HISTOIRE DU JOUET depuis le Jura, berceau du jouet

French toystory comes from Jura. Reminding toys and brands from our childhood, it shows that today Jura is still creating toys. Encouraged by plentiful hydraulic and silvicultural resources, Jura will develop during numerous centuries a working tradition of wood toys that will become one of the fashions of expression privileged person. Rattles, toys of address (yoyo, ossicles, balls) and dolls will be a part of first objects. The word toy, will appear only at the Middle Ages. In the Revolution, whoever can make from now on and sell toys, set up a business quite freely. In 1798, new toy shops will be in the galleries which encircle the garden of the Palais Royal in the center of Paris. At the beginning of the XXth century, with the arrival of new materials, toy can finally become an object of consumption. Today, China and multinationals hold the world market, China appropriating about 80 % of toys sold in the world. In spite of a difficult economic environment since the end of Post-war economic booms, there are always manufacturers of toys in Jura and Ain areas. In front guard of new techniques, they transformed little by little this territory of tradition into standard bearer of the toy ” Made in France ” with in particular the return of the wooden toy. 200 photos colors and N and B, as well as archive documents come to illustrate this book. Native of Jura, Yvan Lacroix is the export manager of Vilac group. He also manages Petitcollin company, last one to produce dolls in France.