Alfred Schoenhut came from a German family of toy makers. He came to the United States around 1865 and put together his toy factory in Philadelphia in 1872. His toy factory stayed in business until 1935, and during all that time Schoenhut became famous for high-quality wooden toys.
Schoenhut first made toy pianos. In 1903, he introduced his first circus toy, a clown. Clowns became a major part of Schoenhut's toy circus, just like they have been an important part of the real circus. How many clowns can you count in this display? By 1909 just about everything you see here was being sold in toy stores around the world. This colorful red and white tent with its lithographed audience and sideshow came out later, in 1928, but other tents were made starting in 1907.
You can see that Mr. Schoenhut made some great wooden toys. Where do you think he learned his trade?
These toy people and animals are also moveable, so kids can pose them in many kinds of positions. Look at the hands and feet of the people. They have grooves in them so they can hold things and stand on a tightrope or the back of a chair. This helps them do their circus tricks!
