Does the bee bounce? The buzzy bee - unsurprisingly - buzzes.
The yellow "wings" and blue wheels and the feelers are very similar to our toy - whose original version (http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=763974&page=42&imagesonly=true) can be found in the Museum of New Zealand.
And yes, there's a connection: Yours is the FisherPrice version (http://www.thisoldtoy.com/L_FP_Set/toy-pages/300-399/314-queenbuzzybee.html), first manufactured in the US in 1950.
So, whose idea was it all?
Even the Kiwis aren't sure (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=9661).
Fascinating, isn't it?
(Sorry, but my inner historian went into research mode.)
It is in fact a very very similar toy. It is a replica of the Fisher Price one. I didn't quite understand why it was called Bouncy Bee in English, but Busy Bee in Dutch. Maybe because of the the Kiwis? In fact it's quite the same as the Buzzy Bee. The antlers bounce a bit and it makes a whirring sound when pulled along.
I already found your first post very fascinating. :-)
Look, here's (http://matadortravel.com/files/imagecache/preview/files/images/Antique+Buzzy+Bee+Toy+at+Ruapuna+Park+700+pixels.jpg) what is termed a 1930s NZ version, so even older than the other two.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2010-04-23 04:19 pm (UTC)Does the bee bounce? The buzzy bee - unsurprisingly - buzzes.
The yellow "wings" and blue wheels and the feelers are very similar to our toy - whose original version (http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=763974&page=42&imagesonly=true) can be found in the Museum of New Zealand.
And yes, there's a connection: Yours is the FisherPrice version (http://www.thisoldtoy.com/L_FP_Set/toy-pages/300-399/314-queenbuzzybee.html), first manufactured in the US in 1950.
So, whose idea was it all?
Even the Kiwis aren't sure (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=9661).
Fascinating, isn't it?
(Sorry, but my inner historian went into research mode.)
no subject
Date: 2010-04-23 08:50 pm (UTC)I already found your first post very fascinating. :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-04-24 09:29 am (UTC)