The next, D-Day landing craft would be stuffed with American Colonials and GI’s, storming the beach defenses manned by Nazis and Knights! Favorite figures, whether lead or plastic would always be the last to fall or remain standing to triumph.ġ966 marked a turning point in the history of toy soldiers. One day, the Cowboys and Indians might attack a Moon base made of wooden blocks and oatmeal boxes which was defended by Robert E.
Their closets and shelves were filled with shoeboxes full of painted and unpainted plastic Civil War heroes, spacemen, Nazis, Cowboys, Indians and knights, plus the proudly collected (and-too-often dented) metal figures of exotic “Arabs of the Desert,” Foreign Legionnaires and Zouaves.
Marx playsets included movie tie-ins (Ben-Hur, The Alamo, The Untouchables, The Guns of Navarone and Tom Corbett Space Cadet, for example), historical themes (The Blue and the Gray, World War II Battleground and Knights and Vikings), and even obscure subjects like the circus, Arctic adventures and African tribal life.īecause lead and plastic soldiers were so widely available, many baby-boomers grew up collecting both.
Sold through retailers and widely distributed through the Sears catalog, these theme-based collections of unpainted plastic soldiers and accessories, sometime supplemented by tin lithographed buildings and vehicles, became a passion for many boys. Their success launched the introduction of painted plastic figures, which soon surpassed the competing lead models in sculpting and painting sophistication.ĭuring the post-WWII years, the U.S.-based Marx Toy Company and its rivals produced inexpensive boxed toy soldier playsets. Readily available by the mid-50s, unpainted plastic toy soldiers were omnipresent in the toy boxes of children around the world. While interest in lead figures continued unabated, children now had the option of building collections of inexpensive unpainted plastic. Wells can be seen in old photographs, playing with little armies of Britains toy soldiers on their rugs and lawns.įor the first half of the twentieth century, the only soldiers available were made of lead or a sawdust and glue mixture called "composition." But after WWII, some manufacturers looked to plastic as a cheaper and more child-friendly medium. Such noted collectors as Winston Churchill and H.G. About 2 ¼ inches tall (still the industry standard), these “little men”, depicted armies of England, America, France, Germany and their opponents. These finally began to catch on with children. Then, just before the turn of the 20 th century the English firm, William Britains, introduced a less-expensive line of hollow cast leads. Nevertheless, other makers, such as the German firm, Heyde, followed, so that by the end of the 19 th century the market was established for the well-to do. Made in relatively small quantities by the Parisian firm of Mignot, little lead figures, about 2 inches tall and, painted in colorful uniforms, were charming but expensive, so they failed to find a wide market. First made from wood, stone, clay and metal for the nobility and the rich, it wasn’t until the end of the 18th century that toy figures – or military miniatures – were first mass-produced. Toy soldiers have been collected since the time of the Pharaohs. Whether the affection is for plastic, metal or resin toy soldiers, the passion for these ‘little men’ is the same. Just the words ‘toy soldiers’ can bring a smile to the face of those with a love of history and joy of play.