Charlie the Tuna stuffed character doll manufactured by Mattel, Incorporated in Hawthorne, California circa 1970. Charlie has been the cartoon mascot for StarKist tuna since 1961.

For details, view the doll in our online collections database.

Slinky Junior helical spring toy made by James Industries between 1965 and 1968 and used by Tracey Allyn Harpole, Kimberley Michelle Harpole, and Leslie Robin Harpole in St. Paul, Minnesota.  The Slinky Junior is a smaller version of the original Slinky toy.

For details, view the Slinky Junior in our online collections database.

Flex-O-Gears toy construction set consisting of a cardboard storage canister (A) and interlocking plastic pieces (B-FF: 15 cog wheels; 14 black connectors; and one plastic handle). Manufactured by Child Guidance Toys, Inc. in New York, New York between 1962 and 1963. Used by Tracey Allyn Harpole in St. Paul, Minnesota.

For details, view the set in our online collections database.

Pull toy (Tiny Teddy) consisting of a wooden bear sitting atop a xylophone set on wheels. The bear holds two coiled metal mallets which strike the xylophone’s keys when the set is pulled forward by means of a cord attached to its front. Manufactured by the Fisher-Price Toy Company in 1967 and used by Leslie Robin Harpole, Tracey Allyn Harpole, and Kimberly Michelle Harpole in St. Paul, Minnesota.

For details, view the pull toy in our online collections database.

Toy version of the Wienermobile, the hot dog-shaped vehicle used to advertise Oscar Mayer meat products.  A plastic likeness of Little Oscar, the Oscar Mayer mascot, rises and falls from a cavity in the vehicle’s top as it rolls backwards and forwards. Manufactured circa 1965.

For details, view the Wienermobile in our online collections database.

Hasbro Junior Miss sewing kit used at the Dowling Urban Environmental School in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the 1950s. The kit consists of a sewing box; a sewing machine; a doll; a doll dress pattern; a pre-cut doll dress; three pre-cut doll shirts; metal scissors; spools of thread; a needle in a needle book; two pieces of extra cloth; a thimble; a laminated flash card; dress pattern directions; an “important hints” leaflet; and a sewing machine set-up instruction sheet.

For details and additional pictures, view the sewing kit in our online collections database.

Bubble-blowing hat toy consisting of an aluminum cap with a chin strap, a bubble liquid storage chamber and a breathing tube. Air exhaled into the breathing tube travels upwards into the chamber and causes bubbles to emerge. Manufactured by Mattel, Inc. and the Bubble-O-Bill Corporation in Los Angeles, California circa 1955.

For details, view the hat in our online collections database.

Polka Doodles peg board toy sealed in its original packaging. Designed by Lisbeth Whiting and manufactured in the United States by the Lisbeth Whiting Company circa 1965.

For details, view the toy in our online collections database.

Tin refrigerator and freezer toy set with door handles, a painted floor grill and a name plate fixed to the upper right corner reading, “Frost Free/ Wolverine/ Refrigerator.” The inside doors of both the freezer and refrigerator feature lithographed illustrations of various foods. Manufactured by the Wolverine Toy Company and used by Nancy McCarty in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul during the early 1970s.

Toy power shovel with a functional crane-mounted clamshell bucket. Manufactured by Tonka Toys circa 1975.

For details, view the toy in our online collections database.