Miniaturization

As a child during the great depression, I bought Big Little Books that were sold in the dime stores. There were about 3 or 4 inches square and about 2 inches thick and sold for 10 cents. Some of the stories were about Dick Tracy, Popeye, Red Ryder, Charlie Chan, and Tarzan. They were extremely popular during those hardship years and many children learned to read from them.

Big Little Books

As years passed, 'paperbacks' came on the market. They are less expensive than 'hard back' books and easier to stuff in a pocket or purse to have handy to read at any odd moment. Electronic readers are becoming popular. They too can be carried on ones person for a quick read. They are light weight and the font can be changed to suit the reader. They can download and store hundreds of volumes resulting in fewer trips to book stores or library.

Automobiles have a mixed history when it comes to size. After going thru a period of conspicuous consumption while touting comfort and speed, the old gas guzzlers are giving way to smaller, functional modes of transportation. The German Beetle pointed the way to mass produced smaller vehicles.

Our need, (and sometimes, fetish) to create smaller things has attracted people to the unfortunate fad of owning a 'tea cup' puppy. There isn't any such thing as a tea cup dog but unscrupulous breeders sell premature puppies as a Tea Cup breed. In reality the breeder has carefully timed the conception and delivery of a litter so that some of the puppies in a litter are premature. These cute, tiny puppies are weeks premature and sold as Tea Cup, but they have extensive health problems and frequently die within a few days, the buyers unaware they were scammed.

Vegetables are not immune to miniaturization either. With the exception of true dwarf varieties, baby or midget vegetables are immature specimens and used by gourmet restaurants. Baby corn is harvested just as the silk emerges from the husk and used in stir fry recipes, pickled or used in salads. Beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, egg plant, lettuce, squash and watermelons can be found in baby sizes, each being harvested in a stage of development to look like mature specimens.

For centuries people had been attempting to create miniature horses and today, the American Miniature Horse is a true breed. Mini horses are not ponies. They are real horses. Breeders around the world continue to breed for traits and colors most admired in the type of horse they are raising, either the stock horse like Quarter horses or the more refined horses with an Arabian head. The American Miniature Horse Association, which started in 1978, keeps track of mini horses around the world.

Miniature Horse

Hobbyists have indulged in making mini architectural structures, some of which are truly outstanding. Doll houses are universal in their appeal to children and hobbyist alike. No limitation exists in designing and equipping doll houses. There is a thriving market for miniature furnishings, although many are created from scratch using found materials and imagination.

A famous miniature created by John and Jan Zweifel in 1962 is the replica of the White House. It is constructed on a scale of 1 inch to 1 foot, and features all the rooms including both east and west rooms and the oval office. The richness of the detail is found in tiny working televisions, hand carved decorations on chairs and tables, crystal chandeliers, portraits in miniature like those gracing the walls of the White House and miniature carpets duplicating the originals stitch by stitch.

Miniature White House