Tinker Toys

by Ralph Roggenbuck

One of the toys that I enjoyed when I was small is still around. It is “Tinker –Toys”.
It is still available. These wonderful toys were invented in 1914.

The inventors were Charles Pajeau and Robert Petit had watched children playing with spools, sticks, and pencils. They added more holes and more different lengths of uniform sticks. The entire set was made of wood at that time except the tube the set came in.

The original package was a mailing tube; including a place to be addressed and a spot for the postage. The original selling price had been $.60 which in 1914 was relatively expensive. The traditional packing was; and present packing is a round tube. The toy set was made mostly unchanged until 1932.

Some spools were made in a red color at that time. Again the product that was selling 2 million plus sets a year stayed away from changes; with a valid reason!

In 1953 another change was made they added some red sticks into the mix. By 1955 they added more colors, blue, yellow and green joined the mix. The set I had played with as a kid had some red sticks and some that were left wooden colored; all of the spools were natural wood color. So it may have been a mixed set.

We had learned the hard way that adding to it had to be done carefully. The spools that you added better have all of the thread off from them. The punishments were always swift and seemed a mite harsh for the crime! Usually something to do with hairbrushes losing handles.

Hopefully these great toys continue far into the distant future. I think everyone has played with them growing up. They most likely were the initial design format for many of our modern wonders.

The two word description that fits these wonders is: “Unleashed Imagination!”

I checked the internet looking for a modern version. I found it at www.amazon.com at $29.99 for the “Classic Jumbo Set.”

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