Figure 1.--Here we see kids having a good time in their front yard. They seem to be mugging for the camera more than playing. Tge bampshot is not dated, but the clothes suggest the early-40s. |
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The 1940s were a split decade. The decade was dominated by World War II (1939-45). Unkile other countries, Americans did not experiebce deoprivation. In fact with booming factories, many Americans emerged from the Depression and had never been so well off. Many African Anerican families shared in the prosperity. And after the War after some readjustment, the post-War econoomic boom began. All of this of course affected children. Unlike World War II the movies created a huge vnimbers of war films not to mention actual combat footage in the newsreels. There were also Westerns. The radio was full of war news beginning with live broadcasts from London during the Blitz. Boys shifted their games. Cops and robbers disappeared and war became the major theme. Cowboys and Indians never disappered. Toy guns were in great demand. And after the War there was all kinds of war surplus items like helmets and packs. Boys also wanted BB-Guns--there was even a movie about it -- 'Christmas Story'. Some major trebds began in the 1940s. We begin to see a major interest in sports cards--especially baseball cards . Sports cards appered much earlier, but boys began collecting them big time in the 40s. And the moved to the sunburbs began in eranest. This and the post-War economic boom changed the economics of boyhood. By the end of the decade, millions of families were entering the middle class and money began to be spent on their children like never before, including both clothes and toys. This included trikes and bikes. There were no bikes and trikes available after Pearl Harbor (Decenber 1941). Steel and rubber was needed for the war effort. But after the War, industry began shioftung back to civilian goods. I renber gettiung my trke in 1948. It was real beaut--not one of these cheap modern plastic affairs.
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