Early Schoenhut childrens size toy piano with 22 keys and original finish. Measuring 24" tall x 23" wide x 12" deep. Shoenhut: Toy pianos originated in Germany during the mid-19th century as toys and musical instruments for young children. Immigrants brought them to North America as part of their personal belongings and, shortly after the Civil War, a United States’ company began manufacturing these toy instruments. They have continued to be not only popular with children but are also recognized in repertoire by composers from classical to pop music. Albert Schoenhut was born into a toy-making family in Wurtenberg, Germany, in 1848. He learned the trade of making wooden dolls, rocking horses, and other toys as did his father and grandfather, but he also set his sights on crafting toy pianos. These were much more than a child-sized design of a piano. From the beginning, the individual keys had hammers that struck a sounding bar. Each key had a specific pitch. At first, Schoenhut used glass to make sounding bars but later switched to metal, adding to the pianos’ durability.