Sotheby’s groundbreaking charity auction First Editions, Second Thoughts saw a first edition of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone take the top spot and set a new auction record for the writer.
Ideal Toy Company
The Ideal Toy Company was an American toy manufacturer which operated from 1907 until 1997. About the companyThe company was founded in 1907 as The Ideal Novelty and Toy Co, was most notable for producing the first toy teddy bears in 1903 (whose success led to the founding of the company). The company had its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, producing many popular toys and board games, most notably the line of Evel Knievel action figures and toys. The Ideal Toy Company officially disappeared in the mid-1980s, but many companies still produce the toys and games that made it famous.1 Examples include the Magic 8-ball and Rubik's Cube, which continue to be manufactured by Mattel Inc. Teddy bearsMain article: Teddy Bears In 1903, newspaper stories of President Theodore Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a defenceless bear while out hunting inspired Clifford Berryman, then a cartoonist for The Washington Post, to sketch a small, bewildered, tethered bear with the president turning away in disdain. The cartoon appeared on the front page of the Post on November 16 over the caption, “Drawing the Line in Mississippi, and proved an instant hit with readers. In New York City, Rose Michtom, the wife of Brooklyn candy store owner Morris Michtom – both Russian Immigrants – made two stuffed teddy bears. Her husband put them in his window at $1.50 each with a sign calling them “Teddy’s Bears.” The bears proved such a success that the Michtoms, both Russian immigrants, established the Ideal Toy Co. to keep up with demand.2 Betsy Wetsy and Tiny TearsIn 1934, an unusual new doll was introduced by the Ideal Toy Company: Betsy Wetsy, a doll that could drink and wet. Betsy Wetsy made it possible for girls to go about changing wet diapers on the doll. The doll remained popular into the 1950s and is sought by collectors today. A similar doll that became popular in the 1950s was Tiny Tears. Another product of Ideal, this doll also drank but produced tears when her belly was squeezed.3 KerPlunkIn 1967, the Ideal Toy Company was the first organisation to market the company KerPlunk. Consisting of a plastic tube, plastic rods called straws and a number of marbles in which players remove the straws without allowing the marbles to drop in the tube. The game remains popular to this day.4 Notable salesAn original Hopalong Cassidy figurine, complete with horse sold for $200 at auction house Philips De Pury & Company, New York, United States in July 2006.5 List of Ideal toysMain article: List of Ideal toys |
Latest NewsOn May 21, Sotheby’s held the long anticipated auction of the Andy Williams Collection of Navajo blankets.  An unusual sale of several of London’s most well known street signs occurred at Summers Place auctions on May 21, some exceeding their estimated prices.  The first watch to be specially adapted for James Bond, from 1965’s movie Thunderball, has been discovered after its purchase at a car boot sale for just £25.  As the world goes Great Gatsby crazy with the release of Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1920s novel, Palm Beach Modern are offering art, furniture and design that pays tribute to the Gatsby-era aesthetic.  |
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