http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/ They Gather No Moss

(They Just Keep Rollin' Along) Game master, Miles Standish, gazed pensively into the camera, and then into the expectant faces of his audience. Addressing the game finalist, James Crawford, a kindly, bespectacled, diminutive septuagenarian with an expensive smile, Miles announced, "James, for $64,000, what do turtles, pearls, onionskins, bumblebees, sulphides and chinas have in common?" James, initially seemed puzzled, but then, broke into the glowing grin his many fans had grown to admire. "Those are all types of children's marbles," he said. On that day, James Crawford took home the $64,000 grand prize. Indeed, all the items in the question are kinds of marbles, the technical names of which are used accurately only by a knowledgeable few, but the items themselves recognized worldwide. Over 500 million people around the world collect marbles, although official estimates come in at around 400 million. (We are adding another 100 million, because it is widely understood that many individuals, including successful business executives, maintain secret stashes of their most faithful shooters in their desks.) In this article and the next, we are going to discuss various aspects of marbles, their history, types, manufacture, artistry, and value. We invite you to come along for a journey into a world that just keeps rollin' along. ...Read the rest of the article at Ask Toy Tech... ]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:01:29 +0000 http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/collectibles/toy-marbles-history-and-varieties/ http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/collectibles/toy-marbles-history-and-varieties/

Origami Unfolded

On a rainy Friday afternoon in 1952, our teacher presented us each with a shiny piece of thin, blue paper. We liked the looks of it, especially on a Friday afternoon. The purpose of Friday afternoons was generally to launch us 3rd graders into the weekend with something tangible to present to our parents as evidence of good citizenship and orderly progress. I recall the class following the directions offered by our teacher very carefully. As a result, we were all able to fold the shiny paper into what looked like a bird, more specifically a crane (as we were told). That Friday, we also learned that the crane is the Japanese symbol for peace, and thus is at the center of many Japanese celebrations promoting world unity. Finally, with teacher's help, we discovered that we were sharing in an artistic tradition known as origami, the word origami derived in turn from two Japanese words, phonetically represented as "oru," meaning folding, and "gami," meaning paper. (On that afternoon so long ago, for the first time, I remember being enlightened, being, as we say in America, "deep." Paper-thin deep, yes. But, deep nonetheless.) There is some debate as to where paper folding got its start. Just like the invention of the calculus, chess, and many other evidences of man's creativity, paper folding seems to have had separate origins in Germany, Spain, China and Japan. However, the tradition that has won international attention is origami. ...Read the rest of the article at Ask Toy Tech... ]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:03 +0000 http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/uncategorized/the-modern-art-and-science-of-origami/ http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/uncategorized/the-modern-art-and-science-of-origami/

Games BC (BCE)

For the purposes of this article, I asked ToysPeriod whether they considered the "BC" or the "BCE" annotation correct when referring to times long past. (In a previous article for another publication, I had received criticism for my choice. Therefore, I felt it judicious this time around to ask for the Webmaster's opinion before proceeding.) To my surprise and delight, ToysPeriod playfully shared with me that both systems are equally flawed, and, therefore, I should feel free to exercise my own choice in the matter. They further explained, "The difficulty with Before the Common Era (BCE) is that the Common Era to which BCE refers never occurred historically. With BC, no one can actually agree on the birth date of Christ. Therefore, basing events on that date seems unscientific to many scholars." So, maintaining the free and open spirit appropriate for a purveyor of toys, ToysPeriod supports both systems, and, in their playful manner are hoping that the finest historian crosses the finish line in first position. Well, enough! Let's begin the article in earnest. I've mixed in a bit of humor, so don't take everything here as set in stone. In the following paragraphs, I will identify and briefly discuss games played prior to 1 BC....... (or is it one AD, or zero BC, zero AD or zero BCE?) An appropriate place to start seems to be the so-called hunter-gatherer period. Before that time, even cave paintings are absent, so we are really stuck. On the other hand, since even chimps can, in the grand sense be considered hunters and gatherers, there wasn't much to talk about before this period anyway. Most historians label any time prior to 9500 BC (BCE) as the H and G period. ...Read the rest of the article at Ask Toy Tech... ]]> Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:42:36 +0000 http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/games/a-brief-history-of-ancient-games/ http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/games/a-brief-history-of-ancient-games/ Recently, I was visiting a neighbor, when their child approached and asked me a question that I had never considered. Leave it to children to formulate the very best questions. The question boiled down to, "What is -- or makes -- a great toy?" Sounds simple enough. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there isn't anything simple about the question at all. At the time, I answered by sharing examples of great toys with the child, but, still, that didn't really answer the underlying question. After some thought, I now have an answer, several really, that at least begins to satisfy. I hope the answer to the child's question will also go some distance in satisfying you, the reader, as well. Perhaps you could let me know what you think by leaving a comment below once you have absorbed this article. Your ideas may help me to do a better job with the answer to this question the next time I'm asked. When speaking of a great toy, I admit that I have biases. ...Read the rest of the article at Ask Toy Tech... ]]> Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:33:53 +0000 http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/lego/what-makes-a-great-toy/ http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/lego/what-makes-a-great-toy/ The Greening of Business (A ToysPeriod Customer Eco-Evaluation) This space, normally reserved for some aspect of toys or to celebrate a person or place, is being given over this week to me, a long time customer of ToysPeriod, to talk about a subject that is on the minds of millions throughout the world. That is, the Greening of Business. By the Greening of Business, I mean the manner in which businesses are changing their ways of satisfying public demand. Not only are businesses continuing to respond to the needs of their clients, but many, if not yet the majority, are also doing their utmost to satisfy the modest requirements of Earth, as our small planet continues to faithfully provide its inhabitants, human and non-human alike, with the environment we need to flourish. I especially want to discuss in this space how ToysPeriod has honored its commitment to ecological sustainability over and above the well known scholarships it sponsors every year for students majoring in eco-business. (For those who are unfamiliar with eco-business, briefly those are business college majors aimed at producing educated leaders, both commercial and social, who will, after graduation, make ongoing decisions with both the health of the Earth and future generations in mind.) First, before I present you with specific information about ToysPeriod, let me clear up a question you may be asking yourself relative to my status with ToysPeriod. I am not a paid employee, therefore I have the freedom to say most anything I wish on this site short of fully trashing ToysPeriod, its products and services. So, please understand, I haven't been coached by ToysPeriod as I compose this essay. I suspect though that they understand my admiration for ToysPeriod's ecologically sensitive and intelligent methods of doing business. ...Read the rest of the article at Ask Toy Tech... ]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:10:17 +0000 http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/press-room/an-environmentally-aware-toy-business-one-customers-take/ http://www.toysperiod.com/blog/press-room/an-environmentally-aware-toy-business-one-customers-take/