THE JOY OF TOYS

Fred and Mary Pickrell of Greenfield have enjoyed 63 years of marriage together collecting classic and antique toys of all kinds. Recently, they began the steps to be able to share even more of these toys with the public.

The Pickrells purchased the former home of Fontanelle Drug, 401 Washington St. in Fontanelle, for the purpose of displaying Mary’s collection.

“We didn’t have kids or anything, so that’s what Fred and I did,” Mary said. “We enjoyed going antiquing together, and that’s how we enjoyed our time together.”

They live part-time in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado and the rest of the time here. A moving company packed, loaded and transported all of the items to Iowa, then unloaded them into their new home.

“I’ve always liked bears, and I belong to a doll club in Boulder. All of us ladies have those same interests,” Mary said. “I like finding the toys, cleaning them up, doing their hair, cleaning up the bears, brushing them, getting them nice.”

Mary was first drawn to Shirley Temple dolls when she was a child. They were first released by the Ideal Toy Company in 1934 and became a booming success. Her mother even tried to curl Mary’s hair like Shirley Temple.

Other toys on display throughout the building’s four rooms are stuffed animals, creche carved dolls and items depicting Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and other popular characters.

“I’m getting older and I didn’t want them sold and go to an estate sale. I’ve been concerned about what is going to happen to my collections. I’ve been praying about it, then this building came open,” Mary said. “That was the door that needed open, so here they came.”

In 2019, Fred opened Fred’s Toy Box in Fontanelle under the heading of The Joy of Toys, in the former home of Fontanelle’s grocery store, across the street southeast of the drug store.

In Fred’s collection — which started when he received a bad check as a machinist and the customer gave him a toy firetruck as collateral — there restored farm toys, trucks and other items. One highlight is a selection of toy trucks made to replicate those of livestock haulers in Adair County during the early 1960s.

“The most important part is sharing it,” Fred said.

The Pickrells simply hope to do that: share it with others.

Several tractor or classic car groups have come to see Fred’s Toy Box since it opened. They’re hoping Mary’s collection receives the same reception.

“I like to share it,” Mary said. “This has been very peaceful for me to do. I like to be busy and have everything in here.”