Friday 8 September 2017

"No one ever forgets a toy that made him or her supremely happy as a child, even if that toy is replaced by one like it that is much nicer."

As a child of both the UK and the 1970s, I was heavily exposed during my younger years to the toys made by an English company called Britains, and in particular to the zoo and farm animals made by this company. We’ll call them Britains toys.
Oh, nostalgia! I used to have a lot of these. The wild animals & the farm sets. My favourite was always the crocodile, with the opening jaw mechanism.

The local toyshop sold them, and when we went on holiday to Yorkshire, or Wales, or up to London Christmas shopping, it was always a good chance to maybe find one you didn't have. Pre-eBay days, of course!
Britains toys have some significant personal meaning to me: various of them (namely the 1965 African elephant and 1972 giraffe) are among the first toys I ever owned, I have fond memories of my dad bringing Britains toys home to me after his day at work, and I have tremendous nostalgia attached to the shops and – more specifically – the now long-gone glass-fronted display cabinets associated with the sale of these toys.
I still see them occasionally at boot sales. And mine are upstairs in the loft, somewhere. Or in the garage, somewhere.

10 comments:

Just Trevor said...

How interesting! We're of a similar vintage, yet I'd never heard of these animals before. A great pity - I'd have loved them.

Curmudgeon said...

Oh yes, I used to have a large collection of Britains' zoo and farm animals. My favourite was the tiny duck-billed platypus, for whom I built a little furnished home in a Tic tin.

...gets coat...

Bucko said...

You've just described my farm toy collecting childhood exactly :-)
I don't have any of mine left though

Anonymous said...

Their models of farm machinery were wonderfully detailed and ingenious. My favourite was a baler that looked exactly like the real thing that you could load up with little bales that it would then spit out the back as it went along in a totally realistic way.

Stonyground

Pcar said...

I too had the farm animals, alas long gone.

However, the Corgi cars & Airfix models* are in loft

*except Concorde which my younger brother threw out of attic window to see if it would fly.

Ricky said...

I had the crocodile! There was a projection from the lower jaw so when you pushed it down the mouth opened.
I kept it for 30 years and gave it to my son who lost it during a trip to a nature reserve.

Sobers said...

Schleich make some very nice model animals these days, they're German I think. I got various farm and zoo animals for my niece last Christmas.

Ted Treen said...

Child of the 70's? You're but a mere babe.

As a 1950 model, I had to buy such whimsies for my nephew, and then rely on his (unreliable) good nature for access.

JuliaM said...

"A great pity - I'd have loved them."

Oh, they were amazing! I hope I have kept them, somewhere...

"My favourite was the tiny duck-billed platypus..."

Oh, wow! I don't remember that one. I do remember they did a great range of not very well known creatures, like the Sable antelope (another favourite).

"You've just described my farm toy collecting childhood exactly :-)"

Heh! I had a full flock of sheep at one point, about 20 of them!

"Their models of farm machinery were wonderfully detailed and ingenious."

Yes, they were amazing! 'Farm Simulator 17', eat your heart out!

"However, the Corgi cars & Airfix models* are in loft"

I used to make the model aircraft too! Many happy evenings applying decals :)

JuliaM said...

"I kept it for 30 years and gave it to my son who lost it during a trip to a nature reserve."

:(

"Schleich make some very nice model animals these days, they're German I think."

Yes! Very accurate dinosaur toys too, I have several.

"As a 1950 model, I had to buy such whimsies for my nephew, and then rely on his (unreliable) good nature for access."

Heh!