By Lee GreenwoodLee Greenwood John Lloyd Block 4 Ms. Turner.
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AnadvertisementforLincolnLogs,1925.Courtesyof PeriodPaper
LincolnLogsInventorJohnLloydWright
AUGUST23,2018BYMONICAM.SMITH
Yes,thispopularchildhoodtoywasdesignedbynoneotherthanthesonofarchitect
FrankLloydWright!
YearsagowhileconductingresearchfortheLemelsonCenter’sInventionatPlayexhibition,Iwassurprised
tolearnthatLincolnLogs—oneofmyfavoritechildhoodtoys—weredesignedbyJohnLloydWright,sonof
world-famousarchitectFrankLloydWright.Overshadowedbyhisfather,Johnhasreceivedlittleattention
beyondabrief1982biographynowavailableonline.Andhecertainlyseemedreticentabouttellinghisown
story,insteadpubliclysharingonlyafewexperiencesaspartofhisshort,impressionistic1946bookabout
FranktitledMyFatherWhoIsOnEarth.
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Left:JohnLloydWrightinSpringGreen,Wisconsin,1921,ICHi-173783.Right:FrankLloydWrightwithsonJohnLloydWright,undated.,i73784.CourtesyofChicagoHistoryMuseum
TurnsoutthatJohnwasbothasuccessfultoydesignerandanarchitectin,dareIsayit,hisownright.Hereis
abriefoverviewofhisstory,includingtheoriginsofthoseever-popularLincolnLogs.
Bornin1892,JohnKenneth(laterchangedtoLloyd)WrightwasthesecondofFrankandCatherineWright’s
sixchildren.John’searlyyearsinOakPark,Illinois,seemedhappy;hereminiscedaboutthefuntimesspent
intheplayroomofhischildhoodhouse—designedbyhisfather,ofcourse—andthelivelypartieshostedby
hisparents.Whenscandaleruptedin1909becauseFrankdesertedhisfamilyforaclient’swife,John
struggledforabit.Heworkedbrieflyonhisgreatuncle’sfarmandattendedtheUniversityofWisconsinfor
twoyears,butquitschooltoheadWest.
AfterdoingoddjobsfromPortlandtoSanDiego,Johndecidedtofollowinhisfather’sfootstepsand
becomeanarchitect.HetalkedhiswayintobeinghiredasadraftsmanforthePacificBuildingCompany,
andthenearnedajobasadesignerforarchitectHarrisonAlbright.Withafewcommissionsunderhis
proverbialbelt,JohnplannedtocontinuehisarchitecturaleducationwithOttoWagnerinAustria.However,
whenheaskedhisfatherforfinancialhelptotraveltoVienna,Franktelegraphedhim:“I’dliketoknowwhat
OttoWagnercandoforyouthatyourfathercan’tdo!”[MyFatherWhoIsOnEarth,page67.]
Withthatindirectinvitation,JohnreturnedtoChicagoin1913tobecomehisfather’sapprenticeandoffice
manager.Fouryearslater,JohnsailedwithFranktoJapantostartworkonamajorcommission,theImperial
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LincolnLogsproductboxcoverwithslogan,“InterestingPlayThingsTypifying‘TheSpiritofAmerica.’”CourtesyofGlobalToyNews
HotelinTokyo,whereheservedintheroleofchiefassistantdevelopingworkingdrawingsandaplaster
model.After16monthsinJapan,Johnarguedwithhisfatheroverhisunpaidsalaryandwasfired
unceremoniously.SoJohnreturnedonhisowndimetoChicago,wherehetriedtomakealivingdesigning
andsellingwoodentoysprimarilytothelocaldepartmentstorechainMarshallField.
ThisiswhereLincolnLogscomeintothepicture.
Thefamousconstructiontoywasinspiredbyhisfather’s
earthquake-resistantdesignfortheImperialHotel.John
apparentlybegantinkeringwiththetoyideawhilestillin
Japan.In1920,hereceivedUSPatent1,351,086forhis
“ToyCabinConstruction.”Inthepatentspecificationshe
wrote:“Thisinventionrelatestoimprovementsintoysand
moreparticularlytoeducationaltoyscalculatedto
developachild’sconstructiveinclinations.”Lesserknown
areJohn’sbuildingblocksforwhichhereceivedUS
Patent1,894,605in1933.Thereweretwosetsofthe
latter,whichweresoldinboxesreading“JohnLloyd
Wright—inventorofLincolnLogs—presentsWrightBlocks”
onthelid.However,theynevercaughtoncommercially
likehispreviousconstructiontoy.
Accordingtothe1982biography,“althoughhelatersoldthepatentforLincolnLogs[toPlayskoolaround
1943],theproductmarketedtodayissubstantiallythesameashisoriginaldesign.”Theoriginalpackaging
includedalogcabindrawingwithanimageofAbrahamLincolnandtheslogan“Interestingplaythings
typifyingthespiritofAmerica.”It’simportanttopointoutthatLincolnLogsweren’tthefirstlog-based
constructiontoy.Similarproductsdatedbacktothe19thcentury,includingan1865“LogCabinPlayHouse”
intheMuseum’scollectionthatwasmadebyEllis,Britton,andEatoninVermont.
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WrightBlocks,NumberTwoSet,around1950. Courtesyof SpencerHopkins, ShutterPopPhoto
Johnreturnedtopracticingarchitectureintheearly1920s,andeventuallymovedbacktoCaliforniapartially
toescapehisfather’sshadow.IfounditinterestingthatJohndesignedanumberofbuildingsinmyhome
townofSanDiego,primarilyaftermovingtoDelMarin1947withhisthirdwifeFrances.Hediedthereon20
December1972attheageof80,andwasburiedalongsidehisfivesiblingsintheUnityChapelCemetery
nearhisfather’sTaliesinhomeandschoolinSpringGreen,Wisconsin.
Unfortunately,JohnLloydWrightdidn’tlivetoseehisLincolnLogsinductedintotheNationalToyHallof
Famein1999alongsidesuchclassicsastheDuncanYo-Yo,HulaHoop,RadioFlyerwagon,rollerskates,and
View-Master.
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Ata“DiscoveryDay”inLaos,studentsadaptedLincolnLogs tobuildstructureslikethishouseonstilts—acommonhomedesigninSoutheastAsia. Courtesyof BluePlover,WikimediaCommons,2013.