Lincoln Logs
Lincoln Logs (English: about Lincoln (building) blocks ) is the name of a children's toy made of small wooden blocks, from which miniature structures can be built. They were invented in 1916–1917 by John Lloyd Wright, son of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright . Wright was inspired by observations at the construction site of the Hotel Imperial in Tokyo planned by his father . The Lincoln Logs were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame (New York, USA) in 1999 .
history
Lincoln Logs were developed by John Lloyd Wright between 1916 and 1917. Wright himself reported that the idea for the toy came to him when he saw the construction site of the Hotel Imperial planned by his father in Tokyo. He used a system of floating beams as support pillars during the construction, which gave him the idea for the toy. According to some experts, Wright could also have been inspired by the Log Cabin Playhouse , developed by Joel Ellis since 1866 , which has a certain similarity to the Lincoln Logs. Wright began marketing the Lincoln Logs through his Red Square Toy Company in 1918 . The toy was marketed with the slogan " Interesting playthings typifying the spirit of America " and was intended to symbolize the American dream and the simple rural pioneering life of bygone days. It was set on a romanticizing transfiguration of bygone times and the log cabin construction. The name Lincoln Logs was also chosen to allude to President Abraham Lincoln , who, figuratively speaking, had come from a log cabin to the White House as the son of simple settlers . American patriotism at the time of the First World War should also be addressed. Another possible name origin is the maiden name of John Lloyd Wright's father, Frank Lloyd Wright, who was born as Frank Lincoln Wright.
In 1920 Lincoln Logs were patented. The Lincoln Logs sold over 100 million copies and peaked in popularity in the 1950s . Lincoln Logs were among the first game products to be advertised on television and are considered an early example of toy mass marketing.
Originally, Lincoln logs were made from redwood. In the 1970s, the Milton Bradley Company licensed Lincoln Logs and tried unsuccessfully to replace wood with plastic. In the late 1980s, Milton Bradley switched back to wood.
In 1999 the Lincoln Logs were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. After production was outsourced to China in the 1960s , the American toy manufacturer K'Nex acquired the license in 2014 and relocated production again to the United States .
building blocks
Lincoln logs are made of different lengths of notched wooden blocks that can be nested. The system also includes windows, doors and special blocks that can be used for roofs or chimneys.
Web links
- Lincoln Logs (Official Website of the Manufacturer)
Individual evidence
- ↑ K'NEX | Lincoln Logs . Lincolnlogs.knex.com. Retrieved on May 23, 2011. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Rodney P. Carlisle: Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society, Volume 1, SAGE, 2009, pp. 362-363
- ↑ a b Lincoln Logs in the Toy Hall of Fame (accessed April 22, 2016)
- ↑ http://www.history.com/news/the-birth-of-lincoln-logs
- ↑ a b c http://gardencollage.com/wander/gardens-parks/lincoln-logs-symbolize-untold-history-americas-forests/
- ↑ Patent US1351086 - Toy-cabin construction (on Google Patents, accessed April 22, 2016)
- ↑ http://ancestralfindings.com/birth-lincoln-logs/
- ↑ a b https://www.fatherly.com/gear/the-weird-history-and-unexpected-benefits-of-lincoln-logs/
- ^ Again Made in USA: Lincoln Logs , September 18, 2014 on Newser.com (accessed April 22, 2016)
