The Christmas toys of Cork from days gone by

You don’t need special effects to give your little ones hours of fun — as Cork’s toy sellers have known for years, says Robert Hume

It’s tempting to think that toys in the days before electricity — let alone electronics — were tame affairs: Hoops and yo-yos, skipping ropes and marbles, pug-faced porcelain dolls and stiff teddy bears with unfriendly snouts.

Well, eat your heart out Harry Potter Lego, Frozen II fashion dolls, Nintendo Switch 2021, and Star Wars Galactic Snackin’ Grogu Animatronic. City shops sold stunning toys — none swathed in oodles of plastic — over a century and a half ago.