Cool and a little cloudy, it was a perfect day for traveling back in time.
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Sailing, twirling and gliding in reds, whites and blues, 100-year-old paper toys were reproduced and then sent flying during “A Victorian Fourth of July” held Saturday at the DuPage County Historical Museum in Wheaton.
As the toys recalled a simpler time devoid of Ninja Turtles, Little Mermaids and Micro Machines, the difference wasn’t lost on some of the young participants.
“Our (toys) would probably be a little more challenging, but we wouldn’t be as creative,” said Melissa Collins, 11, of Plato Center, who stopped in with her 9-year-old sister, Katie, and her grandmother, Dorothy Bracewell of Wheaton.
The toys were recreations chosen by the museum educator, Dave Meyers, from “The American Girl’s Handbook,” an 1887 publication. Meyers was one of three instructors to the 40 adults and children who attended the afternoon program.
And the paper toys seemed to bring the same smiles as a newly purchased Game Boy.
Tissue paper “Thunderbolts” fluttered in the air, construction paper spirals weighted with colored glass and fake pearl beads became “whirls,” and tissue paper “parachute” squares glided downward.