Early
Years | Long
Beach Practice | War
Years
Later
Career | School
Design | His
Toys
His Toys
Many people aren't aware
that John Lloyd Wright is the inventor of Lincoln Logs and other games.
On this page we will feature his toys.
Lincoln
Logs
Lincoln Logs were
first produced in 1916 by John Lloyd Wright. Records show that the
J. L. Wright Company of Chicago, Illinois, obtained its patent for
the design on August 31, 1920 and had the Lincoln Logs name registered
on August 28, 1923. Building logs of similar designs had been produced
by several other toy companies since the civil war but John L. Wright's
version was very successful from the beginning and has remained so
to this day.
Click on the pictures to see the large version.
|
 |
 |
 |
Wright claimed
that the foundation of Tokyo’s earthquake-proof Imperial Hotel,
which he saw while his father was building it, inspired the shape of
his logs. Lincoln Logs turned out to be a toymaker’s dream. The
original sets were an instant success, and after World War II, sales of
Lincoln Logs got another boost from the baby boom. The sets were
popular among postwar parents because they were more sophisticated than
plain building blocks but still challenged children’s powers of
concentration and eye-hand coordination. Ironically, Lincoln Logs were
among the first toys to be promoted on television, 1953’s Pioneer
Playhouse. The ads targeted affluent parents, who were most likely to
own a television set and to buy educational toys.
The Imperial Hotel- John got the idea for Lincoln Logs by observing his father build this beautiful building.
|
