Did Ya Know?

 Who invented toy soldiers?

Just the words ‘toy soldiers’ can bring a smile to the face of those with a love of history and joy of play.

Toy soldiers have been collected since the time of the Pharaohs. 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 soldiers (or military miniatures) were first mass-produced.

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. 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.
Then, just before the turn of the 20^th century the English firm, William Britains, introduced a less-expensive line of hollow cast leads. These finally began to catch on with children. About 2 ¼ inches tall (still the industry standard), these “little men”,  depicted armies of England, America, France, Germany and their opponents. Such noted collectors as Winston Churchill and H.G. Wells can be seen in old photographs, playing with little armies of Britains toy soldiers on their rugs and lawns.

 What about tutus?

Connoisseurs of ballet, the Russians wanted to see the new technical feats and fancy footwork of their ballerinas. The new long, floppy, 16 layer tutus reached to the knee and allowed the female dancers much greater mobility in such technically demanding ballets as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Paquita. The late George Balanchine's athletic choreography later led to the creation of the shorter "powder-puff" tutu that is worn in Symphony in C. These tutus allow the entire leg to be seen.