THE ERECTOR
SET
Michael Kravitz
This erector set
is located in the children's room of the Greenbelt
Museum
"It was every boy's dream to be given an erector's set for
Christmas, I believe I got one when I was eight years old and I don't
believe I put it down until I started to notice girls."8. I believe this shows just what a
phenomenon
erector sets were in the late 1930's and early 1940's. They appealed to
children, mainly boys, from the ages of 7 to 15. Erector sets were
symbolic of
the optimism the country had despite the tail end of the depression. We
can build a better world or as President Clinton might metaphorically
refer to it,
building a bridge to the future. These were exciting times during which
the Empire State Building and The Panama Canal were built. The inventor
of the erector set, Alfred Carleton Gilbert, sold himself along with the
construction toy. He was the pioneer of the educational tools with his
company the A.C. Gilbert Company leading the way. Gilbert was a former
Olympic athlete and he brought that image of energy and youth through
advertising to his product.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
A.C. Gilbert and the History of
Erector's