Toy figure
Category
Toys
Date
Unknown
Materials
Plastic
Measurements
38 mm (width); 44 mm (height)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 669544
Summary
A plastic model figure of a stereotypical representation of a Native American, holding a shield in the left hand and a tomahawk in the right hand. The figure is wearing a long feather headdress, yellow full length trousers with a red stripe, and a red shoe. The left foot is missing. Toy soldiers have been popular since at least the 18th century. Earlier models were cast in lead, with plastic versions becoming common after the Second World War. Toys were produced which replicated famous conflicts, including those known as the ‘Indian Wars’ in the western United States (1811-1924). These conflicts had been fictionalised and brought to British audiences via Wild West stage shows and later Western films. Caricatures in these entertainments informed the game of 'Cowboys and Indians' which became popular in the United States and United Kingdom. The representation of Native Americans in these toys does not reflect the diversity of Indigenous nations, and perpetuates a stereotype of Indigenous peoples as aggressive antagonists.