U.S. #3005
1995 32¢ Child Holding Jumping Jack
Contemporary Christmas
Issue Date: September 30, 1995
City: North Pole, NY
Quantity: 75,000,000
Printed By: Sterling Sommers for Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: 11.2
Color: Multicolored
Child Holding Jumping Jack
Until the 1850s, toy stores were virtually unheard of, and most
toys children received for Christmas were homemade. But the appearance
of mass-manufactured toys opened a new market for shopkeepers who piled
their counters and shelves high with every imaginable toy – including
drums, horns, toy kitchens with real woodburning stoves, china sets,
armies of tin soldiers, rocking horses, hoops, jacks, trains, and
steamboats.
Each year it seemed Santa produced toys more fabulous than the year
before and it wasn’t long before motion and sound appeared in toys. The
late 1800s saw an explosion of ingenious toys – guns that fired peas,
dogs that jumped through hoops, and baby dolls that cried. These
amazingly lifelike clockwork toys, many of which were imported from
Europe, delighted young and old alike. But despite all the fantastic
creations, brightly painted Noah’s arks remained a favorite throughout
the years. Dolls were also popular, and soon they too became elaborate
creations with lifelike expressions, real hair, and eyes that opened and
closed.
Although toys and toy stores may have changed since those early
years, today the anticipation of discovering what Santa has left under
the tree still makes every child’s Christmas magical.