About us

Welcome at Toy Estate

I was born in 1953, the eldest of five children (three boys and two girls), raised by our mother, always at home, surrounding us with care and dedication.

When the weather allowed it, we played in the garden. We built sandcastles in the sandpit or sold sand cakes to each other. We organised bike races and drove like mad with the wooden Wild West cart of my brother, the wooden iron rimmed wheels of which made a noise like hell on the courtyard pavement. My brother was also the proud owner of a red metal Ferrari racing pedalcar. In hot weather my parents would install an inflatable swimming pool on the lawn. Through the water we could see the multicolour fish and pirate treasure boxes full of jewels and gold coins. In the backyard, what we called 'the forest' (with just a few big trees growing) we made soup with cold water, weeds and the birch fruit, or we climbed into the lilacs which were easy to access.

When the weather was less nice, we played in the playroom, where we drew chalk streets on the parquet floor to play with the dinky toys. We had several pieces of play furniture: a kitchen cupboard, a sink, doll beds and craddles, a puppet theater, shop stalls, tables and chairs which we used to build two houses in two corners of the playroom.

We formed families of fathers and mothers with the dolls, our childern. We were visiting each other, went shopping to one anothers shop, then got back to our houses, prepared meals, took care of the dolls, washed them, got them dressed and fed them.

The playroom was also where my mother ironed and sewed. Occasionally when she ironed, I joined her with my toy ironing board and my electric toy iron. I ironed washed doll clothes or all the handkerchiefs of the family my mother gave me to iron. To sew with her I had a sewing set and an embroidery set. Once, I received a doll in a box. With the doll, came a sewing set and several pieces of fabric and patterns, so that I could make the doll's clothing myself. 

Sometimes, when my mother had time, we were allowed to cook real food on our Heiliger electric cooker, under her supervision, of course. We made soup, cooked meat, potatoes, even real French fries. We baked cakes (with lemon, chocolate or plain) in the oven of our Heiliger cooker, using a toy bakery set of Oetker, and ate them, while drinking tea out of our blue china set. We could access all these toys only for such occasions, and they survived through the time in the best condition as possible, because of the care they were taken of. So many unforgettable moments of childhood joy. Thank you, mum!

When I became an adult, my husband and I founded our own family. We were happy to see four children to be born in our midst, first two boys, then two girls. My love for toys provided them with all the joy I was fond of myself.

Other toys were added, such as dolls in cotton jersey, filled with pure wool, which are much more pleasant to cuddle, than the plastic ones, a wooden train with wooden rails and houses, wooden play stands with wooden boards and colourful sheets. These play stands are the polyvalent basis for numerous plays inspired by the imagination of the moment. Laying it down they can become a car. Other times they became a house or a shop. My son made houses with two floors inside, by laying the boards between both levels of the stands, making them more cosy by covering them with sheets. With his little sister, he would be playing  for hours in the house, pretending to be dad and mum or a cook. Some other day, he installed boards from the first level of the stand until the ground, then made his sister slide the tilt down, while sitting in her wooden doll pram. This pram was so robust that it survived the whole operation.  

Now my children are grown up and don't need my daily care anymore. All four of them founded their own family. Grandchildren came into our life. Now is the right time to spin out this golden thread, generous of numerous joys, as the Toy Estate webshop, my online toy shop.

Brigitte Casier
A mum who loves toys