346. A Collectible Flying High: CAST METAL GRAF ZEPPELIN TOY

The Graf Zeppelin was a German-made airship that was hydrogen-filled to make it fly. It was able to carry passengers and commercial flights were made from 1928 to 1937. Named after German pioneer Graf (Count) Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the Graf Zeppelin made histoiry when it made a round-the-world flight in 1929.

The novel airship was celebrated throigh various memorabilia and souvenirs that included commemorative coins, postcards, badges and even toys such as this 1930s cast metal painted 3-wheeled blimp, a scarce artifact from the airship days. It is about 8.5 inches long and weighs a hefty 2 pounds.

This Graf Zeppelin pull toy must have been cared for by its previous owners as most of its paint is intact, with just a few scruffs to show, after all these years. It must have been de-commissioned from flying! Zeppelins never reached the Philippines--except this toy version which I won from ebay. Any vintage cast metal toy is prized...even more so when it is made in the likeness of an airship with an unlikely shape, propelled by gas fuel. A great revolution in the sky! Truly a hot, hot, (air) collectible!!

300. It's The Real Tin: MECHANICAL READING BEAR

Now here's an ingenious battery-run mechanical toy I've had for years. It's one of my first tin toy actually, bought from a store in Binondo with many old stocks. It shows a charming little bear made from fluffy fabric with a book on its lap. When switched on, one paw--which has a hidden magnet--stamps a metal page of the book, and then flips it over--just like he is reading the book. The book pages have incredible details, showing story titles like "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse". There are no marks on this late 50s-early 60s toy, but it looks Japan-made. The fur fabric has started to fall-off and I am resigned to the fact that it will soon deteriorate--but I intend to keep this toy for awhile even in this state, at least for display. For where on else can still one see a bear that reads?

273. Bear Essential: BABY BEAR PULL TOY

I had it in my mind, that in the near future, I will open an antique toy museum in Pampanga, based on my rather extensive collection of vintage toys and playthings. I had already pitched the idea to a university in my province, which welcomed the unique idea of showcasing toys that shaped and defined our childhood. I have been stashing old toys I could find, ever since.

Toys, however, are not exactly hot collectibles in the country, rarely showing up in traditional antique shops. I have seen a few sungkaans lying around, largely ignored--but not old commercial toys from the 20s and 30s that were once staples in downtown bazaars and emporia like I. Beck's, Aguinaldo's and La Puerta del Sol.

 So it was a major 'eureka' moment for me when I found this whimsical pull toy from the 1930s from an online seller on sulit.com.ph , of all all places--the Philippines' largest online shop. I hardly noticed this seller, who advertised a couple of steel Wyandotte trucks and cars on his site. When I called him up, I was disappointed to know that he had sold most of his motor toys, which are so desirable today.

He told me, however, he still had a few toys from the 30s, toys which his grandfather had played with, and which now they are trying to dispose. One toy that caught my fancy was this baby bear pull toy; it was a stuffed, plush bear mounted on 2-sized wooden wheels. When pulled, the bear nods forward, which certainly would have delighted kids.

There is no marked on the straw-stuffed, glass-eyed bear; it may be a Steiff or a Schuco, German companies that specialized in stuffed toys. Saved for a few bald patches and a missing screw on one of his paws, the toy was in good shape after all these 70 plus years!!!

This example is the first I've seen locally--the other in my possession is a camel push-toy that's larger and meant for older children. For a few hundred pesos, I bought this huggy bear home. Cleaned, oiled  and restored, it is stored in a cabinet, ready to grin and 'bear' it--when the toy museum opens.

262. LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: A 1920s Mechanical Toy

I found this little drummer boy in one of those collectible shops along Tomas Morato in Q. C. . The bisque headed drummer has a wooden framework boy, covered with cloth, now frayed with age. He stands on a base made of thin plywood. He holds drumsticks on both hands; there is a lever at his back, which, when pulled down, caused the drumsticks to beat on a cardboard drum.

Toys, like this example, were cheaply produced in Europe. Bisque (unglazed ceramic) heads in all sizes were mass produced from the 18th to the 20th c. and were used to make dolls, automatons and mechanical toys. This drummer boy found its way here, perhaps, sold in one of the department stores or bazaars along Escolta in the 1920s. Such toys were comparatively expensive when sold here,  which probably was the reason why this toy survived--it was lovingly kept in a curio cabinet, only to be taken out and played with when a child got sick.