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The Secret Story of Toys Revealed

Much of T/m’s toy collection was produced by hand, whether in a cottage industry or on an assembly line. Workers in the 19th and early 20th centuries (some of them children themselves) painstakingly carved wooden animals, painted dollhouse roofs, or sewed doll clothing. But times have changed and so have toys and production methods. In an age where you can 3D print just about anything, we were surprised to learn about a group of toy artists that sculpt everything by hand, right here in Kansas City!

Local filmmaker Anthony Ladesich recently introduced us to the artists in his short documentary The Secret Story of Toys. The piece, selected for the Kansas City Film Festival last month, spotlights Kansas City toy makers Jason Frailey, Adam Smith, and Adrienne Smith. The team’s toy making process involves sculpting clay and casting from molds with an intense attention to detail… and we thought working here was cool!

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