Cotton Toys

1950’s large original vintage babar soft elephant 1950’s large original vintage babar soft elephant. Babar the Elephant is an elephant character who first appeared in 1931 in the French children’s book Histoire de Babar by Jean de Brunhoff...

A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's leader. A...

A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's leader. A...

A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's leader. A...

A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's leader. A...

A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's leader. A...

Rare Collection of early 20th century Chinese shadow puppet theatre We are proud to offer a wonderful collection of 22 early 20th century Chinese hand-...

Handmade in Rajasthan, India, colorful fabric camel toy. Vintage small camel stuffed cotton embroidered and decorated with small mirrors, great collector piece. Anglo Raj, small stuffed camel wearing the ceremonial folk attire made from embroidered Indian textile. Collectible ceremonial camel toy, great Rajasthani Folk Art, circa 1950s. Collector toy...

Handmade in Rajasthan, India, colorful fabric camel toy. Vintage small camel stuffed cotton embroidered and decorated with small mirrors, great collector piece. Anglo Raj, small stuf...

Rare Schoenhut Humpty Dumpty Circus Collection We are proud to offer a wonderful collection of early 20th Century Schoenhut German Humpty Dumpty toy collection, handmade from various materials. This collection includes 2 clowns, a ring master, 2 ladders, 6 stools, 2 chairs, a horse, a donkey and a poodle. It’s rare to find such a vast collection in close to untouched condition. Size in inches: Figures: H 9” x W 4” x D 2”, horses: H 9” x W 2.5” x D 2.5”, poodle: H 5” x W 7” x D 2.5” Ladders H 12” x W 2” x D 0.3”, chairs: H 5” x W 3” x D 3”, stools: H 2.5” x W 2.5” x D 2.5” Origin: German Period: 1910-1920 Material: Wood, cotton and fur Condition: These items are completely solid in structure and form if not a bit worn due to its age and natural use. For the age of these items these examples are in close to unused condition and have obviously been very well taken care of. The horses necks are loose in stability but firmly in place. Wear around the stools is also present. With light fading and chips across all the items as you would expect from toys that are over 100 years old. Close up photos have been supplied to illustrate these points so please observe carefully and propose questions to us if needed. History: Albert Schoenhut, a German immigrant, began producing piano toys in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1872. Thereafter, Schoenhut's toy production expanded to include dolls, dollhouses, blocks, and other wooden toys. In 1903, the firm applied for a patent for a clown toy that would become one of the most popular American toys of all time. By 1904, the company was producing the Humpty Dumpty Circus in great numbers. The circus, at that time, included the clown, elephant, white horse, poodle, and hobo. Humpty Dumpty success The Humpty Dumpty Circus was a great hit. The circus personal grew over the years to include a Lady Circus Rider, Lady Acrobat, Ringmaster, Gent Acrobat, Negro Dude (a minstrel), Chinese Acrobat, and a Lion Tamer. Animals included an Alligator, Brown Bear, Polar Bear, Buffalo, Bulldog, Burro, Arabian Camel, Bactrian Camel, Cat, Cow, Deer, Donkey, Elephant, Giraffe, Gazelle, Goat, Goose, Gorilla, Hippopotamus, Brown Horse, White horse, hyena, Kangaroo, Leopard, Lion, Monkey, Ostrich, Pig, Poodle, Rabbit, Rhinoceros, Sea Lion, Sheep, Tiger, Wolf, Zebra, and a Zebu. The 1906 "Everybody's Magazine" ad shown above illustrates some of the performers available at that time. Most early animals had glass eyes which were all changed to a hand painted eye by the 1920s. Even the painted eyes were changed to a decaled eye in many animals as another cost savings measure. Over the years, the Schoenhut company made many other wooden toys including wooden doll houses...

Handmade in Rajasthan, India, stuffed 8" cloth sitting snake charmer doll toy. Vintage Middle Eastern Indian sitting snake charmer doll stuffed cotton. Great collector souvenir piece found en route to India back in the 1940s by a world traveling doll collector. He is wearing a traditional costume and a red turban...

Handmade in Rajasthan, India, colorful fabric elephant toy. Vintage small elephant stuffed cotton embroidered and decorated with small mirrors, great c...