‘Give your tin toy a name and it will get a soul!’

All the Fun of the Tin Toys

Currently on show at Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop is the most wonderful funfair of clowns playing drums, dogs chasing balls, elephants riding tricycles, and many more colourful characters brightening up our London spring!

All the Fun of the Tin Toys at Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop

The first time tin toys captured my imagination was about a couple of years ago. As I was planning an upcoming solo trip to Japan by researching where to go and what to do, I somehow fell down the rabbit hole that are Japanese Space Age tin toys. These became very popular around the 1950s, drawing from the country’s fascination with robotics as well as a general post-war optimism and excitement about the future. Eventually, the tin robot became a symbol of Japan and, after managing to see a few original designs in a couple of countryside museums, I fell in love with it too.

Japanese 1950s tin robots at Kurashiki’s Piggy Bank Museum

It was only a few months afterwards that Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop saw its Pantomime Toy Theatre showcased in Paul Smith’s iconic Covent Garden shop. Coincidentally, the Pollock’s classic sat right next to a small selection of tin robots, of which Paul himself turned out to be a big fan. This was when I thought… ‘Louise, why don’t we stock some tin toys?’ Answer: ‘Because they’re not really toys.’ Tin toys, in fact, might have been beloved playthings for children past, but sharp edges, small parts and loose keys would not be a parent’s first choice for the little ones of today. Plus, the keys get lost all the time! Louise was sceptical…

Pollock’s Pantomime Toy Theatre at Paul Smith

Cut to earlier this year, the Pollock’s team embarks on a Parisian adventure in search for new ideas. And who do they stumble upon? Hans-Heinrich Mückenheim of Blechfabrik and his mesmerising stand of mechanical magic! The tin toy company produces their own designs, but also aims at selling every single tin toy still in production today. Not to mention reproducing classic models from the golden age, where the real collectors’ interest lies. Their selection includes reproductions from well-renowned companies such as Paya in Spain and Lehmann in Germany. Blechfabrik, in fact, managed to purchase a series of tin toy tools directly from the latter, Europe’s most successful tin toy factory since the 1880s. With original European moulds and German, Indian and Chinese manufacture, Mückenheim’s products still follow Ernst Paul Lehmann’s beautiful motto: ‘Give your tin toy a name and it will get a soul!’

Blechfabrik’s stand at Maison&Objet 2026

Mission accomplished: Louise placed an order. The team put together a fun selection of models just a couple of hours before having to catch their train back to London and the shop is now an explosion of colours (even more so than usual)!

A few personal favourites (besides, of course, Touly the Robot) include the mesmerising carousels with spinning horses and rockets; the gorgeous Singing Bird, its plumage so detailed and voice too sweet; the exhilarating Lucky Mouse, running around the kitchen to escape the cat. But it truly is so hard to choose!

Touly the Robot and other tin toys at Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop

Tin carousels at Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop

Singing Bird at Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop

Lucky Mouse at Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop

Today tin toys remain as charming as ever and their cultural significance doesn’t simply lie in the craftsmanship required to produce them. In fact, they also showcase artistic and cultural trends, reflect societal values of a time, and brighten up a corner of the house as well as a rainy day in our lives – as a lover of tin toys myself, I can guarantee this is more than true! Simply take a look at my favourite piece from my own collection…

Rover the Space Dog

Chiara Scoglio Spring 2026