There’s a hypnotic allure to the 1950s Pecking Woodpecker on a Stick. Marketed as a preschool toy, the 20 1/2-inch toy featured a 2-inch wooden bird with sharp beak attached by a spring and small ball to a slender pole. Move the bird to the top, gently pull it back and the bird starts to rock (peck) its way to the bottom, landing on a plain wooden cylinder. Reproductions can be found in toy catalogs, including a set of three recently seen for $52.50. The reproductions feature colored bottoms and colorful birds, as opposed to a single-colored bird on vintage versions.

“Collapsing” toys or “push puppets” in animal shapes are wooden pieces attached together with string. Push the base and the animal collapses; release and the animal stands. They were popular in the 1940s and made by companies like Fisher-Price. Repro versions are for sale at toy stores for under $10. Other reproductions of vintage toys available now include a wind-up “Parisian” girl in a 1960s-era outfit of black-and-white striped shirt and black pants on a gold scooter, and a retro hand-carved “pull-up” toy in which animal figures “climb” a rope are copies of 1940s and 1950s-era toys.

Plastic parts and materials generally indicate a reproduction. Pristine paint colors and no wear-and-tear also indicate a repro rather than a vintage toy.