Hands up who dug out
the jigsaws and board games recently?! Lots of us have been enjoying
rediscovering old school entertainment lately. We decided it was the perfect
opportunity to delve through our toys and games collection in search of some retro
inspiration- whether you want to keep your mind active, have fun with the
family, or take some time to relax. From brain teasers to building kits, here are some of our highlights.
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Circular jigsaw, 'Air transport', Waddington's |
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Jigsaw, 'Picture Puzzles', JWS of Bavaria, c. 1890 - 1920 |
Puzzle it out
So what next after you’ve placed the final part of your 1000
piece masterpiece? Why not try a different type of puzzle. How many fairy tales
scenes could you make from these picture blocks?
Could you slide one tile at a time to crack the 15 Puzzle?
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Set of 12 fairy tale picture blocks |
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Set of 20 picture blocks, early 20th century |
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Number puzzle, Fairylite, 1960 |
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Solved number puzzle |
Word play
If numbers aren’t your bag, we’ve also found some treats for
the wordsmiths among us. What messages would you leave for your family with
these alphabet tiles and letters?
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Alphabet tiles, early 20th century |
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Nursery Letters spelling game, 1950s |
For crossword lovers, Kan-U-Go would be perfect. With single
and multi-player versions, this game, introduced in the 1930s, was described as
‘one of the most entertaining, exciting and absorbing games of the day.’ And it
develops your vocabulary! The first player to score a total of 100 points with
their crossword entries is the winner.
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Kan-U-Go, crossword card game, c. 1930s - 1950s |
Or maybe you fancy yourself as an anagram aficionado? See if you can unscramble these Jumbled Proverbs. Answers on a postcard! (Or in the comments below…)
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Jumbled Proverbs card game, c. 1920s - 1950s |
Riddles are the order of the day in the Progressive Treasure Hunt. This set provided everything you needed for some ‘well-organised’ fun. The kit suggests everyday objects that are ideal for hiding and some inspiration for the perfect places to squirrel them away. It includes rhyming clues to help the treasure hunters figure out what they’re searching for and where.
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Progressive Treasure Hunt, Universal Publications Ltd, c. 1930s - 1950s |
Game for a laugh
If you’re in need of cheering up, we’ve unearthed some
parlour game gems. These Humorous Dialogues are just the ticket. Suitable for
all ages and promising not to cause offence even to ‘the most fastidious,’
there’s a speaking part for all the family. Would you be the Knave of Tarts,
the milliner or the Pantry Ghost? We’re especially intrigued by the
self-proclaimed ‘screaming comic farce, The Dog in the Coal Cellar’…
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Humorous Dialogues, McGlennon's Standard Series no 28', McGlennon's, c. 1880 - 1920 |
The story telling party game, Winkle’s Wedding promises ‘a
laughable game for old and young.’ A nominated narrator reads from the story of
Willie Winkle, whilst the other players each have a set of cards with words and
phrases on them. The narrator takes up the story from Mr Winkle’s marriage to
Clara Clamps. Each time he reaches a blank in the story, the other players take
it in turns to fill in the gap by reading out one of their cards. Thus Willie
and Clara find themselves in all sorts of increasingly nonsensical and
outrageous scenarios!
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Winkle's Wedding or Why Did He Do It? |
Board-om busters
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Chess pieces, 1910s |
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Draughtsmen, K&C Ltd, c. 1950s - 1960s |
For the competitive or the strategists, you can’t beat a
board game. We’ve unearthed a couple of classics from the collection but would
love to know what your favourites are? Leave us your recommendations in the
comments below. Would some of these beautiful game pieces come in handy?
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Counters in mother of pearl, bone and plastic, 19th & 20th century |
Imaginary worlds
When you’ve emerged victorious from a marathon Monopoly
game, a change of pace and a different type of challenge is in order. Budding
architects might enjoy building their dream home or the next landmark building
with their preferred construction sets. We found plenty of Bayko in the
collection. One of the earliest plastic toys, Bayko is named after the Bakelite
it was originally made from. There’s many a fine model to be made in the iconic
red, green and white.
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Instruction booklet for Bayko Building Sets, Plimpton Engineering Co Ltd, 1951 |
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Fabro Building Set No "O", Aero Models, 1940s |
When all the fun and games has become too much excitement, you
could take the opportunity to wind down with some paper crafts or get out the
paints and crayons and unleash your creativity. You might use kits like our
stencils and paper dolls for inspiration or just let your imagination run wild
on a blank piece of paper.
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Spear's Complete Stencil Outfit, Spear's Games |
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Postcard, 'Jack at play' cut out and dress doll, Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd, c. 1900s -1920s |
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Set of 8 crayons, 1950s |
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Watercolours paint box, Brodie & Middleton, early 20th century |
For more inspiration
or nostalgia, visit our Toys and Games collection online. You might rediscover some childhood favourites or just
enjoy exploring some of the old classics and quirky curiosities.
We’d love to hear what
you get up to. Please share your creations and favourite pastimes with us in
the comments and over on our social media channels. We’ll be especially
thrilled if you’ve been inspired by our objects, or you might inspire us to add
something new to the collection.
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