From Lincoln Logs To Lincoln Logs

The question is, “Do the games and toys we play with when we are younger, influence us when we grow up?”

Hmmm…

When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with playing dolls, Barbies, Mr. Potato Head, cooking with my plastic dishes in an imaginary kitchen, Lego building blocks and Lincoln Logs. I think my toy “likes” really did carry over into my adult preferences as follows:

• playing dolls = I wanted twelve children, but could only have one. However, I would have been just as thrilled with twelve and just as good of a parent.
• Barbies = I still want Barbie’s figure and I would not mind having her convertible either.
• Mr. Potato Head = I could eat potatoes in any form and the only thing they do not make fat is my head.
• Cooking with my plastic dishes in an imaginary kitchen = I love to cook and don’t have to imagine it any more.
• Lego building blocks = I have no idea how this relates to adulthood except that I do not like stepping on them with bare feet.
• Lincoln Logs = These wooden toy pieces occupied many hours of my young life. Now as an adult, my dream is to some day have a cabin nestled on a beautiful mountain range that is often covered with lots of snow.

Lincoln Logs were a fantastic toy for my imagination. Since my sister was four years younger, I played by myself a lot. Back then, great inventions like videos, DVDs, computers, game boxes or anything like that stuff had not been invented. Playing required a child to imagine a whole lot of adventures and then pretend. Building my “future home” with Lincoln Logs required taking the Lincoln Logs apart and putting them together hundreds of different ways.

Lincoln Logs were invented in 1916 by John L. Wright who was the son of Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank’s middle name was really “Lincoln,” but he replaced it with his mother’s maiden name after his father abandoned the family. Isn’t that story just wild?! You just never know where a product or the name of a product starts!

Anyway, the logs in the Lincoln Log sets measure about a quarter of an inch in diameter. They also have notched ends that allow them to connect and stack just like a real log cabin. My set only had roof planks, but now the sets do not require as much imagination because they include windows, animals, people and all kinds of other things.

Have you ever seen a real log cabin?

No?

Well, I personally like the smaller log cabins that are basically one huge room, but there are many that are quite large. Using the technology and design of the earliest settlers with the latest in modern craftsmanship and machinery, log cabins can be absolutely breath taking! The homes can be built in any size with amenities that are only limited by your imagination.

photo – Lincoln Logs International, LLC
Of course, I think this cabin is beautiful, but it does not take one that big to make me happy.

If the view was like this mountain range, I could be happy in a Tumbleweed. You do remember what they look like don’t you? If not, you better click the link!

Who would have ever thought that the Lincoln Log toys I played with as a child would have such a huge impact on my tastes after I entered adulthood?