Other Wooden Toys
1970? Russian carved wooden toy depicting WC. Button-activated movement. $20 Canadian from 2013reh001 through Ebay, July, ’21.
This is one of the most successful of Russia’s lovely active carved wooden toys, and it portrays a fable I wish were presented more often. Good operating condition!
1980? French wooden puzzle and stacking toy based on Aesop's fables. One fable image on each of the four sides: MM; "The Heron"; FC; and TH. 8" high and 3½" square. $36.89 from FrenchVintageBibelot through Etsy, Dec., '20.
Ingenious and delightful! I wonder if this is a "one-off" created just once. Or was it a manufactured toy made many times over? Ten "storeys" make up four different images. Watch out! Solving one side does not solve the others! Of course, getting the solution "wrong" makes for some surprising characters!
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FC | MM |
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TH | The Heron |
1985 Russian carved FS toy, with push button. $10 at Victor Kamkin, NY, April, '98.
Push the button and the fox backs up while the stork raises his head; then the fox offers the stork food in a very shallow dish. Well executed. I saw this in the Kamkin window and asked for it. I was told that they could not get at their display window, but they would let me know the next time they changed their display. On a chance, I called a year later and they had laid it aside for me. Through Roseann Fitzgerald and a friend, I got it--and played with it so much that Tom Greener had to repair it for me when I broke its string.
1990 Russian carved FG toy, with handle and ball-and-string. Gift of Mary Pat Ryan, Christmas, '90.
Get the ball going in a circular movement, and the fox will wag his tail. The "grape" may actually be an apple or a cherry! Ingenious and well executed.
1992 Russian carved FC toy, with handle and ball-and-string. Gift of Margaret Carlson Lytton from the Rose Bowl Swap Meet, Christmas, '92. Extra exemplar, labelled, signed, and tagged as a "Rezcik Collectible" from Heritage International, Ltd., as a gift from Donna Eddy, June, '99. Another exemplar a gift from Simon Mogilevsky, July, '99.
Get the ball going in a circular movement, and the fox will wag his tail and the crow will bob with the cheese in his mouth! Another ingenious and well executed gift from Meg! And now we see that the Russians are becoming more self-conscious about marketing their excellent toys! The other exemplars have the same great action as the original!