Toy forts and castles facts for kids

A toy fort is a small model of a castle or fortress. Kids use them to play out exciting battles with toy soldiers. These forts come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are exact copies of real castles from history, while others are made up. They often have cool features like moats (water ditches), drawbridges (movable bridges), and battlements (walls with gaps for defense). Toy forts can look like grand châteaux from Europe or tough wooden stockade forts from the wild west.

Who Made Toy Forts?

Many companies have made toy forts over the years. The most famous ones were Moritz Gottschalk from Germany, O. and M. Hausser also from Germany, and Lines Bros. from Great Britain.

German Toy Fort Makers

• Moritz Gottschalk (1840—1905) was a very important toy maker. He started by making dollhouses, which he was most famous for. Soon, he had a factory and began making other toy buildings, including forts, stables, and even toy grocery stores. His forts were known for their detailed designs.
• Other German companies that made toy forts included Christian Hacker, Dr. F.A. Richter, Emil Schubert, The Hausser Brothers, Carl Moritz Reichel, Emil Weise and Carl Krause, and Richter and Wittich.

British Toy Fort Makers

• Lines Bros./Tri-ang. This company was started by three brothers: Walter, Arthur, and William Lines in 1919. They used the brand name "Triangle Toys," which later became "Tri-ang." Their toy forts first appeared around 1931. They became very popular in Britain.
• Other British companies included C.E. Turnbull/Charterhouse, Chad Valley, A.J. Holladay/Skybird, Burnett & Co/UBILDA, Binbak, Elf (Joy Toys), Tudor Toys, and Britains.

Toy Forts from Other Countries

• Spain: Reamsa was a known maker of toy forts.
• Belgium: Some companies in Belgium also made toy forts.
• Denmark: Toy forts were also produced in Denmark.