Features of ado toys

In the fight against illegal copying, ado marked their products. Most ado items bear a mark. Over the years, different stamps, burn marks and badges were used, which can help date the toys.

Over the years, ado’s product range changed quite a bit, and so did designer Ko Verzuu’s use of form and colour. Because of this, you can get a sense of how old your doll’s furniture, toy car, or block box is by just looking at it.

Dollhouse furniture

During the 1920s and 1930s, ado produced a wide variety of dollhouse furniture, in different colours and scales. That changed from the 1940s, catalogs from that time featured only a handful of furniture pieces, only in cream, white and blue. So most ado furniture you come across is from those earlier years.

Ado toys are special, but they are still toys and were made to be played with. After years of fun, many were damaged and ended up in attics. Signs of wear are part of their authenticity. Below you will discover what materials were used, and how they hold up after more than 90 years of play.

Timber and paint, splinters and scratches

Ado toys were made using both solid wood and plywood. After sawing, sanding, and assembling, the toys were painted with glossy Japan lacquers. This incredibly strong, poison-free lacquer was applied with a spray gun. Details were added by hand with a pencil, and text was stenciled using a metal template.

Over time, the timber and paint often show signs of wear, depending on how the toy was used and stored. Splinters may be missing, a plywood layer might have come loose, or the wood may show woodworm holes. The paint might be cracked, faded, powdery, or, in some cases, still surprisingly shiny.

Worn marks

Marks on the same model car or block cart can look completely different today. They have worn differently over the years, and parts of the top layer may be missing. Compare the first two badges used to see the difference.

Wheels and tires

Different types of wheels were used on ado cars over the years. At first, they were made of wood and produced in the workshop. From around 1932, metal wheels with rubber tires were introduced, in various sizes and with different rubber and rim colours. By the mid-1950s, these were gradually replaced with Dunlop tires.

Rubber ages. Tires either go soft and misshapen, or hard and full of cracks. Neither is ideal!

In addition to the maker’s mark, ado toys were often labeled by the shop or department store that sold them,usually with paper stickers. Sometimes, those labels are still intact. As we often know when the shops were in business, the labels help us date the toys. Each store has its own story. Click an image to read more.

Because of the appeal of ado toys, they were often copied. Some early counterfeit copies were made by skilled family members and other manufacturers, while later replicas were produced for collectors.

One example of a replica is the orange ado tax (no. 374). Two are shown here, but only one is the original from 1953. The other is a 1999 copy made by the Sociale Werkvoorziening (Sheltered Workshop) in the town of Zeist. This workshop produced most ado replicas, at least five to ten different models, in production runs of around 250 each. Examining the details reveals which is the copy.

Click here to read more about other imitators of ado toys

Ko Verzuu jr.

Ko Verzuu’s son made a small number of replicas marked with the playful name ‘ko-py-ado’. They were produced in limited runs and were not intended to be sold.

Herman uit de Bosch

As a hobbyist, Herman recreated all kinds of ado items, sometimes in collaboration with Verzuu jr. Herman used new replica metal marks for his works.