The difference between 19th century toys and 20th century toys basically comes down to one factor: spectacle.
Notions of the spectacular are hard to define but easy to recognize. Any toy or game that involves the slightest bit of bedazzlement––from Simon to Super Nintendo––is a 20th century toy. Flashing lights? Neon? Modulated noises? Artificial sounds in general? These are all 20th century toy innovations for 20th century kids.
Our 19th century predecessors relied on simpler (but not necessarily less interesting) appliances for their recreation. Balls, sticks, hoops, buckets, and endless combinations thereof formed the majority of playtime diversions.
To compare the two, we selected prime examples from each category. At left: a carefully-crafted Landscape Stamp Set consisting of five natural rubber and wood stamps that can be used to create images of a classic wooded hillside. Simple as can be. You can’t get more 19th century than a stamp set.
And, at right: a high-fidelity Sound Machine boasting 16 amplified noise effects for use on demand. Sounds include a rocket, a fart, a boing, a whistle, a drumroll and a burp, among others. Everything about this little red appliance, from the matte plastic veneer and sans-serif typeface to the “cash register” sound effect, dates it firmly in the 20th century. Maybe even the 21st.
So who wins? As far as aesthetics, it’s a tough call. Both toys have a distinctive, refined appeal. And you can’t really call a winner where creativity is concerned either, since both toys demand a certain imaginative vigor for true enjoyment. While the Sound Machine is arguably more spectacular, the Landscape Set has a perennial appeal that may surpass its own novelty.
The jury is still out.
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it’s interesting that both toys share something else as well. they cannot function by themselves. you need ink or batteries to make them work. it think the stamp set is infinitely more fun, even without the ink! but the sound machine has a place in my heart. it brings back some of my own childhood’s atmosphere.