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Arithmetic School, a Toy by Playskool

National Museum of American History
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Object Details

Playskool
Description
In the early 1960s, the Chicago firm of Playskool introduced this educational toy for children three to six years old, seeking to give them an early familiarity with numbers. It has two rows of relatively large rotating wooden rectangular blocks, each with a row of square rotating wooden blocks below. The larger blocks have problems in simple addition written on them, the smaller ones answers. The problems and correct answers are written in the same color of paint. The blocks move on metal rods that are attached at top and bottom to a frame. The frame is supported at the back by a collapsible metal stand. The frame is painted with a pattern of bricks on the side and a roof at the top.
A contemporary advertisement indicates that the toy cost $3.19.
Reference:
Jordan Marsh Company , [Advertisement], The Boston Globe, November 4, 1962, p. E5.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Sherman L. and Marjorie A. Naidorf
ca 1962
ID Number
2005.0055.03
catalog number
2005.0055.03
accession number
2005.0055
Object Name
toy
Physical Description
wood (frame, blocks material)
metal (rods, support material)
Measurements
overall: 27.5 cm x 35.8 cm x 13.3 cm; 10 13/16 in x 14 3/32 in x 5 1/4 in
place made
United States: Illinois, Chicago
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Science & Mathematics
Arithmetic Teaching
National Museum of American History
subject
Mathematics
Record ID
nmah_1292826
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-bfb9-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

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    American History Museum
Arithmetic School Toy by Playskool, Front View
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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