For centuries, parents have tried to instill a practice of thrift and saving in their children. The virtue stuck best when children had their own little penny banks for depositing their coins. At the turn of the 20th century, many middle-class children had their own penny banks for saving their pennies. Manufacturers made banks of nearly every material available: cast iron, steel, and other metals, ceramics, and woods. Banks appeared in a variety of shapes too: animals, human figures, and of course, safe and solid-looking bank buildings.