Classic Toys

Here at The Vintage Toy Box we live and dream classic toys - timeless playthings that have remained popular and beloved across multiple generations.

Classic toys have enduring appeal and continue to be cherished by children and adults alike for their simplicity, durability, and ability to inspire imaginative play. We love being in store over-hearing older generations reminiscing about their own classic toys; reflecting on the simpler times of yesteryears.

These toys are often simple in design, made from traditional materials like wood, metal, or fabric, and do not rely on electronic components or batteries.

Some favourite classic toys of ours include:

1. Wooden Blocks: Simple and versatile, wooden blocks allow children to build and create various structures, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills.

2. Skipping Ropes: A traditional outdoor toy that promotes physical activity and coordination.

3. Jacks: A classic game where children toss and pick up small metal or plastic jacks with a ball.

4. Yo-Yos: A simple toy that requires skill and coordination to perform tricks and stunts.

5. Rag Dolls: Soft and cuddly dolls that provide comfort and companionship, often becoming firm friends.

6. Tops: Spinning tops made from wood or metal that fascinate children with their spinning motion.

Classic toys bring a sense of nostalgia and simplicity to playtime, encouraging children to use their imagination and engage in creative, open-ended play. Many classic toys have stood the test of time and remain popular choices for parents seeking to introduce their children to the joy of traditional play experiences.

Check out all of our classic toys, and let us know your favourites.

It's Official | Our Canberra Toy Store is Re-Opening

We’re so excited — it’s official - we have a re-opening date for our Canberra toy shop in the fabulous Dirty Janes Emporium in Fyshwick with the easing of ACT lockdown restrictions. Yippee!!!

Drum roll please …

We will be re-open from 10am Friday 29/10/2021, 7 days a week!

We are so happy to be able to once again share the happiness and spread lots of fun and laughter from our delightful physical toy store. We can picture all the smiles now, and oh, what a vision, and how good it feels!

Strangely, whilst our Fyshwick toy shop itself is set to re-open, we’re still not quite sure when we ourselves will be able to visit it from Regional NSW, as we’re still awaiting the big announcement of reaching NSW 80% targets. Rest assured though, we’re all stocked up and ready to go, go, go!!

We have been so busy behind the scenes, making up so many of our fantastic Stocking Filler Packs - great value stocking filler bundles made up of some of our best selling classic toys and games. We knew they’d be popular, but we have been delighted to see how fast they’ve been flying out the door!

This amazing pack includes the following guaranteed fun, classic toys and games:

• Juggling Balls

• Dominoes

• Little Box of Marbles

• Jacks

• Push up toy

• Yo-Yo

• Flying Bird

Thank you to all of you for supporting our small, independent family business, during the last 18 months. We’re not going to pretend; it’s been tough, but we’re starting to see the light, (and Christmas, who could forget Christmas?!)!

We wouldn’t be here without you, and we’re so appreciative of the support you’ve shown us by trusting in us to deliver joy.

So, to celebrate the exciting re-opening of our Canberra toy store, and to say a big thank you to you, our customers, we’re giving you, our loyal followers 15% off at checkout to blast away the last few days of September, and to welcome in the exciting October, and all the hope that it brings. Shop online and use the promo code BYESEPT21 to claim your 15% discount at checkout. Hurry though, as the code will turn into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight on Thursday 30th September.

Don’t forget too that we’ve recently introduced some new ways to pay to help spread the cost of Christmas, so you can now enjoy more, without the stress.

Introducing our Classic Toy Bundle | The Perfect Stocking Fillers

Let us take the stress out of Christmas, by bringing you joy with our classic toys and games fun pack - ideal for kids and adults of all ages.

A full stocking of fun for only $54.95.

This fantastic value pack includes the following quality best sellers:

• Juggling Balls - RRP $14.95

• Dominoes - RRP $12.95

• Little Box of Marbles - RRP $9.95

• Jacks - RRP $12.95

• Push up toy - RRP $6.95

• Yo-Yo - RRP $5.95

• Flying Bird - RRP $3.95

• *Stocking not included

Total value of pack contents $67.65.

Comes beautifully presented in a Christmas gift packed box, ready for you to unwrap , or gift directly.

Adults and kids alike will just love this pack of classic goodies.

Classic Toys | Jack in the Box

 Classic musical Jack-in-the-box

The Jack-in-the-box is centuries old.  Most of the brightly coloured boxes feature either a clown or a joker that pops out when the handle on the outside of the box is turned to a certain position, as the music plays. The most popular tune to be played is ‘pop goes the weasel’.

In 2005 the Jack-in-the-box was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame due to its timeless charm that has captivated the interest of children for decades.

Our Classic tin musical Jack in the Box features a clown and has bright playful pictures on all sides. Build the suspense as you wind the crank, not knowing when Jack will pop out!

Fun fact: In France a Jack-in-the-box is called a ‘Diable En Boite’ which means Devil in a box!

New Toy Shop Opens at Dirty Janes Canberra

We have some super exciting news to share!!

We’re delighted to finally be able to share with you all the news that we’ll be opening a space at the fabulous Dirty Janes when they open their new emporium in Canberra in March 2020.

We can’t wait to have a store front again, and in, what is sure to be an Australian iconic location! We will be 1 of 90 stallholders in the former Geological Survey building in Fyshwick, which will have a new café, with an outdoor area, a veggie patch and a playground for kids! What more could we want!!

Be sure to follow @vintagetoybox for our updates and @dirtyjanes_canberra so you don't miss any news or updates on the build of this exciting new Canberra Vintage shopping and dining destination!

Dirty Janes Canberra officially opens on 25th March 2020, seven days a week between 10 am and 5 pm, and is located at 80 Collie Street, Fyshwick, directly behind Domayne Furniture.

We can’t wait to be part of this amazing new venture! In the meantime check out our online store for cool Christmas presents for the whole family.

#dirtyjanescanberra #dirtyjanesbowral #thebestofvintage#hercanberra #canberraweekly #outincanberra #canberralife #canberralocals #canberracreatives #canberravintage #vintagegames #vintagetoys #toys #games #gifts #newstore #openingsoon #upperargyle #festiveforagingmossvale #mossvalefestiveforaging #vintagetoybox

Our Classic Toy Shop | Take a Peek Inside our Toy Box

We have been very lucky to have the awesome Emma working for us here at The Vintage Toy Box in our Moss Vale toy store - she has been a breath of fresh air, a trusted and much valued employee, a window dresser extraordinaire, and now a great friend. Just before we close up the Moss Vale store in a couple of weeks to spend more time with our family, we wanted to capture Emma’s experience of sharing one of the most rewarding adventures that we’ve been on. Thank you Emma for being such a fabulous member of our toy store family - we couldn’t have done it without you!! Over to you Emma …

“Goodbye #UpperArgyle” by Emma Stuart

When I first applied for the job at The Vintage Toy Box I never imagined that working here would be so much fun. I mean, I knew working in a toy shop would be fun, but the vibe and energy that comes from the shop is way better than an average run-of-the-mill generic toy shop. There’s something really special about The Vintage Toy Box. The shop has been such a great place to work, the atmosphere and being around toys made my day – everyday. Not many people get to work in a place that they love to work in, nor do they get to have as much fun as I did as they work.

What made it more fun was the people. Customers, people just popping in to say hello, the local kids running in for their lollies after school, the local businesses that support each other, and of course my boss, Saskia (edit: Emma had to say that!).

I am so lucky to have had this experience. Saskia is such an awesome boss lady (edit: and again!). She accepted my areas for development and pushed me to the full potential of my strengths. She has helped me build my confidence and encouraged my creative side, which has expanded so much since I started working at The Vintage Toy Box.

Saskia asked me to put together a little write up about my favourite experiences working in the shop. It was so very hard to choose just a few, but here goes ….

I loved working on the window displays because not only did it showcase some of the awesome toys waiting just inside the door, but I loved watching people walking by, stopping to have a look and walking off with a smile. I’ve often wondered what triggered those smiles, was it a memory from their childhood? Maybe they played that hopscotch game at school; ran around the backyard with Spud Guns with their siblings; they could have had a toy robot similar to the one staring back at them through the window or maybe they played that board game with their family on family game night. It didn’t matter the reason behind the smile, it was just nice to know that just a peek through the window was enough to make someone smile.

I really enjoyed doing research and learning about the history of toys. How they used to be made and played with in the past is so intriguing to me. It is fascinating seeing through the decades how the toys have changed and what became popular based on the world changing, during and after war time and the difference new technology impacted the sale of toys and changed the way they were made.

Another personal favourite thing of mine about the shop is the stories that people would tell while they were shopping. Whether it was a story about begging their parents for a wind-up tin plane and how happy they were to open one up on Christmas morning, how they’ve treasured it over the decades and how it still sits on their shelf, or how they used to save the bone out of a lamb hock after a Sunday night roast and after they collected them up over a few weeks they would have enough to play Jacks with them. Stories about how they used to make knitting dolls out of old sewing bobbins and nails, or sitting down with a sibling or parent to draw and cut out outfits for paper dolls. Eagerly waiting outside the back shed door for their father to put the finishing touches on their wagon so it was ready to race with the kids down the road. It is so interesting to hear of the way toys used to be made by families who couldn’t afford to go to the shop and by the latest toys. I also enjoyed hearing the friendly bickering between family members as they reminisce about playing and there was always one cheeky cheater … who still denies it!

One day I was sitting at the front counter doing some history of toys research and I had Fleetwood Mac up full volume through the speaker, singing along as I worked and a nice lady worked in. I awkwardly laughed with embarrassment as I rushed to turn down the volume, she just laughed and said ‘turn it back up, I love Fleetwood Mac!’ so up went the volume and she sang as she shopped; it was great!

So there you have it, a few of my favourite memories from working at The Vintage Toy Box and what is next for me? Well, I’ll still be around, in the background, still researching, writing, putting together social media posts and helping Saskia with community events and all the new exciting things that she has planned and of course – turning up Fleetwood Mac until the speaker beeps at full volume.

Until next time, Emma. x

If you want to show your appreciation for Emma, as much as we do, vote for us in the Australian Local Business Awards https://thebusinessawards.com.au/business/48911/The-Vintage-Toy-Box . Go on, it’ll make Emma’s day.

Moss Vale ... it's been fun!

Some decisions come easier than others. Some decisions fly at you like water off a duck’s back, and some need to be digested, regurgitated, revisited, prodded and pruned. Last week we made a decision that falls into the latter category, but now that we’ve made it, we’re relieved and thankful that we have.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we know it’s the right one for our little family, and we’re now ready to share it with you, in the hope that in doing so, you’ll decide to come on our next journey with us, because we sure have enjoyed having you all along for the ride!

The next part of our journey begins on the 1st July 2019, exactly one year to the day since we began our last chapter, the opening of our wonderful and magical Moss Vale store. What a chapter it’s been! It’s been fun, games, laughter and friendship. We’ve met some beautiful people (big and little) from our mini wonderland, and have been welcomed into such a wonderful community with open arms. We’ve been embraced, we’ve been loved, and we’ve shared joy. So much joy. We truly can call Moss Vale home. For that we are thankful.

Whilst we have been hanging out in our magical emporium however, we had a niggling feeling, one that wouldn’t go away. We realised that whilst we were watching other children have fun in our store, we were missing out on spending precious time with our own little person. We weren’t following our own message of ‘enjoying the little things in life, before they become big things’. We realised that we’d missed out on a whole year of Saturday fun and family exploring.

So, Moss Vale, it sure has been fun, we’ve loved being part of the high street, but we’re ready to now take a back seat and enjoy the landscape from a different angle. We’re looking forward to some foraging of our own, enjoying all that the beautiful Southern Highlands has to offer, but enjoying it as a family.

It’s not’ goodbye’ however, it’s merely a ‘see you soon’, as we’ll still be completely online. To say a big thank you to Moss Vale and to the Southern Highlands we’ll be offering a free drop off or pick up service for all online orders to anyone within a 15km radius of Moss Vale town centre, after we close the front door of our bricks and mortar shop for the last time on Saturday 29th June 2019.

When one door closes … another one opens. A heartfelt thank you to all of you who have supported us on our journey this far. We look forward to sharing the next adventures with you … here’s a clue … you may see up pop up in Fyshwick in Canberra very soon!

The Vintage Toy Box family x

Check out our awesome Closing Down Sale with a whopping 30% off all our large items. Available for in-store pick up only and while stocks last.

The Benefits of Classic Toys and Games

Bonding with children over toys is enjoyable and beneficial to all involved, but there are also some other fantastic advantages to keep in mind when picking out toys for your little cherubs.

Completing a puzzle helps with advancing a child’s fine motor skills as they learn to place puzzle pieces in the correct spot and the right way round. Puzzles also assist with hand-eye coordination and help children to understand patterns. We have a wide range of puzzles that are different sizes, shapes and a variation of pieces to challenge young ones and to ensure that will not get bored.

Do you remember the feeling you used to get from completing a puzzle? The experience leads to an immense sense of satisfaction, which in turn leads to a boost in self-esteem.

Playing a memory game or matching game with your child can help them to increase their attention span, and improve their cognitive skills. It is a great way to exercise and train the brain for visual memory. As memory and matching games are simple to play they can be enjoyed by children of all ages - younger children can bond with older children over a simple game. We have a large range of memory and matching games in store.

Craft can be enjoyed by all, whether it is painting, modelling with PlayDoh, building with blocks or drawing. Craft builds self-confidence, assists with decision making and gives children a sense of identity as they discover their creative flares whilst being their own person, (all while having fun!). Craft toys are also a great way for children to express themselves. We love to encourage children to be their own person and express themselves and have a fantastic range of craft activities in-store to help them do this, including Paper Dolls, Origami and paper craft sets, knitting dolls, stamp sets, stickers and flower presses.

Imaginative play has infinite possibilities and we stock a large range of play sets where children and adults can bond over tea parties, cook with wooden utensils, cut up wooden fruit and much more. Imaginative play builds a child’s self-confidence and it is a stepping stone to social play as they invite others to play with their tea cups filled with imaginary tea, or in their kitchen making imaginary dinner for their toys. Imagination play is also great for a child’s emotional development as they can express their feelings through re-enactment of certain experiences with their pretend play toys.

Musical instruments ignite all areas of a child’s development and skills. Playing musical instruments is great for toddlers and even if it doesn’t sound like anything rhythmical or melodic to us, it helps their body and mind work together. Music is a great way for young ones to express their creativity and they get a sense of accomplishment as they make sound come out of a piano, drum, harmonica or guitar. At The Vintage Toy Box we believe that it is important for children to express themselves by making music with instruments and we love to hear them making music in-store with all of our instruments and music toys.

Stuffed teddy’s, dolls and other soft toys provide comfort and security for your little one, giving them a friend to tell secrets to and confide in. They are also a great gateway to imaginative play as they role-play with their much loved toys. Children may for example act like a parent to other toys, putting them in charge of a situation, which in turn then builds up their self-confidence. We have a large range of soft toys which could easily become your child’s next loving best friend.

Sitting down as a family to play a family board game is a great way for a child to feel a sense of belonging and security as they play. Introducing family games at a young age can help with learning, teaching children how to share, how to take turns and how to loose without getting offended or upset. Another great benefit of family games is that it teaches children about planning and problem solving. We have loads of family games in store to intrigue adults and children alike, including all time classics such as Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Draughts, Ludo, and Game of Goose to name just a few. Enhance your family bonding time by grabbing a vintage inspired game today.

To check out all of these toys and games and much, much more, visit us in-store or browse or online store.

Classic Games | Marbles

Everybody knows of the classic game of marbles, and it is just as popular now as it has been over the decades. Marble crazes continuously grip schools across Australia, the UK, America and no doubt the rest of the world!

Marbles are small spherical toys most commonly now made from glass, but started their early days being made from clay. They were referred to as ‘little balls with which schoolboys played’ as early as the 15th century, and let’s face it, not much has changed!

There are many variations of the marble game, but the most classic game is where you need to knock your smaller marbles (ducks) out of the ring with your larger shooter marble by flicking it with your thumb (the knuckledown slingshot) without fudging or fouling the shot. If you manage to knock any marbles out of the ring, keep the marbles and add them to your pile. The winner at the end of the game is the one that has the most marbles. Players can either play for keeps (keepsies), or for fair (everyone gets their own marbles back). Players also have the option to call quitsies at any point during the game without consequence, effectively calling a halt to the game.

The large marble is known by many names, but some of the most common that we’ve heard of are:

Shooter | boulder | smasher | bowler | toebreaker | masher | bonker

In the North of England (where we grew up) the game and marbles were called ‘Taws’ and the larger Taws were called bottle washers. They were called this after the marble found in the codd-necked bottles that were used to hold carbonated drinks. The bottle was opened after use and the marble was collected to play with. Across the world Taw still refers to the name of the person taking the shot. We still have our taws from when we were a kid!

Marbles were often written about in Ancient Roman literature and archaeologists often find small round balls made of stone all over the world. Marbles are thought to originate from India as far back as 3300–1300 BCE , although it wasn’t until 1923 that the first set of rules were written by a ‘committee of playground and recreational experts’. (How we would love to have such an aptly named committee in our shop …. although we think the ore apt and modern day equivalent is kid toy testers!).

Fun Fact: Marbles arrived in Britain after being imported during the medieval era.

A German Glass Blower had a great idea for an invention called marble scissors which came onto the scene in 1846 that would revolutionise the making of glass marbles. The first mass-produced marbles were manufactured in Germany in the 1890s.

Fun Fact: Marbles were inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 1998.

Marbles is such a wonderfully classic game that there are still marble championships held across the world for those that like playing marbles - taking the game to the extreme. The British and World Marbles Championships are held in West Sussex, England every year. This event started in 1932 and has been held every year since. Britain however isn’t the only country with a Marble Championship event, Australia has the Australian Marbles Championships too which is held every year at various locations around Australia, playing their very own Brunswick Heads Rules.

Marble collecting is also a serious businesses among avid hobby enthusiasts, with people collecting low budget machine made marbles costing just a few cents, up to the rarer, more collectible antique handmade marbles worth thousands of dollars. Who would have thought that marble fraud was such a lucrative business, with unscrupulous tricksters imitating the most attractive mineral and agate or onionskin marbles and antique packaging. Thankfully marble experts have put together marble identification guides to help us get started with our marble identification and work our way through our Akro Agates or Peltier Glass collections. If all else fails however, we can always visit one of the many marble fairs to get them valued by one of the many Marble King marble experts there are in the world!

Classic Toys | Step Back in Time | Toys From The 1960s

The 1960s, also known as the Swinging Sixties was a decade of fun, due to the relaxation of the taboos and constraints of previous years, especially those relating to Sex and drugs and rock and roll.

After experiencing sluggish economic growth in the 1950s, as the after effect of Word War 2, the U.S.A experienced a massive 1960s boom with the economy which rippled around the globe. People born in the early 1960’s are commonly referred to as Baby Boomers due to this economic upturn.

Fun Fact: ‘Baby Boomers’ aren’t just from the early 1960’s like many people believe. The baby boom actually started when husbands and men returned from the war in 1945, leading to a high number of babies being born the following year.

The sixties was known for its peaceful demonstrations of peace and love and the creation of the Hippie sub-culture.  One of the biggest demonstrations of mass-love was Woodstock, a three day music festival held on a dairy farm north of New York City in August 1969 which attracted more than 400,000 people spreading love and peace. Rolling Stone magazine listed Woodstock as one of the top 50 moments that changed the history of Rock ‘n’ Roll and was forever immortilised as the summer of love.

The Space Race also dominated the 1960s with the USSR and the USA competing against each other in the realms of space exploration. On the 20th July 1969 Apollo 11 landed on the moon after leaving earth 4 days earlier. Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin had fulfilled President John F Kennedy’s goal of reaching the moon before the 1960s came to a close, even though President John F Kennedy himself was assassinated on the 22nd November 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

Fun Fact: The real winners of the space race were said to be the USSR when they launched the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 back in 1957.

Muscle cars with huge engines and loud exhausts became extremely popular in the 1960s. In Australia, these muscle cars needed to blow off steam somewhere – so in 1963, the Bathurst 1000, also known as The Great Race was introduced.  It was a completely different race to the souped up race we see today with only minor modifications being made to the engines.

Fun Fact: No special harnesses or seatbelts were installed in the cars; they raced in the standard seats that were manufactured with the car. Most racers encountered fabric burns and rashes as they slid around the seat racing around Mount Panorama.

The cars and rules have changed dramatically at Bathurst over the past 50 years but that doesn’t stop hundreds of thousands of people camping out on Mount Panorama for the 4 day event (the city of Bathurst expands its population by 4 times over the duration of the event) with many more tuning in on their TV’s every year to witness who will be the next King of the Mountain.

Once again music was a huge part of the everyday life of most people during the 1960s and in 1964 the cultural phenomenon of the British invasion of music began as The Beatles flew into America.  The Beatles were at the forefront of the invasion alongside The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Herman’s Hermits.

At the start of the decade music changed when the huge ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ movement came to an abrupt end and novelty pop songs and Motown groups climbed up the music charts. Surf Rock or California Sound also emerged during the early 60s, where the music was based on beach and surf.  The Beatles’ rival band, The Beach Boys dominated the surf rock scene after starting out as a garage band, they gained popularity as they made their way up the charts.  Their popular songs Good Vibrations and Surfin’ USA among many others are still enjoyed  around the world today.