GERMAN Balancing Toys

I was lucky to find a large group of ca. 1900 German balancing toys, not having had a one in all my years of collecting toys.   I must admit, they did take some getting used to.  I was nervous at first placing the rear legs close to the end of the shelf and then giving them all a gentle tap on the head to start them rocking back and forth.   The heavy metal weights are the key.

Here I have a little wooley dog and two riders on horseback.   George Washington on the right was a much-produced figure by the Germans for the American market, often in the form of a candy container.

On the left a large Googly rides on a papier-mache horse, as does a jester on the right.  In the center is a rare red-coated Santa on a felt-covered horse.

All of the balance toys have a cone-shaped heavy metal weight at the end, except for the Googly which has a heavy metal ball painted in a marbelized green . . . my favorite!