By VANESSA McCRAY
TRAVERSE CITY -- Remember Erector Sets and Lincoln Logs?
What about windup or pull toys, American Plastic Bricks or The Flintstones Playset?
Old-school toys and many more vintage play things will be on display this weekend at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center. The toys come from the Con Foster Museum and private collections.
Local collector Leon Vietzke will bring in some prized pieces from his collection, made up of his own carefully preserved toys from boyhood and items he bought as an adult that he wished he had as a child. He will display a walking robot built out of a No. 12&1/2 Erector Set.
"The Erector Sets were, I think, probably the ultimate at making you think, study and actually learn something, and actually (put) together something with nuts and bolts," Vietzke said.
Even as a child, he noted "something very diabolical" about the sets' instructions, which did not give completely detailed information on how to put together the pieces. Vietzke thinks the toy maker wanted children to be challenged and exercise "brain power" to finish the piece using their own ingenuity.
Vietzke grew up in Detroit and recalls childhood trips to the toy store. Entire play sets were assembled and on display, instead of stores simply stocking packages, he said.
"Where is the incredible fun for an 8-year-old boy to go to Kmart and look at a bunch of boxes? I will remember for the rest of my life going to Sears and seeing all of these things," he said.
Another big change in toys is their purpose. Vietzke said most toys from his era were about occupations and "getting ready to grow up." Kids played with tanks and soldiers, fire trucks, chemistry sets and building blocks that emphasized architecture skills. He compared those to contemporary "shoot 'em up" computer games that he does not find fun.
The heritage center's toy exhibit builds on the popularity of its annual Festival of Trains. That event is "so popular" the center thought hosting another display that focuses on "childhood memories" would work, too, said Executive Director Lori Puckett. The vintage toy exhibit will feature dolls, old games, toy guns, wagons, Mickey Mouse items and more. Most toys date from the 1920 to the 1960s.
"We are going to hear a lot of people come in and say, 'Oh my gosh, I used to have that toy,'" Puckett predicted.
The show runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children and free for those ages 3 and under. The center is located at 322 Sixth St. in Traverse City.
