An Old Fashioned Toybox Trivia Quiz

Answer: Marbles

Archaeologists have found stones, identified as marbles, near Mohenjo-daro in modern Pakistan, a site associated with the Indus Valley Civiliation around 2500 BCE. They have also been found in Egyptian and Mesopotamian excavations. References have been found in Roman writings to games similar to marbles.

Answer: Spinning top

Spinning tops have been found on archaeological sites all around the world. A clay top was found in Iran dating back to the 35th century BCE, and another was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Tops made from nuts, seeds and rocks have been found in other excavations around the world.

One of the reasons for their popularity is the versatility of materials that they can be made from (wood, metal and glass amongst them) as well as the versatility of design.

Answer: Rag doll

The British Museum has in its collection rag doll found in a Roman grave, dated between 100-500 CE. It was made from linen stuffed with rags and papyrus, with coloured wool attached to the head and parts of the body.

Rag dolls are traditionally home-made from scraps, as the name suggests. Other materials were used to make rag dolls, with author Laura Ingalls Wilder describing a doll she owned made from a corncob wrapped in fabric in 'Little House in the Big Woods.'

Today many of these dolls are manufactured to simulate the home made look using techniques such as patchwork for clothes and the use of soft fabrics. Raggedy Ann is an example of one of these dolls, first manufactured in 1918.

Answer: Jigsaw puzzle

The first jigsaws are credited to John Spilsbury, a cartographer and engraver. He made wooden jigsaws featuring maps. Early jigsaws were pictures on wood and then cut into interlocking pieces. Lady Charlotte Finch, governess to King George III's children, used them to teach geography (a jigsaw cabinet belonging to them has been displayed at Kew Palace.)

Jigsaw puzzles became popular in the depression as a cheap, reusable and swappable form of entertainment.

Answer: Kite

Muna Island in Indonesia has a Mesolithic era cave paining which features a kaghati kite, a type of kite still made on the island today using native leaves. This painting has been dated to 9500-90BCE.
China also has evidence of kites dating to c.500 BCE.

Kites are still a popular toy today, with festivals around the world celebrating a colourful array of designs.

Answer: Cup and ball

This simple toy normally consists of a cup joined to a ball with a piece of string or cord. The aim is to flick the ball into the air and to catch it.

Archaeologists have found a Mayan codex in the Yucatan which shows the creation of a Balero (local name) from a human skull and how to play it. One theory suggests that the Balero originated in the area between 250-950 BCE and spread to other pre-Colombian Mesoamerican civilisations.

There are records to show that this toy was popular at the court of Elizabeth I as well as that of King Henry III of England.

Answer: Jack-in-the-box

A traditional Jack-in-the-box is a box with a handle or crank which is wound up, when it reaches a certain tension the top flies open and a figure (often a clown) pops up. Some versions play a melody, often 'Pop Goes the Weasel'

The first record of a toy Jack-in-the-box is in Germany, when a craftsman named Claus made it as a birthday gift for a local prince. It then gained popularity amongst wealthier families, before new techniques made them cheaper and easier to produce.

Answer: Hobby horse

Hobby horses have been featured in a number of portraits dating from the 1500's. They normally have a soft, stuffed head, often horse-shaped and sometimes the pole which forms the body of the horse has wheels.

The children's nursery rhyme 'Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross' has been linked to a children's hobby horse, as the phrase 'cock horse' was used to refer to wooden hobby horses from the mid sixteenth century.

Answer: Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscopes were first created by Sir David Brewster in 1816. He coined the name using three Greek words: kalos meaning beautiful; eidos meaning form and scopos meaning watcher. Unfortunately problems with the wording of his patents meant that he did not receive the monetary awards he should have.

Kaleidoscopes became a popular activity for the Victorians, and in the twentieth century became the popular children's toy we know today.

Answer: Teddy bear

US President Theodore Roosevelt was nicknamed 'Teddy'. After a hunting trip in 1902, a cartoon appeared featuring both Roosevelt and a black bear. Toy maker Morris Michtom saw the cartoon, created a small, stuffed bear and sent it to Roosevelt asking his permission to name the bear after him.

At the same time in Germany, Richard Steiff created his version, known as Steiff Bär 55 PB. It was featured at the Leipzig toy fair in 1903, and an Americantoy buyer ordered 3000 for export to the US.

They remain one of the most popular toys today and Steiff still continues to make highly popular designs.