Rhode Island is well-known as the home of Hasbro, makers of Mr. Potato Head, Transformers and My Little Pony. But few may be aware there was once a local “Tynietoy Company” that produced handmade and hand-painted playthings. And it came into existence just in the nick of time.
“Everything in this house is handmade right here in Providence”. Margaret Lederer is referring to a giant, wooden, New England-style deluxe dollhouse on display at the Handicraft Club, a more than century-old organization on the East Side of Providence that is still active today.
“There are porcelains, there’s metalwork, there’s woodwork, there’s paintings, there’s rugs, there’s dolls,” said Lederer. The miniatures, called “Tynietoys” are the work of artisans from the Handicraft Club
“When you see them and you see the quality of painting, the quality of the woodwork, it’s really each piece is like a small sculpture. The attention to detail is phenomenal!” said Lederer.
The origin of the Tynietoys Company is, in part, attributable to the late Sydney Burleigh. Burleigh was a prominent and prolific local artist. He was a leader of the Providence Art Club. But his hometown was Little Compton.
Majory O’Toole, Executive Director of the Little Compton Historical Society said Burleigh, “loved whimsy. He loved working with his hands. Much of his work was to promote the Arts and Crafts movement in America, pushing back against the age of industrialization. So we see beautiful work, metal, wood paint. I think it’s fair to call him sort of a renaissance man.”
In reality, Burleigh became Santa’s helper during World War I, when an embargo was placed on German goods. “There became a concern among the artists and crafters in Providence that the children’s toys being produced in Germany would be blocked and the Rhode Island children would not have the opportunity to have toys at Christmas,” according to O’Toole.
In 1914 Handicraft Club members Marion Perkins and Amey Vernon decided to make dolls, dollhouse furniture and all the trimmings. And they turned to their friend Sidney Burleigh for assistance.
“They drew upon him to be an advisor and to help them decide the scale of the buildings, the dollhouses, and the pieces of furniture, which were modeled after pieces that are in the Museum collection,” said Lederer. They were advertised as a Tiny shop for “Tynietoys” in the tiniest state in the Union. The company sold through catalogs and stores.
“As the company grew through sales of the dollhouses at major department stores and through a mail order business, they needed a bigger space to keep up with the productions,” said Lederer. “So they moved to the building where the RISD, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)Auditorium is now”. The company went on to hire students from RISD and World War I veterans to construct and paint the Tynietoys” said Lederer. The company folded in the early 1950s when Japan began producing less expensive plastic dollhouse furniture.
