WWI Military Toys

Time Period
1877 to 1924
Topics
Domestic Life
Military History

These figures, dressed in Red Cross uniforms and English Brodie helmets worn during the First World War, were created by German company O&M Hausser, which made toy soldiers, cowboys, Indians, and medieval knights before closing in 1983. The soldiers are made from elastoline, the company’s trademarked material made primarily from saw dust and glue. August 2014 marked the centennial of the start of the First World War—a four-year-long global conflict that resulted in over thirty-seven million military and civilian casualties. 

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Toy Soldiers

Sawdust and glue WWI Toys by O&M Hausser, c. 1914 – 1918. (VMHC 2003.412.26.1-3. Gift of J. Madison Macon.) 

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Ambulance

Sawdust and glue WWI Toys by O&M Hausser, c. 1914 – 1918. (VMHC 2003.412.26.1-3. Gift of J. Madison Macon.) 

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Supply Wagon

Sawdust and glue WWI Toys by O&M Hausser, c. 1914 – 1918. (VMHC 2003.412.26.1-3. Gift of J. Madison Macon.)