Classic Toy Winner 1999

Schylling Tim Flying Bird 1975 6 - 12 years $10.00 Ph: 800 767-8697

The Flying Bird is a classic toy that has been around for 27 years. You wind up the bird and it flies by flapping its wings and up to 50 yards. It's made of mylar nylon and impact resistant plastic. It has a 15-inch wing span. This colorful bird will teach your children about flying. There are specific directions for replacing the rubber band. You can order replacement rubber bands from Schylling. A replacement packet for the TIM Flying Bird is available directly from Schylling for $2.50; this packet includes two replacement rubber bands. Orders can be sent to: Customer Service, Schylling, P.O. Box 667, 44 Mitchell Road, Ipswich, MA 01938.

Schylling is one of the oldest companies that has a distinguished line of products that are fun for children of all ages. This product was first produced by Gerald van Ruymbeke in Marsailles, France. Leonardo da Vinci who was born in 1452 in Florence was a scholar and an artist. He was the first to draw machines that fly. The mechanical birds are called ornithopeters and were inspired by Leonardo.

Back in 1974, Jack Schylling, working in Cambridge, MA, saw a wind-up bird fly past his third-floor office window. He immediately ran down to the street and bought one from a vendor. Enchanted with the item, he then wrote to the manufacturer in France to order his own supply, and subsequently went into business selling the toy birds on the streets of Boston. The rest is now history.

Twenty-five years later the Schylling Toy Company sells more than 300 different types of toys in some 15,000 retail locations around the world.

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