The Buck Top
By Peter Halder
An ancient proverb states: Necessity is the mother of invention
The proverb found expression among poor kids growing up in Albouystown in the 1940s and 1950s. Their parents could not afford to buy toys so many kids decided to invent their own.
One popular Christmas toy during that period was the Spinning Top or Spintop. They came in various sizes. Some spun after the top was pressed down (cranked). For some, a key was used to wind them up. They were in the show windows of large Department Stores and some Drug Stores.
Kids in Albouystown, and other parts of the country exercised their young wisdom and talent and decided to invent their own “make local” spintop at no cost. It was named “Buck Top.” Read More »
This is just one of many historical articles on Guyana written by Peter Halder that will be published on Guyanese Online. You can read them all at Peter Halder’s website: http://peterhalder.wordpress.com/
