Written by Hannah Palsa
Chapman Center Scholar
Student Curatorial Assistant – Beach Museum of Art
Source: National Archives Catalog, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, 1882–1962, NAID: 195910
The community house in Manhattan, Kansas transformed in December 1940 into a place of childlike wonder. Children lined up early before the store’s opening at 9am on December 15, 1940. Upon descending into the basement, children and their parents were greeted with rows and rows of toys. Dolls, trains, puzzles, roller skates, teddy bears, rocking horses, and other childish delight sat in ordered rows. On the other side of the room, damaged toys sat on workbenches waiting to have life breathed back into them. Women sat behind small checkout counters armed with small stacks of library cards. In a polite fashion, children selected their toys and checked them out for the journey home. The toy lending library had officially opened in Manhattan, Kansas for the holiday season.[1]
Source: Chicago Park District Archive, Photograph cgp_spe_p00001_078_022_001
Toy libraries were created by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression and functioned the same as regular libraries. Children required parent’s permission before being allowed to visit a toy library. They were issued a library card and allowed to check out one toy per week. Girls flocked toward dolls or roller skates while boys clamored for trains or baseball gloves. After the card was stamped by a check out attendant, children were allowed to take their toys home and begin the joy of play. Once the week was up, children returned their toys and, if in good standing, were permitted to check out new playthings. If toys were returned damaged or lost, the privileges of toy libraries were revoked.[2]
Source: Chicago Park District Archive, Photograph cgp_spe_p00001_005_005_001
In addition to Manhattan, toy lending libraries existed in Wichita, Emporia, Dodge City, Topeka, Kansas City, and Newton, Kansas.[3] The libraries were operated by volunteers through Rotary Clubs, churches, or other philanthropical organizations. In Wichita, the toy lending library was operated by the Women of the Service league of St. James Episcopal Church and housed in the basement of the Y.M.C.A. The Manhattan toy lending library was sponsored through the Manhattan Rotary Club, and in Dodge City, through the Junior Chamber of Commerce.[4] Wichita’s toy library operated differently than other Kansas institutions. Children in Wichita were permitted to check out toys through a grading scale. In the beginning, children checked out toys worth a lower number of points but gradually gained privileges to check out higher value toys if they continued to return toys in good condition. The center opened with 600 toys stocked on shelves but continued to receive more through community donations.[5]
Source: Chicago Park District Archives, Toys 2022.14, 2022.15
The goal of toy libraries was to allow underprivileged children the chance to play with a variety of toys and to relish in the simple pleasure of childhood play. Thousands of toys were loaned to children across the United States during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Staff at libraries later recalled that children took excellent care of the toys, and that very few were lost or damaged. In some cities, children were allowed to permanently keep toys, and girls frequently “adopted” dolls in their care.[6] Overall, toy lending libraries allowed thousands of children throughout the United States to engage in play and find a source of comfort during the economic hardships of the Great Depression.
[1] The Manhattan Mercury, “She Thrils In Visit At A Toy Shop,” by Margaret Wunsch, December 14, 1940.
[2] The Manhattan Mercury, “Toys for All,” February 15, 1941
[3] The Parsons Sun, “Four New WPA Toy Centers,” October 19, 1940.
[4] The Wichita Eagle (Beacon), “Wichita Children To Enjoy Toy Library,” January 07, 1941, The Manhattan Mercury, She Thrills In Visit At A Toy Shop,” by Margaret Wunsch, December 14, 1940, and The Hutchinson News, “Toy Library in Dodge City: Jay-Cees Make Fun For Poor Children,” March 10, 1940.
[5] The Wichita Eagle (Beacon), “Wichita Children To Enjoy Toy Library,” January 07, 1941.
[6] The Shreveport Journal, “250 Good Little Girls Will Adopt Dolls This Christmas: Toy Loan Library Provides Rewards for ‘Little Mothers,” by Pauline Van Houten, December 15, 1942.
The Rural Telegraph 