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Photograph by Paul Myers
These Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, once played with by Los Gatan Jean Nelson's daughters, are now part of a vintage toys exhibit at Forbes Mill.
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Old toys get new life at Forbes Mill
By Shari Kaplan
The newest exhibit at Forbes Mill Regional History Museum is child's play--literally!
Titled "Built to Last: Toys from the Past," the installation is an exploration of playthings of all shapes, sizes and materials from children of several generations in the past. Curated by the Los Gatos Museum Association's executive director Laura Bajuk, the exhibit opened in early December--just in time for a holiday tie-in--and runs through March 3.
While today's children are often transfixed with video games, violent toys, impossibly beautiful dolls and "virtual pets," there is still much to be said for the tried-and-true toys of the past, at least according to Los Gatan Jean Nelson, a mother of two and grandmother of three who lent a miniature rocking chair--her own as a child--and her daughters' old Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls to the museum.
"I think the [exhibit's] comparison with the toys available now is very interesting. So many of today's toys are junk, but we buy them because the kids see them advertised," says Nelson, who suggests parents temper their high-tech temptations with some "timeless toys" as well, such as jigsaw puzzles, marbles, dominoes, playing cards, and, of course, books.
There are plenty of timeless classics at Forbes Mill, thanks to the digging Bajuk did in the museum's collection, joined by many loans from Nelson and fellow Los Gatans (or people with local connections) Allen and Vonda Breed, Wayne Sorenson, Louise Collins, Cullen Hewitt, Knowlton and Bobbie Shore, Harold Patterson, Lila Kraai and the family of late Los Gatos historian George Bruntz.
Each section of the exhibit is titled by theme. "How Children Learn" includes an age-appropriate guide on which toys help children develop which skills and a small wooden desk and chairs on which children can actually play with toys of the past, including Lincoln Logs and a wooden Jacob's Ladder.
In "Jumping, Learning & Building," visitors can study the definition of "toy" and compare it with a variety of old items in or around the nearby display case, including a green-and-yellow John Deere child's tractor, jump rope, play workbench and wheelbarrow, animal pull-toys, wooden puzzles, Lincoln Logs, a well-loved stuffed elephant, roller skates with a key, a Roy Rogers Rodeo Ranch play set and several board games.
Elsewhere in the exhibit are many other displays, including toy soldiers, cowboys, Indians and military vehicles in "War Play" and a veritable traffic jam of vintage fire trucks in "Where's the Fire?" "Just Like Mommy," "Playing House," "Playing by the Rules," "The Tea Party" and "My Favorite Beatle" are among the displays in the exhibit that make visitors wish they could reach in and play with the toys. Of particular interest to doll aficionados is a colorful collection of international dolls of all sizes and mediums that once belonged to George Bruntz's family.
"Some toys change a lot over time, but some hardly change at all," says Los Gatan Louise Collins, a mother of two and grandmother of four who loaned the museum many playthings, including an iridescent Japanese lusterware tea set.
"There's a continuum of toys kids play with, from rocks to dolls to Nintendo. It's interesting to see what influenced children in different periods. More than anything else, toys should stimulate children's imagination. Play is essential," adds Collins, who chairs the History Committee, a subset of the Los Gatos Museum Association that assisted Bajuk in putting together the exhibit.
Forbes Mill Museum of Regional History is at 75 Church St. in Los Gatos. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free; a $1 donation is suggested. For more information, call 408.395.7375.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
