Looking back, I was privileged during my childhood to be afforded values destined to serve me well in the years to come. No, I did not possess every new toy to make it's way across the screen of our black & white television set during Saturday Morning children's shows. In fact, I do not recall even wanting the majority of those transient toys. But on occasion, I do recall wanting specific toys that piqued my early and continuing interest in cars and trucks.
Mom and dad grew up during the Great Depression. My sister and myself learned early on the value of a "dollar" along with the need for cleaning our plates at the dinner table. This being said, the value associated with "things of quality" took hold at an early age and have remained with me ever since.
As I write this, I am looking at the library wall in our home today. On prominent display are small metal carriages of an electric train my dad saved and preserved from his spartan childhood. I uncovered these "Dorfan" branded train cars in the attic of my parent's home some time after their passing. Dad had wrapped each of the cars in newspaper and ensured they were stored in their proper section of the divided cardboard container in which they were sold. Here they sit today, on display some 85 plus years after their date of manufacture.
In another part of our house sits an item from my own childhood presented to me on the Christmas following my 3rd birthday. A heavy duty Mack dump trucks built to 1:18 scale by the toy artisans of Smith Miller Toys, USA. It still rolls great and the hydraulic mechanism which activates the load bed works as good as the day it was new. Nearly 60 years in age, this toy was designed and constructed for the long haul.
Recently, I had need for wandering through one of the "big box" chain stores in search of a specific item for one of our grandchildren. To my chagrin, the lack of quality surrounding me in every aisle was depressing. Virtually everything I inspected was made in China and prospects were far greater for these items surviving in a landfill far longer than in the hands of a child.
"Built to last and stand the test of time." This is a phrase you will rarely see in the marketing of mass produced toys in our economy today. Parents and grandparents would be well served to abstain from conceding to a lack of quality when it comes to spending hard earned money on their offspring. There are American and European manufacturers of toys and games today who proudly meet the criteria required by the United States Consumer Product Safety Information Act. You can find these on line, but rarely in a "big box" retail outlet.
Mom and dad grew up during the Great Depression. My sister and myself learned early on the value of a "dollar" along with the need for cleaning our plates at the dinner table. This being said, the value associated with "things of quality" took hold at an early age and have remained with me ever since.
As I write this, I am looking at the library wall in our home today. On prominent display are small metal carriages of an electric train my dad saved and preserved from his spartan childhood. I uncovered these "Dorfan" branded train cars in the attic of my parent's home some time after their passing. Dad had wrapped each of the cars in newspaper and ensured they were stored in their proper section of the divided cardboard container in which they were sold. Here they sit today, on display some 85 plus years after their date of manufacture.
In another part of our house sits an item from my own childhood presented to me on the Christmas following my 3rd birthday. A heavy duty Mack dump trucks built to 1:18 scale by the toy artisans of Smith Miller Toys, USA. It still rolls great and the hydraulic mechanism which activates the load bed works as good as the day it was new. Nearly 60 years in age, this toy was designed and constructed for the long haul.
Recently, I had need for wandering through one of the "big box" chain stores in search of a specific item for one of our grandchildren. To my chagrin, the lack of quality surrounding me in every aisle was depressing. Virtually everything I inspected was made in China and prospects were far greater for these items surviving in a landfill far longer than in the hands of a child.
"Built to last and stand the test of time." This is a phrase you will rarely see in the marketing of mass produced toys in our economy today. Parents and grandparents would be well served to abstain from conceding to a lack of quality when it comes to spending hard earned money on their offspring. There are American and European manufacturers of toys and games today who proudly meet the criteria required by the United States Consumer Product Safety Information Act. You can find these on line, but rarely in a "big box" retail outlet.
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