The Toys and Values of Greenbelt

submitted by Mark S. Lewis
12/12/95

Introduction
Greenbelt, MD is a planned community that began its existence in the 1930's during the Great Depression. The U.S. Government envisioned Greenbelt, and other planned cities in the United States, to be perfect settings to raise a family. Family values, as well as traditional American values, were stressed in the codes of conduct that Greenbelt residents were required to follow. I will examine the children's toys present during this era and analyze how they influenced the children by stressing conventional family and social values of the time.

Methodology
My analysis of the toys of Greenbelt will begin with condensed artifact studies of several objects found in the children's room of the Greenbelt Museum. These include items found in a doll house, a toy soldier, ice skates, a toy shovel, and a table tennis game box. The artifact studies performed on the objects will focus mainly on cultural analysis and interpretation. Drawing upon these examinations, I will make conclusions on the message society delivers to its children through toys. I will also write a short paragraph comparing toys of to day to the toys of the Depression era.

First set of figures
Second set of figures
There are two sets of figures present in the children's room. The first set is a husband and wife. The husband wears a plain gray shirt with slacks of the same color. He is also wearing a tie. The wife is dressed in a simple yellow dress that ends at the knee. Both figures portray Caucasians and seem highly conservative. These two toys clearly emphasize traditional family values to the children who play with them. They are obvious representations of the working husband and the housewife. This is apparent due to their dress and style. The husband wears a tie, suggesting he works during the day and is required to dress that way. The wife is dressed in a very simple dress and wears her hair very plainly. This suggests that she does not leave the house much during the day and is stuck in the traditional role of housewife. The second set of figures present also have stereotypical parents, but include a baby. This only further emphasizes the concept that the mother is a housewife.

It is interesting to note that all these figures are white. This definitely fits the mold of Depression era Greenbelt since blacks and other minorities were not permitted to live in the city initially. When playing with these toys, children do not experience any diversity. This shows how society influences children with its biases and stereotypes. The child who owned these toys most likely fantasized of being a member of that disgustingly perfect family. At a very early age, the child is already dreaming of becoming a working man or a housewife. This child is now less likely to become interested in less common pursuits. Already, society has influenced the child to strive for traditionally accepted goals and values.
Doll house furnishings
While the figurines from the doll house are examples of objects stressing traditional social values, the furniture and fixings of the house stress economic values and concerns. When Greenbelt was born, the nation was in the midst of the Great Depression. Most families had very little extra money available to buy any sort of luxurious items. This is reflected in the toy furniture present in the children's room. The most ornate and luxurious item present in the set is a wooden dresser with an attached mirror. Although this would not have been a cheap item during the Depression, it could hardly be considered extravagant. All the other furnishings seem plain and simple. The beds are not ornate, the kitchen sink lacks a faucet, and the bathroom fixtures are not fancy. This doll house furniture set depicts a simple lifestyle with only enough material goods to live decently. This way of life is exactly what society found most acceptable during the Great Depression and is what the typical Greenbelt family strove to achieve. Once again, the desire for this particular goal is taught to the children early through the items they use to entertain themselves.

The Toy Soldier
The toy soldier, specifically a sailor, is a die-cast metal figurine of a man in military uniform holding a flag over his soldier. His feet are planted on a solid base so that the figure may stand on its own.

The toy soldier
This is most likely a toy for boys, since it portrays the typical masculine soldier. Any simple toy, such as a non-poseable figure, which heavily relies on a child's imagination will most likely make a very strong impression on the child. The boy who plays with the soldier figures will begin to admire the people they represent. He will hope to become a soldier when he grows up. A socially acceptable male pursuit such as the military is being emphasized by a simple toy. The addition of the flag to the figure introduces the concept of patriotism to the toy. A social value is being taught by this figure to the children who play with it. By introducing the stereotypical male patriotic soldier into the everyday lives of young boys, society is pushing these values and ideals onto the children. This was very important in the time of the Depression. Because of the horrendous economic conditions, national morale was low, so anything that would make Americans of all ages have more faith in their country was greatly appreciated. For the children of the Depression, this was achieved through their toys.

The Ice Skates and Toy Shovel
Both of these artifacts appear very simple and rugged. The ice skates consist of a single, long, thick piece of metal that makes contact with the ice; attached metal plates to support the feet of the user; and a strap (not shown in the picture) to secure the skates on the feet. The ice skates are made almost entirely of steel. The toy shovel is even more simple. It is merely a miniature steel version of a standard shovel. It is quite rusty.

Ice skates
Toy shovel
These two artifacts convey a sense of durability. The rugged metal design of both objects makes them seem indestructible. However, what makes them seem durable the most is the simplicity of their designs. It is this characteristic of the ice skates and the toy shovel that influenced the children of Depression era Greenbelt. Many of the other toys located within the children's room seemed relatively complex. These include the poseable doll house figures and the Mickey Mouse trapeze toy. Children most likely enjoyed these toys very much; yet they appreciated the simple toys like the ice skates and shovel just as much. They saw that simple classic designs were as effective as more complicated and modern ones. This parallels the conservative attitude of Greenbelt. Despite being a radically new concept, Greenbelt was designed to maintain classic American family values. The designers of the city did not seek change in the lifestyles of the residents. They wanted the initial families to be just like their family, the typical American family.

The toy shovel, at least in my eye, performs an interesting task: glorifying physical labor. A child that plays with dolls and action figures all day never learns to get their hands dirty. A simple toy shovel shows the child what can be done with a little personal effort. The American way is to work hard to achieve one's goals, and this toy shovel, albeit in an abstract way, is stressing this to the children who use it.

The Table Tennis Game
The focus of this portion of analysis will not be on the game, but merely on the box in which it came. The main image on this box shows a family engaging in an exciting match of table tennis. A boy is playing a girl while another boy, a younger girl, and an older woman watch. It is safe to assume that these people all constitute one family and that the older woman is the mother and the children are all siblings.

Table tennis game box
The picture on this game box represents the ideal Greenbelt family. They are all participating in an activity together. The siblings are getting along and entertaining each other while playing table tennis. The youngest sister is even helping out the others by retrieving a loose ball. Their appearance is also ideal. All are nicely, neatly dressed and look as happy as can be. Even the one boy sitting on a stool watching the game seems ecstatic about it.

The mother in the background is very important. She is in the role of the housewife eagerly supervising the activities of her children. Most sane women would lose it if trapped watching small children play table tennis, but this one is all smiles. She is doing what society expects her to do and she likes it. Since Greenbelt did not initially allow women to work outside the home, this woman is the model of the Greenbelt housewife.

One factor that has been ignored until now is one that is not even there: the father. The complete lack of an adult male in this family scene shows how greatly society felt that raising and tending to the children was a woman's job. It is assumed the man is off working and earning money to afford such things as a table tennis set. Once again, the values of Greenbelt, and of America during the Depression, were emphasized to the children of the time through recreational items.

Then and Now
Many things have changed in Greenbelt and throughout the nation since the Great Depression. The economy has risen once again, but family values have dramatically decreased. Toys today are very high-tech. They intend to dazzle children in their technological brilliance instead of teach them traditional social values. Maybe this is due to the rise of the toy industry or to the death of social values. Instead of doll house figures and toy soldiers, we now have the Intergalactic Vac Pac Commandos and fourteen thousand different Barbies, ranging from Leprous Barbie to Power Hungry Corporate Executive Barbie.

Conclusion
Thus, it has been shown how influential toys were on forming the values and standards of Depression era children. Doll house furniture and figures taught them family values and a toy shovel showed them the American dream. A toy soldier emphasized patriotism to young boys in Greenbelt and all over the nation. The society of Greenbelt during the Depression used toys, a medium it had complete control over, to persuade its children to follow traditional American family values.

Conjunction Junction
Several other projects from AMST205 relate to concepts and ideas addressed in this one. The following list contains a few of these projects:

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