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Yesterday's Child

Cobh Museum first opened on 26th April 1973. This year, to celebrate the museum's 40th anniversary, we are reproducing one of our most popular exhibitions, "Yesterday's Child", which was mounted in 1983 to mark the 10th year of the museum. The majority of toys on display are pre-1950 and include a rocking horse, a dolls house, toy soldiers and model warships, as well as board games and a child's film projector from the early 1900's.

Toy Exhibition in 1983
Skipping Rope

 

Pull-Along Bunny

Toys have always entertained children, allowing them to play alone or with friends. Some toys, like dolls and bricks, evolve and change over time. Other toys and games are popular for a brief period and are quickly forgotten.

The biggest change in children's playtime came with the advent of television, and later the computer. Family board games and street games such as skipping and hopscotch, declined in popularity and were replaced by solitary computer games and television.

The increasing availability of wi-fi today means that, through the internet, children may still play games with friends, although without any personal or physical contact, even with friends in any part of the world. The majority of toys on display are pre-1950. Some of them are no longer fashionable and others have withstood the test of time.

horizonal break with red doors