Theresa Caplan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Theresa Caplan
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Caplan with some of her collection
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| Born | 6 June 1913 |
| Died | 10 April 2010 (aged 96) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Founder of Creative Playthings, Toy Developer, Educator, Author, Youth Worker |
| Spouse(s) | Frank Caplan |
Theresa Caplan (1913–2010) was an American expert who studied how children grow and learn. She also collected toys from all over the world. Working with her husband, Frank, she wrote many popular books. They also built a huge collection of toys. This collection is now in a major museum.
Contents
Studying How Children Play
Theresa Caplan was born on June 6, 1913. She worked with her husband, Frank, to write several books. These books looked at how children play. They studied how kids play by themselves or with others. They also looked at how play changes as children get older. For example, one of their books was called The First Twelve Months of Life. It focused on babies.
Starting a Toy Business
During World War II, the Caplans lived in New York City. They started a workshop on 95th Street. Here, they made and sold wooden toys for children. Theresa helped customers while Frank made the toys.
Wooden toys were hard to find during the war. So, the high quality of the Caplans' toys became very popular. Their business grew a lot. In 1949, they named their company "Creative Playthings". They ran this business until they sold it in 1966.
Traveling for Toy Ideas
As their business grew, the Caplans traveled the world. They looked for new ideas for their toys. By the 1980s, they had gathered more than 50,000 different toys. They started to see themselves as toy collectors.
Because their work and collection were global, they created a special display. This display was shown at the United Nations Headquarters. It was part of the International Year of the Child in 1979.
Donating the Toy Collection
In 1984, the Caplans lived in Princeton, New Jersey. They decided to give their huge toy collection to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. The collection was so big that it took nine months to unpack. It arrived in 32 large crates!
After the donation, Frank Caplan passed away in 1988. He was 77 years old. Theresa remembered that she had been more active in collecting toys than Frank for a while. She noted that their collection really grew after 1966. This was when they sold their business. Frank could then focus less on money matters.
Theresa Caplan was known for being excited and friendly. She was also very good at keeping records. She gave every toy in the collection a special number. She also wrote down where each toy came from. She made sure all the boxes were clearly marked. Her records filled 28 shoe boxes. They were written on 20,000 index cards when the collection was given to the museum.
Later Life
Theresa Caplan passed away in Princeton on April 13, 2010. She was 96 years old. She was survived by her son Richard, her daughter Judith Inglese, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
