Show the early shopper gets the h toys there aren t enough for everybody stock of playthings Is larger than last year but still short eager eyed kiddies will have to be content with about half as many toys this year as they get before the war when they come dashing in to the parlor on christmas mornin morning As everybody knows gil all kinds of civilian goods are scarce including toys asa its a wonder in fact that there are any toys on the market in the midst of a great war both toy factories and toy makers are busy making war materials pe percussion reus sion caps tor for torpedoes ind and shells gas masks and a thousand other things they make toys out of scraps and leftovers and substitutes like wood and pasteboard but at best they make nearly enough to satisfy everybody this year with wartime prosperity putting money into pocket fathers and mothers uncles aunts and cousins have a good deal to spend on presents tor for the children in their families but they cant buy all they want to because there just arent enough toys in the stores to go around besides tills this there are two million more youngsters in the country than usual a result of the rising birth rate of the war years few metal playthings metal toys will wih be represented by afew a few articles but in general steel and iron playthings will be missing steel sleds tri cycles and bicycles coaster wagons construction sets and a thousand other things will be very scarce some manufacturers have been able to find leftover left over stocks of metal fabricated before the war restrictions went into effect and others are using scrap material so a small quantity of metal toys are on the market back in peace times playthings made of cast iron steel copper aluminum and so on constituted nearly hau half of all the christmas presents toys made 0 of f rubber are very rare so are plastic goods tires for doll buggies are being made of mud which is residue from reprocessed rubber but these are about the only such articles on the market wood is being used to make lots of 0 f things formerly made of metal and other scarce materials there are re trucks tor for instance of polished hardwood on sale tanks and siege guns battleships agte steam a m r shovels hovels and many other mechanical i cal toys are made largely of wood with a few metal parts cardboard and wood combinations are also numerous particularly in the games division A cardboard and wooden circus is a favorite this year enough dolls and teddy bears girls are mote more fortunate than boys this year tor for dolls are being turned out in sufficient quantities to meet the demand there are both hard and soft bodied dolls in the stores made of everything from cotton to porcelain the fancy models have moveable moveably move able eyes curly hair pretty dresses and all the other trimmings stuffed animals are on hand band in sufficient numbers to take ca care re of ordinary demands teddy bears are plentiful it is said carriages for dolls are offered to early christmas shoppers at least since there are buggies on sale throughout the country these are made of wood with metal wheels doll dishes of china and scrap plastic and cast iron cooking tul ful but all in fp all teetotal the total number of 0 sleds available will be less than before the pitr war while nd no electric trains are being manufactured manufactured there will be some offered for replacements for those boys who got a train set years ago some metal construe tion sets are offered fired of about of these have electric motors included there are a good many wooden sets on the market no electric lights light or christmas trees are being made mad but a few are on hand fiand last year no autos antes or bicycles wagons with wooden wheels are fairly plentiful and there are some with metal wheels no metal toy autos or two wheeled cycles or any such vehicles are of offered ferid A few scooters shooters oters made from scrap steel can be ha had d in some cities a small number of secondhand second hand bicycles and other wheeled toys are on sale these generally have been repa repaired red and repainted blown glass balls for christmas tree ornaments can be bought readily but tinsel excepting lead foil Is off the market and certain other ornaments and decorations are scar scarce ce or unobtainable better goods this year the toy manufacturers state that a higher quality of wood and pasteboard toys is being offered this year explaining that experience has enabled makers to do a better job n now ow many companies have sprung lately that were not in the toy business before the ahe war and some of these have had little production experience peri ence so there is bound to be some poorly made articles on the market skilled toy makers too are working in war plants in many cases bothe so the toy factories have had to get partly skilled labor many ot of whom are overage over age or disabled more than of the largest toy manufacturing plants are turning out war materials in the me main and are making toys on the side by maintaining some volu volume mein in their 1 alms wooden playthings like blocks ire are not so hard boget to get but its still i good idea io shop early A record breaking demand for or toys oya of 0 all a sorts Is anticipated and many are going to be disappointed because of shortages utensils are being offered and tiny furniture can be had I 1 hobby iob besets by sets such as chemistry outfit 00 are in fair supply manufacturers say apparatus made of glass porcelain plastics wood or or pasteboard Is teeing leang substituted for metal articles for instance a microscope crosscope cro scope included in some of the science sets has a plastic tube and base A survey of the toy supply situation conducted by the toy manufacturers rs of the USA reveals such shortages is as these less than thad 15 per cent of the normal supply of sleds with steel runners will be on sale sleds with wooden runners will be fairly IN ww V jal apin 7 mt 0 planes and tanks and siege guns gun a naturally dominate the childish mind in these war years these models of fighting machines are made ol of wood and cardboard they are simple but bui sturdy the WAC uniform unicorn the little girl wears Is a novelty this year among the playthings available this year that were unobtainable last ye year ar are cast iron fron cooking utensils for dolls this e bleoo set bet wm will retail for or about a dollar I 1 there Is some swing away from the armament theme in this year construction machinery has bag regained some of its former position this good sized allwood all wood steam shovel with move moveably moveable able boom will sell ILI at about 3 95 the durni dump truck truth ra made de of handrock har drock maple and amoo aly finished i Is priced at toy lines bese companies we were enabled to handle their war contracts more efficiently because they could cou id operate their entire plant at near capacity another organization busily at work on the toy situation Is the office ot of price administration this government agency ha has s to set fair ceiling prices on every e v cry toy item that Is to be offered for sale more than articles have been examined a and n d priced price t and many others er are pending a decision in a big warehouse in washington OPA officials look over samples of all sorts of things many of them new to the market such as transparent plastic ducks and giraffes wooden telephone sets and pasteboard dolls it s a big job to put fair price tags on all these things but the OPA hopes to complete its task before christmas V jaqw k r 1 vv Y i r K PL aa 7 N 1 I 1 V |