How early were Japanese tin toys being made, and sold in America?
Long before Hondas or Toyotas were sold in the United States, the Japanese tin toy industry cast admiring eyes at the American market. Known as Buriki in Japanese, the tin toys were made as early as the 1920s. But it was after World War II that Japanese toy makers made models of American cars, complete with friction, windup or even battery drive. And 70 of these toys are included in an exhibition at the Japan Society in Manhattan called “Buriki: Japanese Tin Toys from the Golden Age of the American Automobile” on display starting on Thursday. The show is accompanied by a book from Yale University Press by Joe Earle, vice president and director of the gallery. LincolnThe Japan Society The Lincoln Futura. Mr. Earle writes that for the Japanese of the 1950s tin toy cars “salved a pent-up thirst for glamor and beauty in the then impoverished country.” One of the earliest toys is a Jeep, like those driven by General McArthur’s occupying forces. Another is a 1947 Cadillac 62 four-door sedan
Long before Hondas or Toyotas were sold in the United States, the Japanese tin toy industry cast admiring eyes at the American market. Known as Buriki in Japanese, the tin toys were made as early as the 1920s. But it was after World War II that Japanese toy makers made models of American cars, complete with friction, windup or even battery drive. And 70 of these toys are included in an exhibition at the Japan Society in Manhattan called “Buriki: Japanese Tin Toys from the Golden Age of the American Automobile” on display starting on Thursday. The show is accompanied by a book from Yale University Press by Joe Earle, vice president and director of the gallery. LincolnThe Japan Society The Lincoln Futura. Mr. Earle writes that for the Japanese of the 1950s tin toy cars “salved a pent-up thirst for glamor and beauty in the then impoverished country.” One of the earliest toys is a Jeep, like those driven by General McArthur’s occupying forces. Another is a 1947 Cadillac 62 four-door sedan
Long before Hondas or Toyotas were sold in the United States, the Japanese tin toy industry cast admiring eyes at the American market. Known as Buriki in Japanese, the tin toys were made as early as the 1920s. But it was after World War II that Japanese toy makers made models of American cars, complete with friction, windup or even battery drive. And 70 of these toys are included in an exhibition at the Japan Society in Manhattan called “Buriki: Japanese Tin Toys from the Golden Age of the American Automobile” on display starting on Thursday. The show is accompanied by a book from Yale University Press by Joe Earle, vice president and director of the gallery. Mr. Earle writes that for the Japanese of the 1950s tin toy cars “salved a pent-up thirst for glamor and beauty in the then impoverished country.” One of the earliest toys is a Jeep, like those driven by General McArthur’s occupying forces. Another is a 1947 Cadillac 62 four-door sedan marked Made in Occupied Japan. What is fascin
Known as Buriki in Japanese, the tin toys were made as early as the 1920s. But it was after World War II that Japanese toy makers made models of American cars, complete with friction, windup or even battery drive. One of the earliest toys is a Jeep, like those driven by General Mac Arthur’s occupying forces. Another is a 1947 Cadillac 62 four-door sedan marked Made in Occupied Japan.
