Historic Treasure Article - October 17, 1982
by Dorothy W. Jerse
Curator, Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure Article - October 17, 1982
by Dorothy W. Jerse
Curator, Vigo County Historical Society
A popular toy in the Vigo County Historical Society collection is this Humpty Dumpty Circus. It was manufactured by the famous A. Schoenhut Company of Philadelphia.
Albert Schoenhut, a German immigrant, founded the company in 1872. He was ahead of his time in the production of educational, durable, and realistic toys, the most well-known of which are his all-wood dolls and circus sets.
In days past when there was less choice of entertainment for adults and youngsters, the arrival of the circus in town was eagerly awaited. Schoenhut transferred some of this circus magic into his sets of clowns and animals produced from 1903 into the 1920s.
The first sets included 20 figures and animals made with joints so that they could be made to stand, kneel or sit. These wooden toys were painted with true life colors and were made more realistic with their real hair for tails and manes. The sets were enlarged in 1913 to include 33 animals and figures as well as circus accessories. Each boxed set came with a circular of circus illustrations and rhymes and instructions for making the figures perform tricks.
For years the German toy manufactures monopolized the market, but the Schoenhut Humpty Dumpty Circus was one of the few American toy products to be exported in significant numbers.
The figures of the Humpty Dumpty Circus pictured here were the gift of Mrs. J. P. McKibben. They are on display in the Lioness Toy Shop on the second floor of the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 South Sixth Street. Open hours are 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday through Friday. The museum is closed Saturdays and holidays.