Wonder how long before it had to go in the dumpster?
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