Play set:Baby's Nursery

In the days before mass production, German toy makers fashioned tiny figures representing the biblical tale of Noah and the creatures that occupied his ark. In the 19th century, these sets served as Sunday toys, playthings suitable for a day of rest but, more importantly, suitable for a day of worship. Toy manufacturers of the late 1800s and the 1900s offered play sets of a variety of subjects and themes, including the circus, farms, schools, zoos, and tiny villages. By the mid-1900s, companies like Ideal, Fisher-Price, Playmobil, and others offered a wide variety of play sets.