Tom Thumb

The Tom Thumb  iHORN is made from a child’s Tom Thumb cash register toy.  Released in the 1950s from Western Stamping Co. of Jackson, Michigan, the Tom Thumb Cash Register allowed children to play cashier and tabulate pretend sales transactions.  Tinplate was used in the manufacture of toys beginning in the mid-19th century. The invention of sheet metal stamping machines in 1815 allowed for the mass production of inexpensive toys. Tin toys were made from thin sheets of steel plated with tin, hence the name tinplate.  Tin toys were a cheap and durable substitute for wooden toys.   The production of tin toys stopped during World War II because of the absence of raw materials, and by the 1960s most tin toy manufacturing had stopped with the advent of cheaper and safer materials from which toys could be made. The Tom Thumb  iHorn reveals the truth that frequently child’s play emulates adult behavior.  So if you play store, you need a cash register.  The Tom Thumb is a reminder for all of us to mindful because the next generation is watching and learning from our examples.