Welcome to the Napa Toy Museum
The museum is a collection of collections. We have wind up and battery toys, game boards, but also over 100 mechanical banks, patent models, still banks, salesman samples and space toys. We invite you to visit our museum and browse among interesting objects from the past.
About the Collection
A small tin wind up tank began a 25-year journey in collecting. Toys led to mechanical banks, patent models, penny toys and more, which led to the opening of a museum in Napa for everyone to enjoy our collections.
Why Visit
The Napa Toy Museum is a collection of collections. Wind-up toys from the 1890’s to the 1960’s. Tiny toys that traveled from factories in Germany all around the world, to be sold for a penny. Robots and spaceships, patent models, and over 100 mechanical banks that rewarded a penny saved with exciting action. And the most spectacular Noah’s Ark you will probably ever see, with over 120 sets of hand carved animals and birds winding their way up to the Ark, just as the rain begins to fall.
We are happy to help you enjoy your visit, and to guide you through our collections.
Our Toys
They wind up, run on friction, powered by batteries, strings and rubber bands. They walk, run, crawl, fly, dive, swim, tumble, balance, spin and climb. They’re made of iron, steel, glass, paper, wood, aluminum, plastic, rubber and more. Somehow, they have survived for decades, with generations of play by their young owners. They educate and entertain, but their real purpose is to provide joy.
Wind Up Toys
Wind-up toys first appeared in the 15th century, available then only to the aristocracy. By the late 1800’s, mass produced clockwork toys that were affordable began to appear. Germany was known for the highest quality toys of the time, with mechanisms that still work after 140 years. By the 1950’s, Japan and then China began producing low cost and usually low-quality items. The introduction of the alkaline battery led to the gradual disappearance of most wind-up toys and their makers.
Mechanical Banks
The first cast iron mechanical bank was patented in 1869. It proved so popular that over the next 70 years, over 500 different types were made and sold. As simple as a rabbit wiggling his ears to a complex Victorian girl skipping rope, they were designed to promote thrift in children. The surviving examples still bring pleasure to all.
Space Toys
In 1929, the comic strip Buck Rogers first appeared in newspapers. Hugely successful, it inspired a new class of toys for the young fans of the time. With the launch of Sputnik and the space race, robots and rockets, moon crawlers and flying saucers, even evil aliens bent on conquest quickly appeared and became the must have toys for children everywhere.
Still Banks
Still banks as a depository for coins have been in use for thousands of years. The piggy bank is the most easily recognizable, but they came in an astonishing variety of forms, sizes and materials. If there is an object on the planet, someone has probably made it into a still bank.
Patent Models
Patent models are a fascinating look back into American history. From 1790 until 1880, the Patent Office required working models to be submitted for approval. No larger than 12” on a side, they range from crude models homemade from scrap wood and iron to complex industrial machinery. The Smithsonian Institute has the world’s largest collection, with iconic items such as the light bulb, the telephone and the first phonograph on display.
Salesman’s Samples
Similar to Patent Models, salesman’s samples were miniature versions of objects that were too large or heavy to be easily carried about. Many samples were for farm related use such as plows, wagons and other items that could be shown to the customer. Samples are usually intricately made, to prove to the skeptical buyer they would actually work.
Penny Toys
Penny toys are an interesting class of old toys. Usually produced in Germany, they went through a complex manufacturing process and then were shipped all over the world. Meant as an impulse buy, it might pass through two or three hands before being sold by street vendors for a penny. Because they were made by the millions, some of these tiny and fragile toys still survive, and come in an amazing variety of forms.
New Arrivals
The museum continues to add to our collection with new toys including well loved toys from private collections, donations and loans as well as special exhibitions from around the country.