By Carol J. Perry I was a lucky little kid. My Dad worked for Parker Brothers, the famous Salem, Massachusetts game manufacturer. I was raised, it seems now, amidst a cheerful, colorful clutter of wonderful games. Sometimes I was allowed to visit the big old rambling factory where Daddy was foreman of the Box Department. I watched, fascinated, as bright, […]

The American Red Cross has an enduring as well as an endearing record in American history. Just less than 110 years ago, in 1905, Congress authorized the charter for that remarkable organization which remains in effect today. In addition to setting forth the organization’s purpose during wartime, the charter also provided for international or national disaster relief. Not long after […]

By Anne Gilbert A single touch and they move, almost by magic. Call then nodders, bubble-heads or bobbin-heads, these fanciful figures have been fascinating collectors for centuries. When they were first made by Johann Joachim Kandler for the Meissen porcelain factory around 1730 they were known as “Pagoda figurines” or “Chinese nodding figurines.” The figurines had moving heads, hands and […]