Fairylite ... German? American?

[Steph]

Here's an adorable box which recently sold on ebay. Looks like it was packaged for the British market but all it says about the marbles is that they are foreign. I first guessed the marbles would be German, but then I wondered about Japanese or American. We would all qualify as foreign if the box was to be sold in England. What do you think?

(click to enlarge)

(source)

[Alan]

Here's an adorable box which recently sold on ebay. Looks like it was packaged for the British market but all it says about the marbles are that they are foreign. I first guessed the marbles would be German, but then I wondered about Japanese or American. We would all qualify as foreign if the box was to be sold in England. What do you think?

(source)

IIRC the Fairlylite toy company was owned by the Graham Brothers in the UK. It manufacturerd and imported from Japan. The logo below looks like a match to yours:

[lstmmrbls]

Look like German marbles to me. I have recieved that type from Germany and England. Peace,Galen

[Steph]

I dreamt about this box last night. Dreamt it was mine and I finally got a good look at the fine print and saw it said 100% made in the U.S.A. (LOL ... this was only a dream!)

Wonder what decade it might be from. The seller estimated "about 1940's".

[shiroaiko]

Below is what I posted at All About Marbles. I hope it helps! (Sorry, I cannot change the font size!)

On "foreign" wirepulls

Post by shiroaiko » Wed Mar 06, 2024 11:52 am

 

Recently I learned something big from a book specialized in old Japanese tin toys. The book says that “foreign” was used in stead of “made in Japan” after Showa13 (1938) on Japanese exports. 

According to the book, it was the time Japan started war/massacre against China which provoked the world’s antipathy against the country. The antipathy was reasonable. It was like nearly 200,000 Chinese citizens who lost their lives. Because Japan needed to earn foreign money, tin toy trade continued for years even during WW2. Although tin toy production for domestic market was banned in Showa13, production for export persisted for that reason. Tin toys being produced after 1938 were carved “foreign” to hide identity. In the cases “made in Japan” was already printed on toys, the letters were concealed under a paint or scraped off. Then “foreign" was put on afterwards.

The similar situation would apply to Seike’s wirepulls, because the time was about the same. Seike’s wirepull patent was applied in November Showa11 (1936). It is possible to think Seike's wirepulls were also exported to the world as “foreign” marbles after the Nanjing massacre for a few years. Japan's marble export to the 3rd countries ( the countries which were out of Yen block economy, such as UK and the US) was known to end in July Showa16 (1941). So "foreign" means production between Showa 13-16 (1938-41). 
 

Edited April 27 by shiroaiko
The first sentence was wrongly embedded in the quote.

[shiroaiko]

The book information: Nobuo KUMAGAI, "The Japanese Tin Toys from 1880's to 2010's" 熊谷信夫「日本のブリキ玩具図鑑」Sogen-sha, Osaka, 2023. The parts referring to "foreign" are p. 27 and 78.

One good news is the passages show English words such as "Made in Japan" and "Foreign" and a photograph of tin toy with a "foreign" impression.

This morning I sent an email asking Mr. Kumagai if I can get a permission for line-to-line translation and post it to marble forums. He answered me right away that he would ask the publisher. Japan is in the beginning of Golden Week, national holidays where people would take 7-10 days vacation. The answer would take time. 

[shiroaiko]

I've got the permission! My translation would take some time, but look forward to it!

[Steph]

Wow!  Thanks for bumping with the explanation. 

[shiroaiko]

I'm finally done with my translation! We got 3 parts in the book which talk about the "foreign" issue. Because of the redundancy, 2 passages are selected for the translation. 

Quote #1 is on page 27, from Nobuo KUMAGAI's "Pictorial Guide to the Japanese Tin Toys --- The Japanese Tin Toys from 1880's to 2010's. " or 「日本のブリキ玩具図鑑」Sogensha, Osaka, Japan.（2023)

戦争の時代とブリキ玩具の製造禁止
Wartime and Production Ban of Tin Toys 

1920年代まではブリキ玩具にとっておおむね幸せな時代が続いたが、
For the tin toy industry, the period until the 1920’s was generally a happy time,
以降は多難な時代となる。
while it faced full of challenges thereafter. 

支那事変、満州事変と日本は戦争の時代に入り、
After the Sino-Japanese War and the Mukden Incident, Japan entered the period of wartime.
ついには太平洋戦争が始まると、ブリキ玩具の製造は窮地に陥った。
With the onset of the Pacific War, tin toy production finally got into a dire situation. 

まず、1938（昭和13）年には国内向けの金属玩具の販売が禁止された。
First of all, in 1938 (Showa 13), selling metal toys for the domestic consumption was prohibited.

国内向けとあるように、
As indicated by “for domestic consumption,” 
海外輸出用のブリキ玩具は引き続き製造された。
tin toys for export continued to be manufactured.

外貨獲得のためである。
This was for the purpose of earning foreign currency.

ただし「MADE IN JAPAN」の表記は「FOREIGN」に改められた。
However, the labeling of “MADE IN JAPAN” was changed to “FOREIGN” .

この時期のおもちゃには「MADE IN JAPAN」の表記が削り取られたり、
During this period, the inscriptions on the toys were scraped off

ラッカーで塗りつぶされたりしているものもある。
or covered up with paint for some cases.
 

Quote #2 is from page 78.

ブリキ玩具の代用品　
Substitute for Tin Toys

日中戦争の長期化によって金属資源の不足が懸念されるようになると、
As concerns grew over the shortage of metal resources due to the prolonged Sino-Japanese War,
金属以外の材料の使用が推奨された。
the use of non-metal materials was encouraged.

それでもブリキ玩具は作られていたが、
Despite this, tin toys were still being produced. 
1938（昭和13）年にはブリキを含む金属玩具の国内向けの製造が禁止された。
In 1938 (Showa 13) the metal toy production for domestic market, including tin toys, was banned. 

もっとも、製造会社は事前にブリキを買い込んでおり、
However, most manufacturing companies had already stocked up on tinplate beforehand, 
材料や生産計画を中止することは困難であったし、
making it difficult to halt materials and production plans.
外貨獲得のため海外向けの製品は引き続き作られていたこともあって、
Due to the need for foreign currency, toys for overseas markets continued to be produced. 
実際にはブリキ玩具はしばらくの間市場に流通していたという。
As a result, tin toys were still circulating in the market for some time. 

なお、この頃には海外向け製品には、
Furthermore, during this period, for export products, 
欧米の対日感情を考慮し、
the anti-Japanese sentiments in Europe and the United States was taken into the account, 
「MADE IN JAPAN」の代わりに「FOREIGN」を使っていた。
and "FOREIGN" was used instead of "MADE IN JAPAN". 

しかし、1940年になると欧米で日本製玩具の輸入が相次いで禁止され、
However, in 1940 the importation of Japanese-made toys was increasingly prohibited in Europe and the United States.
さらに1941年には国内金属製品の回収が始まり、
Moreover, in 1941, the domestic collection of metal products began.
金属玩具の販売ができなくなった。
Selling metal toys within the country was no longer possible. 

このため、ブリキの代わりに木材などを使ったブリキ玩具の代用品が作られるようになったのである。
Substitutes for tin toys, which were made from materials such as wood, were produced for this reason.
 

I will explain Mr Kumagai's background in the next post. 

 

[shiroaiko]

The author Nobuo KUMAGAI was born in Osaka in 1948. As a child, he used to play with tin toys. Years later when he started his career in 1971, he opened a curio shop where people could buy tin toys. The shop was located in Umeda, Osaka, at the very heart of the city. His love of tin toys continued to grow and he published the first history book on the specific area in 1979. The book’s contribution to the world of the hobby was big; the number of fans greatly increased, and the hobby of tin toys gained social recognition. It was 1980 that he moved all of his tin toys to Shinsai-bashi, Osaka, where he opened another shop in his own building. The shop was known to be the first specialty shop for vintage tin toys in Osaka. Mr. Kumagai also opened a private museum/gallery in the same building where we can visit and enjoy his collection. This place is called "Osaka Tin Toy Institute". 

The first generation of matured collectors in tin toys appeared in the late 60s, he recalls. When he started his first shop in Umeda, the market was rather small. As time went by, the number of the fans was on the rise. Rare and old tin toys became out of reach due to the overpricing caused by the shortage. Mr. Kumagai and his peer enthusiasts wanted to share fun of the hobby more with younger generations. 

The first tin toy reproduction was done by BILIKEN SHOKAI in 1988. The 2nd was the project of Kumagai and Metal House (Katsumasa MIYAZAWA) which started to sell reproductions of the tin toy Golden Era and original toys such as C3PO, R2D2, Darth Vader (Star Wars Series) and Robby the Robot. Japan had 30 years of reproduction projects under the cooperations of various toy makers, factories and enthusiasts. 

Tin toy production was only possible by a network of factories such as component manufacturers, printing companies, mold makers, and the like. It operated as a system of divided labor. As the 21st century began, many businesses closed down due to retirements and a shortage of successors. Miyazawa made every effort to sustain the manufacturing environment for the production by acquiring equipment from businesses closing down, but the company finally ceased operations in 2017. This was the very end of the reproduction era. 

The 2023 book is a compilation of the researches the author undertook over 50 years. The book is fascinating...featuring more than 1000 of great photographs. For each photo, specification is provided with English subtitles. 

Sales of books for collectors abroad will be ordered via Mr. Takashi MORITA at Vintage Gate gallery. For international inquiries, please contact：[email protected]
 

 These photos are for marble forums from Mr. Kumagai. I was excited to see the planes...I just love old toys...They show the correspondence of "foreign" and "made in Japan". 

We don't know who first suggested the use of "foreign" to the Japanese makers. Also "foreign" was used for German products which were intended to be sold in UK, but not for Dutch produce since they were in the side of the Allies. 

[Steph]

Gorgeous toys.  And everything makes so much sense that I feel I should have figured it out years ago.  That part about the need to continue exporting toys to get foreign currency was an interesting bonus.  Thanks again.  

[YasudaCollector]

This is absolutely incredible information! I am fascinated by the July 1941 date when Japan no longer shipped marbles to allied countries. I think it is amazing to have such a definitive date for the latest that these prewar marbles could be from. 

[shiroaiko]

There is a report being titled "大阪府に於ける中小工業の整備：大阪府下中小企業整備実情調査報告" published by The Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in 1943 (Showa18). The report can be reached at  https://dl.ndl.go.jp/ja/pid/1058348. The marble part is pp. 75-78. A reference to the July 1941 date is written there. The long title would be translated like this; " The Industrial Readjustment for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in Osaka; The Fact-Finding Report on the Industrial Readjustment for Small and Medium-sized Businesses Under Osaka Prefecture". Although the title doesn't sound exciting, what it tells would be full of excitements to marble fans. It even talks about the number of marble rolls in Osaka (and Hyogo). Only 3 were in use during the wartime, with other 9 being kept in a storage for the future operation. Other 12 machines had been scrapped by the government. Japan had been suffered from shortages of metals. A joint company of Seike, Nakanishi and Yanagawa was the only one marble factory which was officially approved its operation then.