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Historic Enchanted Village Display

In the 1930s, David Callahan, a buyer and vice president of Jordan Marsh, negotiated with toy makers in Bavaria to bring the handmade electromechanical animated figures and items to Boston which comprised the famous Historic Enchanted Village. Generations of New Englanders grew to cherish visiting Historic Enchanted Village, making the pilgrimage one of their most beloved holiday traditions.

Jordan Marsh, the Massachusetts-based department store chain, set up Historic Enchanted Village inside its store in Downtown Crossing at 450 Washington Street for the holiday season in the 1940s. It continued to be displayed by both Jordanís and the City of Boston virtually every holiday season until 2006.

Historic Enchanted Village occupied 8,000 sq. ft. at Jordan Marsh. It was an animated re-creation of a holiday scene in a colonial New England town. The scene included adult figures, 75 children, 75 bears, and other animals such as dogs, cats, and horses. The average lifelike figure was 4 feet 8 inches.

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