95-Year-Old Pennsylvania Craftsman Gifts 300 Wooden Toys to Local Children for Christmas

A 95-year-old craftsman continues his annual effort of making hundreds of wooden toys, his Christmas gifts for western Pennsylvania children.

The toymaker, Ed Higinbotham, works year-round in his home workshop in Georges Township, Fayette County, to ensure 300 wooden trucks, horses, cars, and tractors are ready for Christmas, according to News 4.

“It’s just something that I enjoy doing, and now I make somebody else happy, and if that’s Santa Claus, then I’m Santa Claus,” a grinning Higinbotham told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 in 2019. 

Pennsylvania state troopers picked up the toys from Higinbotham on Thursday morning for distribution, according to a tweet from Trooper Forrest Allison.

In previous years, state police have distributed the toys to pre-schools and other locations throughout the community where they will be cherished and enjoyed by children, according to KDKA.

Trooper Robert Broadwater became a part of the distribution effort a few years ago, according to a 2019 interview with News 4.

“It’s been a success. People really like Ed. They’ve grown to him,” he said.

Broadwater added that the children often like to personalize the toys once they receive them.

“A lot of them like to paint them, have fun with them,” he said. “It’s not every day that you actually get a homemade wooden toy, and I think the young people appreciate that.”

Higinbotham says he began the hobby in the 1980s, according to Inside Edition. He estimates he has given away upwards of 3000 toys, earning him the nickname “Fayette Santa” among local residents.