Page 1: Museum Highlights Toy pianos have delighted generations and generations of children (and collectors!). From antique Schoenhut wooden toy pianos to modern plastic electronic toy pianos and everything in between, there is a multitude of toy pianos in the world. Though many miniature pianos can be considered "toys," the pianos on this page are those which can actually be played to produce music. The Schoenhut Piano Company is one of the oldest and best-known makers of toy pianos, continuing a tradition begun in Philadelphia in 1872 by German immigrant Albert Schoenhut. Schoenhut's toy piano production later expanded to include dolls, dollhouses, blocks, and other wooden toys. During the century and a quarter since its invention, the keyboard's magical overtones, hypnotic charm, and unique sound have matured from novelty to innovation. Using the finest materials, each piano is crafted entirely by hand in Schoenhut's Rochester, New York workshop. In this same upstate city, Strong Museum features the company's rich and interesting heritage with a large exhibit of miniature Schoenhut pianos. Schoenhut toy pianos are authentic musical instruments, built to endure the roughest of play. Small hammers strike metal rods, producing lovely chime-like tones. Each piano is chromatically tuned, which educates the ear of the young performer to the true values of musical notes and their combinations. Another point of merit is that the keys are correctly spaced, corresponding to those on a big piano, enabling the child to learn proper "finger stretch" required for playing. Each piano has one and a half to three octaves (depending on the model) - compared with seven and a half octaves on a full-sized piano. The Jaymar Specialty Company is the other major manufacturer of toy pianos. Jaymar produced many different wood jointed toys during the 1920s and 1930s in Brooklyn. After World War II, Jaymar additionally made puzzles and pianos until they ceased business in 1990. |
Pianos in my collection:
This Schoenhut upright toy piano has two octaves. it measures 16" across by 19 1/2" high. |
This tabletop Jaymar toy piano measures 18 1/2" across by 8 1/2" high. It is made of wood and has 30 keys. On the right a clearer picture of one like mine. |
This is a gold Schoenhut grand piano from the 1950s that measures 21" high, 19" across, and 14 1/2" deep. |
On the left is a 1981 Barbie toy electronic piano by Mattel. I had one when I was a child, but it was given away. Fortunately, I was able to find this one on eBay. However, it didn't have the plastic bench with removable lid and paper sheet music that the original did. It is cream-colored plastic with a frame and strings sculptured inside. The lid opens and closes and the music desk folds down. The keyboard cover also opens and closes. My original one had a Barbie sticker on the front. When the keyboard cover is opened, you see a sticker that names the notes. The piano is three octaves, but only the white keys play. The black ones are for decoration. You have to have small fingers to play the keys accurately! This piano operates on a 9-volt battery and is 6 1/2" across by 10" high. It is turned on by a switch underneath the piano. The toy on the right is a Little Tykes Tap-a-Tune piano that doubles as a xylophone. It measures 16" across by 6" high at the back. |
On the left is a baby blue colored wooden toy piano. On the lid is a decoupage logo of a bird over a keyboard and the logo "Condor Grand Piano." It is made in Japan and has a full octave (eight playing keys). Only the white keys play; the black keys are just painted on for detail. The keys are numbered. This piano is made in Japan and measures 5 1/2" across by 4 3/4" high. On the right is an orange plastic toy piano. It has 10 playable keys; the sharps are for decoration only. This piano is made in Italy by Bontempi and measures 7" across by 6 1/2" high. Although all the keys play, they all play almost the same tone. Both of these pianos have removable legs. |
Schoenhut pianos
currently in production:
Called My First Piano, this tabletop spinet piano has 18 keys and comes with a color-coded music book and a matching color-coded strip for the keyboard. The piano is 11 1/4" high, 12 3/8" across, and 9 3/8" deep. It comes in red, white, or yellow. |
This beautiful baby grand is made of high-gloss painted and laminated hardwood and hardboard. It features 30 keys and measures 19 1/4" high, 19 7/8" across, and 22" deep. It comes with a wood music book rack, a sturdy wooden bench, a color-coded music book, and a matching color-coded strip for the keyboard. This piano comes in black or white. |
This is one of the finest toy pianos ever manufactured by Schoenhut. It features 37 keys and measures 21 1/2" high, 24" across, and 27" deep. It includes a wood music book rack, a sturdy wooden bench, a color-coded music book, and a matching color-coded strip for the keyboard. It comes in mahogany, black, or white. |
This is the deluxe Schoenhut spinet piano. It features 25 keys and measures 19 3/4" high, 17" across, and 10 1/4" deep. It includes a sturdy wooden bench, a color-coded music book, and a matching color-coded strip for the keyboard. It comes in mahogany, black, or white. |
This is Schoenhut's most solidly-built toy piano, specifically designed with the daycare and school industries in mind. It is made of solid maple, 1/2 inch multi-ply birch plywood, and comes in oak, mahogany, or white. This model is a 37-key spinet that measures 27" high, 24 7/8" across, and 11 1/2" deep. It includes a color-coded music book and a matching color-coded strip for the keyboard. |
This Limited Edition Schoenhut is a piano for collectors. Schoenhut pianos are not usually extremely valuable unless they are over 50 years old or were one of Schoenhut's Limited Edition pianos with ornate designs. Only 200 pianos are available in this special edition. Each one is signed by the craftsman and given a serial number to designate its order and date of creation. A Certificate of Authenticity is also included. These beautiful ornate upright pianos are 37-key spinets. They are built of solid maple and 1/2 inch multi-ply birch; stained in mahogany with honey oak accents; and finished with three coats of high-gloss conversion varnish. As with all Schoenhut pianos, this Limited Editon is tuned to pitch and gets its exceptional sound quality from having the keys strike precision-ground, German steel music wires. The piano keys, like all those produced in the Schoenhut line, are the width of adult-sized pianos, ensuring easy adaptation to any standard keyboard. This very special spinet comes with a matching piano bench. The piano is 27" high, 24 7/8" across, and 11 1/2" deep. |
Pianos not in my collection:
This is an old Schoenhut toy piano that appears to be in original condition. It measures 9 3/4" high by 13" across by 7 1/2" deep. Its patent date is 1900 and the black keys are painted on. |
This little Schoenhut toy piano measures 13" across, 8 1/4" high, and 6 1/4" deep with 12 white keys; the black keys are painted on. The "SCHOENHUT MADE IN U.S.A." logo and flower decal are still very clear. |
This upright Schoenhut piano has wood keys and measures 23" across by 11" deep by 21" high. The top is hinged so you can see inside. The front slides up to see inside also. The foot pedals are decorative and fixed and the black keys are again painted on. |
The vintage Schoenhut toy on the left has wood keys with the black ones painted on. It measures 11" long, 8" across, and 7" high. On the right is a Schoenhut upright spinet that is approximately 20" high and 17" across. |
This is a very rare child size Schoenhut grand piano. It was recently acquired by a woman whose grandmother owned it as a child in 1913. It is made of wood and measures 18" high by 24" across by 22" deep. The keys appear to be made of wood and are all present. As with other early toy pianos, the black keys are painted on and are not functional. The top of the piano is hinged, allowing access to the interior metal sound bars. The piano was restored in 1989 by an amateur and could use more finish work. The front panel with the Schoenhut logo was not touched and shows how the original finish once looked. The keys were repainted and do not sit level in the piano. What makes this great piece even rarer is the original piano stool. It is an exact match to the full-size stools and even has an adjustable seat. It too was refinished, but still looks very nice. |
On the left is an upright Schoenhut toy piano with a bench. On the right is a white Schoenhut toy piano with the black keys painted on. |
On the left is an old red wooden piano by Jaymar called "My First Piano." It has 18 keys and measures 1' high by 12 1/2" across. On the right is a variation of the Jaymar toy piano. |
This Jaymar spinet piano measures 23 1/2" across by 10" deep by 19" high. |
This is another Jaymar toy piano. |
This is a baby piano in its original box, made in China. It has ten keys (the black ones are painted on). This piano measures 10 1/2" long, 8" across, and 4 1/2" high when the legs are screwed on. The legs screw on. It is rare to find a toy piano with its original box. |
This nice art deco-style toy piano is 15 1/2" across by 9 1/2" deep by 18" high. Both the piano and bench are made of wood and the piano is trimmed with gold molding. The board above the keys is marked Casspinette. |
The rare old toy piano on the left, marked Steinway, measures about 16" across, 11" high, and 8 1/2" deep. It probably dates somewhere between the late 1800s to early 1900s. It has a paper decal on the front with winged cherubs. The black keys are painted on. It's unlikely that it was made by the real Steinway company. On the right is a Hering child's piano made in Brazil. It is approximately 10 1/4" high by 10" across. |
This is a working wooden toy piano from approximately the 1940s. It is labeled made in Germany on the bottom and again the black keys are painted on. This toy is unusual as it has a keyboard cover. |
Here is a trio of wonderful vintage toy pianos. The dark brown Schoenhut measures about 9 1/2" across by 10 1/2" deep. All of the keys play (black and white). The black keys of the other two are just painted on. The little yellow Grantcrest Piano is in very nice shape, measuring about 6" by 8". The honey-colored "Baby Grand Piano" measures about 8 1/2" by 10". |
This is a nice antique metal toy baby grand piano. It has the original book. Both are signed Marks Toys, Made in USA. The piano is labeled Louis Marks and Company New York and dated 1939. The book has 16 songs. |
The piano on the left is probably a 1950s toy. It has the name Showa on one side and the letters T.N. made in Japan on the other. It has a place for a D battery but it doesn't make any difference in the sound. On the right is a Tudor toy piano. It measures 8 1/2" by 11" and is made of tin. It is missing its legs but the keys do work. Both of these toys have the black keys painted on. |
This is an early mahogany toy chime piano, again with painted-on black keys. On the bottom is hand-written: Dec. 25, 1936. It is marked Japan. |
On the left is a vintage children's electric toy organ that is built into a carrying case. It is 22 1/2" across, 10" deep, and 7" high and is made in Italy. It has a built-in brass music stand. On the right is a Magnus electric toy organ made of bakelite. |
This toy piano is called a "pianino." It is all black wood, with three black plastic legs that screw on and off. There are seven functional keys and the piano measures about 10" long by 5" high by 7 1/2" across. |
This Howdy Doody piano is missing its legs. It measures 9" by 14" by 3". |
This tabletop piano features images of five of Disney's favorite princesses. The piano takes 3 AA batteries. It has 25 keys and can be played with or without one of ten different background rhythms. You can choose piano, organ, trumpet, or bell tones. You can also record and play back your own compositions. The piano plays 15 demo songs. It is approximately 13" long and the same at its widest point. The features are typical of many other modern electronic toy pianos; this one is used as an attractive example. |
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