Antique Cast Iron Toys
While you may never see new toys made of cast iron, in the past before plastic and other cheaper and lighter materials were available, cast iron was an acceptable material to make toys from. Some of the earliest antique cast iron toys were of horses, wagons and stagecoaches complete with detailed paint. Boats and also airplanes were also popular among cast iron toy builders.
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As radio, television and comic book characters stated to gain popularity, children everywhere longed for toys of their favorite characters. Soon enough, cast iron Popeye toys, Little Red Riding Hood and other well known characters were being built in cast iron form.
Perhaps the most popular cast iron toys were of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes and tractors. While children on the farm wanted to have a toy tractor just like the one that Dad used in the field, children in the city longed for cast iron versions of cars that they saw whizzing by on the busy streets. Still others were more fascinated with cast iron airplanes that buzzed around the skies and cast iron ships, like recreations of the Titanic or river boats. Cast iron vehicles were suitable not only to play with, but they served yet another purpose; as an advertising medium. Companies would paint logos on the side of these cast iron vehicles to advertise products that would appeal to both parents and children alike.
Many collectors that collect toys by type choose Antique Cast Iron toys.