Toys have been an integral part of childhood for centuries. From dolls and toy soldiers to spinning tops and teddy bears, toys have entertained and educated children throughout history. But what was the very first toy to be enjoyed by children in America? pinpointing the first toy in America is difficult, as Native American children had their own toys and games long before European colonization. However, looking at the history of commercial toy manufacturing and imports provides insight into early American toy culture.
Native American Toys and Games
Before European colonization, Native American children played with toys and participated in games specific to their individual tribes and cultures. Basic dolls made of natural materials like cornhusks, bones, or wood were common. Miniature bows, spears, and other tools allowed children to imitate adult tasks. Sticks, bones, stones, shells, and clay or wooden balls were used for a variety of games. Hoop rolling and pole throwing competitions developed physical skill. While early Native American toys were simple, they provided essential opportunities for learning, recreation, and passing cultural values between generations.
1600s: Immigration and Wooden Playthings
As European colonists began arriving in America in the early 1600s, they brought old-world toys and games with them. Simple wood carvings like cups, swords, guns, spinning tops, Jacob’s ladders, and whistles were early favorites. Wood was plentiful in the New World, and skilled carpenters turned out these wooden playthings. Lead soldiers, stilts, and kites also migrated from Europe. Wealthy children had dolls with elaborate hand-sewn wardrobes. Paper dolls and paperfolding activities like origami became popular pastimes.
1700s: Handmade Dolls, Wax, and the A-B-C
In the 1700s, toy culture expanded along with the colonies. Girls treasured porcelain dolls and dollhouses imported from Europe. Boys practiced military drills with tin soldiers from England. Handcrafted rag dolls emerged as an early American folk art. Wax was plentiful in the colonies, lending itself to modeling and molding toys. Noah’s arks filled with hand-carved animals were a common biblical toy. The New England Primer, published in 1690, used the alphabet to instruct children in Christian principles. Hornbooks also used the alphabet for basic literacy education.
1800s: Industrialization and Mass Production
The 19th century saw massive shifts in toy manufacturing and availability. The industrial revolution enabled factories to mass produce affordable toys for a growing consumer market. Trains, banks, sewing machines, and tea sets imitated the latest technology. Paper dolls, parlor games, and board games like checkers and dominoes provided entertainment before electricity. German immigrant toymakers dominated the industry, importing European dollmaking methods. New rubber vulcanization led to rubber balls and balloons. By the 1870s, tinplate toys like horse-drawn carriages, boats, trains, and push carts with lithographed designs were popular.
Key Toy Innovations of the 1800s
- 1830s – Jigsaw puzzles invented by mapmakers
- 1840s – Teddy bears named after Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
- 1850s – Toy balloons possible with rubber vulcanization
- 1859 – Game of checkers is first mass-produced
- 1870s – Tinplate toys gain popularity due to lithography
- 1880s – Crayons developed by Binney & Smith
- 1887 – Dolls with realistic bisque heads emerge
Early 20th Century: New Materials and Technologies
As electricity spread across America in the early 1900s, toy makers capitalized on new tech like electric train sets. Wind-up toys with clockwork motors became animated. Model kits allowed construction of planes, boats, and cars. The surging chemical industry drove new plastics like celluloid for dolls and toy soldiers. Fabrication advancements led to inexpensive stamped steel toys like toy guns, cars, trucks, and playsets imitating the modern world. Kawada’s 1914 patent for molding chalk into sticks revolutionized arts and crafts.
Major 20th Century Toy Innovations
- 1902 – Teddy bears mass-produced by Steiff
- 1903 – Crayola crayons released with appealing gold and green box
- 1913 – Lincoln Logs invented to encourage spatial skills
- 1916 – Scale model trains made possible by new electric motors
- 1920s – Plastic transforms doll, toy soldier, and model kit realism
- 1920s – Molding advances allow stamped steel toy vehicles and playsets
- Late 1920s – Silly Putty’s bouncy, stretchable formula discovered accidentally
Mid-20th Century: Television’s Growing Influence
As radios and televisions became ubiquitous fixtures of American homes in the 1930s and ’40s, savvy toy makers used tie-ins with popular shows to drive sales. Comic book, TV, and movie characters were favorite themes. Post-war prosperity enabled the toy industry’s golden age of the 1950s and ’60s. Major developments included:
- Model kits for planes, ships, and cars surged in popularity
- Science-related toys nurtured the Space Age era
- Barbie launched in 1959 and drove doll innovation
- NERF balls introduced as safe indoor play for kids
- GI Joe brought adventure and military themes into boy’s play
- Troll dolls, Etch A Sketch, Frisbee, and Hula Hoop emerged as iconic toys
Mr. Potato Head, PEZ candy, and Slinky also rose to toy fame during this prosperous era.
Late 1900s: Electronic and High-Tech Toys
Space-age plastics and electronics transformed late 20th century toy landscape. Affordable color televisions enabled TV cartoon tie-ins. Battery-powered computerized robots, vehicles, and action figures took off. The digital revolution added video games, gaming consoles, and eventually led to virtual, online play. Other key modern toy developments include:
- 1960 – Easy-Bake Oven teaches cooking with incandescent lightbulb heat
- 1965 – Slot car racing soars in popularity
- 1983 – Cabbage Patch Kids adoption dolls become a phenomenon
- 1984 – Transformers robots change between vehicle and robot
- 1996 – Tickle Me Elmo talking plush is a holiday sensation
- 1990s/2000s – Interactive digital-electronic pets like Tamagotchi
As the 20th century closed, technology allowed toys to offer more excitement, interactivity, and lifelike realism than ever before imagined.
21st Century: STEM, Customization, and High-Tech Play
While classic toys like Lego bricks endure, the digital revolution has transformed 21st century play. Simple manufactured toys have given way to complex interactive experiences, customizable products, and downloading of 3D models for home printing on affordable consumer 3D printers. Apps allow robots and drones to be controlled via smartphone. Other modern tech trends include:
- Building sets and toys focused on STEM education
- Toys integrating artificial intelligence, VR, and augmented reality
- Collectible toys linked to digital worlds and characters
- YouTube videos spur demand for certain toys
- Environmentally sustainable materials and production methods
As technology evolves, toys will continue leveraging emerging capabilities to enhance interactivity and engage children’s creativity.
Earliest Confirmed American Toys
While Native Americans had their own toys, the earliest confirmed American toys trace to the colonial era. Simple handmade cloth and cornhusk dolls, wooden animals, bows, building blocks, slate boards, paper toys, and Chess were among the first playthings enjoyed by early American children.
Key First American Toys and Playthings
| Toy | Earliest Date |
|---|---|
| Hand carved wood toys | 1600s |
| Wax models | 1600s |
| Spinning tops | 1600s |
| Jacob’s ladders | 1600s |
| Cups and balls | 1600s |
| Dolls | 1600s |
| building blocks | 1600s |
| Noah’s arks | 1700s |
| Paper dolls | 1700s |
| Horse and riders | 1700s |
| Arks with carved animals | 1700s |
| Slate boards | 1700s |
| Chess and checkers | 1700s |
| Rag dolls | 1700s |
As America headed into the industrial revolution of the 1800s, toy manufacturing grew into a thriving commercial business. Mass production enabled the first true American “toy crazes” driven by marketing and excitement over new materials like rubber, tin, and celluloid. While early American children certainly had beloved playthings, no definitive proof identifies the very first toy enjoyed on this continent. The deep history of Native American toys and games predates written records. But looking at the first commercial American toy companies provides insight into early toy trends.
Earliest American Toy Companies
| Company | Year Founded | Location | First Toys |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Lowell & Co. | 1816 | Boston, MA | Wooden toys, blocks, carved figures |
| F. Porter Blanchard Co. | 1821 | Boston, MA | Paper dolls, paper toys |
| J.L. Hammatt Co. | 1852 | Boston, MA | Tin toys, iron toys, musical toys |
| George C. Whitney Co. | 1858 | Worcester, MA | Wooden alphabet blocks |
| McLoughlin Brothers | 1857 | New York, NY | Paper dolls, board games |
| Milton Bradley Co. | 1860 | Springfield, MA | Board games |
| Parker Brothers | 1883 | Salem, MA | Board games |
Massachusetts emerged as an early hub of American toy innovation and manufacturing. New England’s wood resources enabled woodcrafters to produce carved toys, blocks, and figures. Paper mills produced paper for paper dolls and lithographed toy imagery. Tinsmithing led to stamped tin toys. And New England inventors drove new board games and puzzles.
Germany and Britain remained the main sources of doll and toy imports through the 1800s. But the American companies listed above produced early examples of cherished American toys still enjoyed by children today.
Conclusion
Pinpointing the very first toy enjoyed by a child in America may be impossible. But the long history of toys on this continent reflects children’s timeless need for stimulation, recreation, and imitation of their elders. While materials and technology have evolved, this innate impulse to play endures. And “made in America” toys have delighted children for over two centuries, helping nascent generations explore, learn, create, compete, and build skills through the evergreen magic of play.