The magic of old toys

Children posing with the Three Wise Men in the late sixties. Courtesy Jorge Rocafort.

Text: Ruth Gómez and Carlos Villasana

In recent years a phenomenon has developed that concerns young and old: collecting toys. Although the vast majority of boys and girls do not think twice before opening a box that contains a toy, there are those who, out of their own interests or to replicate what their father or mother does, begin to keep them as if they were a treasure.

Compare the before and after of the magic of the toys by sliding the center bar (click here to see larger).

A boy posing with his classic car at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, it is still common to see boys and girls driving or playing with toy cars in various streets of the capital. Carlos Villasana Collection. Decades later, fashion and toy design evolve into robots or bikes sized right for little ones, but the way kids hold their toys under their arms remains the same through the ages. Courtesy.

This boom is a fact throughout the world and in the country's capital, there are more and more spaces where toy fans come to buy, exchange or sell pieces of dolls with which they could have an emotional bond, simply the pleasure or a hope that, in the future, it will become an investment that could bring you money.

Mochilazo in time spoke with two collectors to explain to us the reason for this charm. For Laura Cruz Serrano, from the Mercy Toys House Museum, toys are objects that allow "traveling to other fantasy worlds, to stages of dreams and pure imagination."

In the Mercy Toys House Museum it is possible to find many worlds of fantasy and fiction popular with the public. An example are these figures inspired by the Batman television series, broadcast in the 1960s. Courtesy Laura Cruz Serrano.

He comments that the dolls allow us to have back certain sensations from when we were a boy or a girl, such as the arrival of the Three Wise Men. That day he was guaranteed that some wishes would come true, since if the children behaved well, they would have them in their hands in the form of a toy.

"Behave yourself, because if you don't, the Kings won't bring you their gifts", is a phrase that girls and boys from all over Mexico have heard in their childhood. The opportunity to have a new companion for games and adventures and the innocence of the youngest show off on dates like Three Kings Day. Carlos Villasana Collection.

That mixture of satisfaction and joy would transform into nostalgia over the years; one of the reasons Laura attributes the growth of toy collecting:

“The nostalgia for the past, the memory of our childhood, being able to be surprised to see that toy that we thought had disappeared, and suddenly you see it again and hold it in your hands, it is a true flashback, and a whirlwind of sensations” .

Part of the magic of toys is the opportunity to appropriate the most amazing experiences in human history. At the time of the space race, themed toys, such as astronauts and rockets, were a hit. This is how it can be seen in this ad by Ledy in EL UNIVERSAL, in which the store promised a “Rosca de Reyes” on purchases over $50 at that time. EL UNIVERSAL newspaper library.

On the other hand, there are those collectors who in their childhood did not have the opportunity to have the toys they wanted and now, in more adult ages, can buy them and experience the joy they did not experience when they were little.

In its digital space on Instagram, Mercy Toys presents toys full of nostalgia, like this set in which "Little Lulu" enjoys a meal with her friends Tobi, Periquita and Tino. Courtesy Laura Cruz Serrano.

According to Laura, some of the toys that were preferred by boys and girls in the seventies were:

“The toys of the extinct Mexican company Lilí Ledy, I remember the walking doll, which walked when we took it by the hand; the Titti doll that lulled her baby to sleep; the battery doll that sang with a record on her back the bossa nova song A duck, I had that one… the magic oven; I grew up with 3 brothers and definitely Hot Wheels cars; the ''vagabond'' bicycles; the highly requested ‘’Avalanche’’. Battery-powered toys were Japanese, like the train with sounds, patrol cars with sirens and loudspeakers, the first robots with flashing lights and voices, and the G.I. Joe, the men of action."

As today, fifty years ago, the characteristics of a toy defined its commercial success. In the image you can see the famous walking doll, which walked hand in hand. Other details that increased its value were the nylon hair in different hairstyles, the multiple "dresses" and its moving eyes. EL UNIVERSAL newspaper library.

One of the most popular toys in Mexico could be the vehicle called “avalancha”, in which it was possible to dream of the experience of driving a racing car. This 1970 ad promoted two models, one standard and one “de luxe” that included whitewall, vinyl and rubber trim wheels and a spare tire. EL UNIVERSAL newspaper library.

On a personal note, he remembers that when he found a portable AM ​​radio with the face of the clown Bozo in the toy bazaar in Balderas and Parque Tolsá, tears almost came to his eyes as he remembered listening to it on his way to the secondary. She started her toy collection 20 years ago for the pleasure of having the toys he once had again, although it also includes other types of objects that he likes.

The collector Laura Cruz and some of the toys that make up her collection. In addition to toys, it is possible to see items such as mugs, posters and alarm clocks. Courtesy Laura Cruz Serrano.

His “ritual” when buying a new toy consists of checking it in detail, with time and care, so he uses a face mask, gloves, and an exacto to open the boxes: “I clean it with chlorine wipes, and while I do it I tell him: “Welcome to your new home, here you will find new friends”. Outside, Laura imagines how many people that same toy has brought joy to.

He comments that among the places where both collectors and people looking for specific toys could go are fairs, tianguis or toy bazaars, such as the one on Avenida Cuauhtémoc -a few steps from the Roma neighborhood-; although there are also sellers who specialized in a single character or a toy model, which they track throughout the country.

Dolls, trikes, popcorn machines, strollers, go-karts, roller skates or airplanes. The variety in the toy market reaffirmed its offer at the end of the year. Some stores prided themselves on selling “until they die” the night before Three Kings Day. EL UNIVERSAL newspaper library.

Laura explains to El Universal that there is no official price tabulator or catalog to define the monetary value of an antique or collectible toy; however, like any other good, it is influenced by supply and demand. Many times, a bargaining process can be entered into between buyer and seller in order to define a fair price with which both parties agree.

The only thing he recommends for those who are looking for a specific toy is to have all the information possible and be with "'the antennas and the well-calibrated radar'' since, according to his experience, the toys appear when you least expect it.

One of the distinctive sets of the Laura Cruz collection is that of Betty Boop cloth dolls, of which it is possible to count at least 25 different size and clothing specimens. Courtesy Laura Cruz Serrano.

Toys: imagination, memories and a search mission

For Antonio Lara, the second toy collector interviewed by El Gran Diario de México, toys could be equated to a key that opens not only creativity, but also the ability to imagine in children and adults, while causing smiles and triggering memories of moments when they left happy.

“After childhood many of us, those of us who call ourselves “collectors” propose to remember again and renew that magical passion with the same force as in our childhood, but now with different capacities that allow us to take it to a new dimension our ability to treasure those and many more dreams, and everything that made us unique as children.”

What for the "Wise Men" was giving away a toy car, perhaps for a child it was the opportunity to dream of the famous "super strength" of characters like Popeye the Sailor, and therefore the door to a creative adventure. Courtesy Antonio Lara.

Like Laura, she comments that to buy a specific toy requires information and being alert. In her case, the groups that are usually created on social networks have led her to find toys in splendid conditions, although with their "little details", since decades have passed since they were made.

Some toys immediately stand out from the rest. In Toño Lara's collection there are vintage cars with a period theme to cheerful and picturesque cars with iconic characters. Courtesy Antonio Lara.

This emotion is mixed with the story of the person who is selling the toy: “the day comes and it turns out that it is a person our same age, he tells us a little about his story, about how his grandmother -who bought him that toy, now transformed into a treasure - allowed him to play with it alone for hours and then return it to the box and thus help preserve it to this day in almost original conditions.

His passion for collecting has led him to create “Historias de motores”, a YouTube channel about collecting toy and scale cars, motorcycles and trucks, in which many other fans of the subject participate. Among the brands of these toys are Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Plastimarx, Ledy, Jugarama, Trujillo, Portillo and Lodela, among others.

In his channel "Historias de motores", Toño Lara spreads the history and living image of toys that he himself calls authentic treasures, such as these cars made in Mexico, ranging from trucks to a metal tram.Click here to go to the Historias de Motores video about "6 Mexican treasures".

It narrates that collecting leads to the birth of a community among people who share love and interest in certain objects, in this case toys, and that despite the years passing, toys, whatever they are, always They will have people who remember them with great affection and that is where the new generations of collectors will be born.

For him, an important part of the people who collect vintage toys, in addition to nostalgia, have a desire to learn, either about the history that led to the creation of the toy or about the brands themselves, such as toy brands Mexicans who were disappearing through the years.

Unlike real cars, toy cars have the advantage of having the freedom to incorporate designs that would defy reality, just as the cartoons and movies that inspire some of their designs do. Courtesy Antonio Lara.

He says that all collectors are marked by the years in which they were infants, giving the example of the generation of the nineties or two thousand, who could be collecting cars made by Disney or the franchise "Fast and Furious”, rather than what some collectors his age are looking for.

His passion for cars was born when he was very young and 46 years ago he became a collector and according to his experience, the current passion for buying and collecting toys is due to the fact that there is “a super abundance of toys compared to other countries, that makes it easier to start collecting.”

With ads like this, brands like Plastimarx and Jugarama invited to buy highways “with ropes”, remote-controlled Jaguar cars, locomotives and tea sets, in the pages of El Gran Diario de México, in the year 1970. The contrast in the evolution of advertising can be appreciated between that time when a drawing gave free rein to the illusion in childhood and today, when commercials on television and the Internet take full advantage of technology. EL UNIVERSAL newspaper library.

Regarding prices, he always recommends reviewing store catalogs -if they exist-, books or an editorial archive to look for that information. The catalogs of auctions he has attended have been useful to him since they prices are usually fixed and are less speculative than those that are then randomly set by sellers.

To those interested in getting started in the world of collecting vintage toys, Toño advises that: “…everything can be achieved with patience, do not buy broken or damaged pieces, buy only pieces in the best conditions, in their original boxes. possible. Define a budget and participate in this beautiful hobby involving your family as much as possible, since toys are containers of stories”.

Toy cars that make up the Toño Lara collection; A tram stands out indicating that it is on its way to Xochimilco. Courtesy Antonio Lara.