Balance Toys

I have a couple of balance toys that I love: a jockey on a horse, Santa on skis, but the Snowman with suitcase and top hat is my favorite.

At the bottom of each figure is a bit of pointed metal that rests on a stand. Each has this large weighted arm that allows the toy to rock back and forth, moving parts. Santa moves his arms and heads as he skis down a slope, the jockey raises his arm with a whip and the horse's head moves back in forth as they sprint towards the finish line. In case of the Snowman, he waves his top hat back and forth and his suitcase swings, wishing everyone a happy day and merry holiday. It makes me smile every time he rocks back and forth.

Will and I picked them up at the Louisville Antique Mall, on three different occasions. They have several different characters, but we got the best ones. They are made out of metal and very heavy. They have that nice patina on them too, so even if they aren't old (and we don't think they are), they certainly look it.

Seeing them out at Christmas just makes me happy.