Vintage Toys For Christmas

Last Christmas I was determined NOT to fight the crowds of Christmas shoppers in stores like Toys R Us and Walmart.  I have had a growing distaste for the commercialism and consumerism of Christmas for the last 10 years or so, and it is turning into an absolute disgust.  I love giving gifts, but I hate the amount of plastic, made-in-China, play-with-once type toys that are available in most stores. They break shortly after opening, or get shoved to the back of the toy box.  I also hate the extra packaging, the plastic and dyes, and even the smell of chemicals the new toys emit when first opened.  Not only do they add to the landfill, but they support overseas manufacturing, they are made with potenially harmful products, and they don't last.  I started looking for greener alternatives.  Green toys are great... they are less harmful to the environment, they tend to have less packaging, some are made in North America, and they are generally made with safe dyes and fabrics.  But they still add to the landfill.   

My kids play so well at their grandparents' houses.  They take out the toys, vintage blocks, Fisher Price, My Little Ponies, Tinker Toys and so on.  They'll play for hours with those toys, and I sit and reminisce about my own childhood, playing with these same toys.  They have lasted through 4 children, 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild so far, and they appear to be capable of lasting through many more.  So the lightbulb turns on.  Why not buy vintage toys for Christmas?  No more new toys to buy, no packaging, no environmental concerns from production, no more toys in the landfill.  Vintage toys tend to be high quality because they have lasted this long in the first place.  AND (this part is really exciting to me) I get to think about all the toys I played with, and select the ones that I loved best, to give to my children.  Not only is this proof that these toys are good ones, but it also guarantees a certain amount of mommy-play too!  How can I not play with these toys I remember so vividly?!

I selected some Fisher Price toys to start with.  We had a lot of Fisher Price toys growing up, and they are easy to find secondhand because they are so well made they are still around.  I found a great local Etsy store that sold vintage Fisher Price.  She had a huge selection of toys, including the Truck/Camper set, Tent Trailer set, and Farm set I grew up loving.  Since she was local I was able to skip on shipping by driving there to pick them up.  Full sets too!!!




Photo from http://www.ponylandpress.com/



Next I searched on Ebay and found batches of vintage My Little Ponies.  I bid on several and won a few of them.  When they arrived, I wiped them all down and brushed their hair, and my senses sang with remembrance of my childhood.  My first pony, Butterscotch.  She felt the same in my hands all these years later.  Baby Cotton Candy, with her sweet, upturned face.  LOVE!!!!!!! 



 



I wrapped them up in Christmas fabric and ribbons I purchased several years back.  The perfect green gifts!  Pre-owned but in good condition, no packaging, nothing for the landfill, not even wrapping paper.  And I love watching my kids play with these toys!  My 8 year old son loves the Fisher Price toys as much as my 2 and 4 year old daughters do.  They spend hours playing together with the toys and it brings back warm fuzzy memories to see them playing with them. 



Vintage toys tend to be more expensive than regular old secondhand toys, especially if the seller is aware of their value.  You can expect to pay between $30 and $50 for a complete vintage Fisher Price set (and if it's in unused condition you can pay an awful lot more).  But you may find it on craigslist or if you are lucky, at a thrift store for much less.  I spent about $20 plus shipping for about 20 vintage My Little Ponies, in played with condition.  But considering what you would spend buying a new toy and the carbon footprint you would leave, it is worth it. 



So sit back a moment and think about the toys you used to play with.  Which ones were your favorites?  Which ones lasted?  Which ones did you have a hard time putting away even after you outgrew them?  Check out places like Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist and thrift stores to see if you can find some.  Toys that last and that you remember are likely classics that will be loved by any child.  Have some fun with it!  Greening your Christmas can be as easy as buying vintage, and as eco-friendly as buying local and package-free.  And have fun wrapping and playing with something you loved so much when you were little!

This post has been linked to: The Prairie Homestead: Homestead Revival Barn Hop, Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Blog Hop, I Thought I Knew Mama's Green and Natural Thursday, Common Sense Homesteading's Living Well Blog Hop and Attainable Sustainable's Patchwork Living Blogging Bee.