Toy Soldiers
by Chris Giles
Military miniatures have been both a toy and collectible for many years. They were first widely available in the late 19th century. This is when European manufacturers started making military miniatures that were affordable to a wider group of kids. This led to increasing popularity of the soldier figurines. In the late 19th century, manufacturers started making commercial toy soldiers using a new method of production called hollowcasting. These hollow soldiers cost less to make, making them cost less to produce.
Hollow soldiers were just one type of toy soldier. Flat toy soldiers were another popular type of figurine. As their name suggests, they were flat. Other toy soldiers looked like the hollow toy soldiers but were solid and filled with metal. Plastic toy soldiers came later. These could be cheap playthings for kids or detailed and painted collectibles. Some toy soldiers were even made from a sawdust and glue mixture called composition.
After WWII, plastic toy soldiers were common toys. By the 1950's, plastic army men and painted plastic toy soldiers were a popular plaything. Many children during this time grew up collecting both plastic and metal toy soldiers.
In the 1960s, new safety laws in countries around the world affected much of the toy industry. These laws heavily impacted the toy soldier market. One toy safety law banned lead in consumer products. Lead was the main ingredient in many metal toy soldiers at the time. Toy soldier producers had to change their product offering, focus on new products, or come up with creative ways to make their products safer.
Toy soldiers were not always collected by adults. Collecting toy soldiers became a trend starting in the 60's. This is when safety laws banned lead toy soldiers. As those soldiers were taken off the market, people started collecting the discontinued military miniatures. Since the beginning of the collecting trend, the practice has grown. People collect both old, discontinued toy soldiers as well as modern toy soldiers made specifically to be collected.
Why to people collect? Some people collect for display, some for playing war games or making dioramas, and for some toy soldiers are a nostalgic toy that connects them with their past childhood toys or with important family members. Some have an interest in a particular type of soldier. Some have an interest in military objects. Collectors may enjoy their soldiers by strategizing and building their armies in "mock" battles. Whatever their reason for collecting, it is a financial investment
There was a decrease in toy soldier demand in the late 1960's. As a response, toy soldier companies started making new metal toy soldiers. These new military miniatures were more popular with adults than the children that earlier toy soldiers had been manufactured for. The toy soldier market at this point was improving.
There was a time that toy soldiers were scarce. Plastic and metal toy soldiers were most often found only in specialty stores, antique stores or flea markets. The introduction and growing popularity of the internet have revolutionized toy soldier buying and selling. The internet fueled the rise of toy soldier collection. People can now connect, search, and shop toy soldiers from anywhere in the world!
Learn more about <a href="http://www.toymakerofwilliamsburg.com/blog">The Toy Soldiers</a> history and why the <a href="http://www.toymakerofwilliamsburg.com/blog/category/toy-soldiers-2/">Small Soldier Toy</a> became popular.
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New Unique Article!
Title: Toy Soldiers
Author: Chris Giles
Email: lrscot88@yahoo.com
Keywords: toy soldier,toy soldiers,toy soliders,lead soldiers,small soldier toy,collectibles,collecting,hobbies
Word Count: 530
Category: Hobbies
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