National Museum of Play Online Collections

Hoover WindTunnel Play Vacuum

vacuum cleaner

2000

A few years ago, the Hoover Company produced a toy replica of its Wind Tunnel vaccum cleaner. The toy, powered by four batteries, recalls similar playthings of early decades offered by manufacturers of adult cleaning equipment such as Bissell' s Little Queen carpet sweeper (see 93.1489). These earlier toys seemed ideal in a time when little girls most often grew up to be housewives, and their playthings reflected the labor they undertake as adults. Opportunities for women have expanded since the 1950s, but some things never change. Hoover's toy vacuum still makes play of household chores. The inscription on the packaging, however, might obscure exactly whose chore it is: Hoover promises its toy Wind Tunnel is "Just Like Mom and Dad's."

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