[SunkenCiv]

full title, "Bulgarian Archaeologists Stumble Upon 'Oldest Children's Toy in Europe': Late Bronze Age Thracian Toy Stork".

"The oldest children's toy in Europe" consists of a tripod holding the movable head of a stork with eyes made of carnelian -- a semi-precious gemstone found in the Rhodope Mountains in Southern Bulgaria. It is pictured here with the restored all three legs of its tripod. Photo: TV grab from BNT

[Nowhere Man]

B-)

[MeshugeMikey]

I certainly is interesting but I cant understand how they determined that it was a child’s toy.

a toy with precious gemstones for eyes seems a bit much for a child.

[Red_Devil 232]

I think it was made for a businessman to display on his desk. Like today’s balls bouncing off of each other.

[Swordmaker]

I don't think it's a toy. I do not see the play value in it. I see something that could stab a playmate and do injury. I think it's a decorative chart weight, used keep parchment charts flat on a table in a wind for a military campaign. Usable while still keeping the chart fully visible. A bronze item such as this would be very expensive, a one-off casting, made by a lost-wax process in which the mould is destroyed in the process. That is not something that would be made for a toy. . . unless it was made for a toy for a princess or a prince. But even then highly unlikely. It's a chart weight. I've seen them used in map rooms.

I would theorize the moveable head could be used to point toward the direction the military campaign might be headed.

[Kirkwood]

Might be missing a critical part. You could place cloth on top of the tripod part and use the bird head to keep the cloth in place. This could then cover something like food or incense without the cloth touching it, and also keep insects away.

[Rome2000]

What’s fun about that?

[tumblindice]

Like Irwin Mainway’s “Bag o’ Glass” it taught kids that the world was a dangerous place and to be careful.

[blueunicorn6]

I had one of those as a kid. I used to get a clothespin and attach a playing card to it so it would sound like a motorcycle.

[blueunicorn6]

“No, Ralphie, you’ll peck your eye out.”

[roamer_1]

you could put an eye out with that thing!

[ExCTCitizen]

Was it made in China? If not, it isn’t a toy... Interesting article, but how do they know it is a toy? Did they find a ‘ToysRUs’ receipt with it?

[FrdmLvr]

I wonder if they unearthed it in an ancient FAO Schwarz.

[trisham]

Amazing.