With so many delightful new pieces in the latest Erstwilder collection, ‘Down Memory Lane’, the second half of this incredible range most definitely deserve their own blog post! In case you missed it, it’s full of all the classic and iconic childhood toys that so many of us grew up with and loved. Catch up on part 1 here, or keep reading to check out part 2!

Nuts and Bolts brooch

One of the most popular pieces from this range, Nuts and Bolts is the most loveable robot! There’s so much detail packed into this piece, from the glittery lightbulb on his head to his perfectly symmetrical red heart. And that bright turquoise colouring is so good! Nuts and Bolts bears a striking resemblance to early tin robots that began their life in Japan but quickly moved to America, and since then they have fascinated for generations!

Charley Chimp brooch

How sweet is this little monkey? Wearing a bright red and yellow outfit and ready to clash his glittery gold cymbals together, Charley Chimp has such an adorable smile on his face! Cymbal-banging monkey toys are a relatively recent invention, arising in the 1950s. Traditionally they tended to bare their teeth and screech, so lucky for us Charley is a much more well-behaved companion!

Raggedy Annie brooch

With her bright red hair and such a memorable face, this is a doll who has brought joy to so many! Raggedy Annie is too cute, with her blue dress, matching bow, and heart-embroidered apron. This old girl is over 100, starting off life as a doll in 1915 before appearing in print in 1918, and her popularity hasn’t waned since then!

Bendy Wendy brooch

Bendy Wendy is another sweet doll, this time articulated so she can move just like a real kid! She’s got cute ribbons in her hair and a beautifully bright red dress to match. Unfortunately she’s unlikely to come to life, but it doesn’t hurt to wish for it!

Sugar Plum Fairy brooch

As a former ballet dancer (until I was the grand age of 9, thank you for asking), my heart sings for this Sugar Plum Fairy brooch! I remember having music boxes with figures just like her when I was younger. She’s a beautiful silhouette with a glamourous pink tutu and her music box has the most glittery key I’ve ever seen! Music boxes themselves date all the way back to the 18th century, but someone clever decided to put a ballerina in them about a hundred years ago and kids everywhere have been mesmerised by their dancing ever since!

Rocking Reminiscence brooch

As a more ‘big ticket’ item, rocking horses are something that often ends up on a Christmas or birthday wishlist! Whether your dreams came true as a child or if you were just always asking for one, now you can have that rocking horse of your very own with Rocking Reminiscence. This is an intricately detailed piece, with a luxurious glittery black mane and tail, a sparkly red saddle, and gold stars along its rockers.

The Nostalgia Express brooch

The classic toy train is resplendent in primary colours with the Nostalgia Express brooch! Trains never go out of style as a favourite toy, and when there’s glitter resin involved then that’s the icing on the cake. After real trains were invented at the start of the Industrial Revolution, it wasn’t long until toy trains followed in both wood and metal versions!

Tiny Tin Soldier brooch

He’s standing guard and ready for duty! Tiny Tin is sure to be a staple of your brooch collection, just like tin soldiers are in a toy collection. He’s also perfectly groomed, from his red textured resin jacket to his curly mustache and tall hat. The world’s largest tin soldier stands in New Westminster in Canada, measuring 32 feet and weighing 5 tonnes!

Cranky Jack brooch

It’s hard to be scared of clowns with this guy! Cranky Jack is a wildly colourful jack-in-the-box featuring blue, yellow, and red resins with a happy hand-painted face. His box even features some bonus glitter! The origins of the jack-in-the-box may stretch right back to the 14th century, and you’ll find the tune in most modern toys tends to be ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’.

Thank you so much again to the amazing Erstwilder team for letting us shoot this fabulous range! And thank you as always to @cmjsnz for taking my picture. How many pieces from this collection did you end up buying? Did anyone go back for seconds? Let me know below!

Miss Hero Holliday

xo