Tag: toys

Ponyhenge: a Lincoln field, a herd of hobby horses, and an unsolved mystery!

Leo S

On a small patch of deserted farmland in the town of Lincoln, in the US state of Massachusetts, broken-down rocking horses, plastic ponies and other assorted horse toys are scattered on the ground. Some are made of wood, some plastic with rusted springs and broken legs, weather-battered from years of harsh winters and scorching summers. As if by magic, ponies have been proliferating along this winding country road, resulting in the peculiar place know as “Ponyhenge”. The plastic and metal horses started arriving anonymously sometime in 2010, with the placement…

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The curious Elf Lane – Gnome Road in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado~

Leo S

In the area of Red Feather Lakes, Colorado there is a dirt road where, if you pay close attention to the bushes and trees, you will find that you are surrounded magical woodland creatures. Or, at least their kitschy thrift store equivalent. The wilderness of the mountain trail in the quaint village of Red Feather Lakes is the true draw in the area, but it seems that some locals have added an attraction of their own. Known alternately as Gnome Road or Elf Lane, depending on which handmade road sign…

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Grassy Point Railroad Bridge – Minnesota and its haunting army of decomposing stuffed animals

Leo S

The Grassy Point Bridge was authorized by the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota in 1887 to cross Saint Louis Bay at the shortest possible location. It was built by the Minneapolis and Duluth Railroad, which was later acquired by the Northern Pacific. The bridge allowed to move trains between their railroad lines on either side of the Twin Ports Harbor. The east end of the bridge connects to the BNSF 28th Street Terminal, and a massive maze of rail yards and side tracks (now mostly gone). The current iron and…

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Aunt Claudia’s Dolls, a collection of unique items that includes the most diverse display of northern indigenous dolls.

Nathan

After World War II, Claudia Kelsey, a longtime toy collector, moved to Juneau, Alaska with her friend Beatrice Shepard, Bea, to set up a life as an artist. She brought with her a large collection of dolls, figures, and miniatures dear to her that would, after her death, become the beloved gallery in the heart of Juneau known today as Aunt Claudia’s Dolls. Upon Claudia’s death some 60 years after the war, her friend Bea decided the collection, which had amassed more than 800 items, should be put on display…

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Portland Troll Bridge – Oregon

Leo S

There is a popular story, “Three Billy Goats Gruff”, in which three little goats are trying to get across a bridge, but a troll who lives underneath it threatens to eat them up. They trick him to cross, and all ends well (for the goats, at least). Now that you’re all grown up, you know that trolls don’t really live under bridges. But there’s one bridge in Oregon where trolls actually do live…and it’s really pretty charming! The reason (or the reasons) why trolls began to appear under a bridge…

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The curious Toy Cemetery at Coyoacán Bazaar – Mexico

Ivan

We are in Coyoacán, Mexico. Known officially as the Mercado Artesanal Mexicano (Mexican Crafts Market), but colloquially as El Bazar, this market is a reference point in city center. Located on the Street Felipe Carrillo Puerto in Coyoacán, in this market you can find different Mexican art such as bracelets, clothes, toys, incenses, necklaces, tattoos, plants and “alebrijes”, brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures. A place full of color, tradition and life, where you can find the crafts that characterize Mexico. However, hidden beneath the small cacti…

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Hinnagami: the spirit that possess japanese dolls and grant their owners any wish

Pavel

Hinnagami are powerful spirits from Toyama Prefecture, Japan, that live inside in dolls. In Japan dolls take on an important meaning, and this is why once they become old they are not thrown away, because an ancient Japanese belief says that inside the dolls there is a soul. Therefore instead of getting rid of dolls used, the Japanese put them on an altar with the utmost respect. The spirit within the dolls is considered evil, as the Hinnagami are spirits that grant wishes to the families that own the haunted…

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Edison’s talking doll which terrified children.

Pavel

He called them his “little monsters”: Thomas Alva Edison, great inventor and American entrepreneur, is remembered in history as the man who invented the light bulb. Although he was not the first to invent it (he had preceded him since 25 years Heinrich Göbel), and not even directly inventor of the light bulb himself, developed in his laboratories in Menlo Park, had the merit of being able to market it on a very large scale. He registered with his name 1,093 patents (almost all other projects purchased and registered as…

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