Pablo Falcon

Interview Description

Oral History Interview with Pablo Falcón

Pablo Falcón was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico and moved to the neighborhood of Santurce at ten years old. After having spent three years stationed in Panama with the United States Army during World War II, he relocated to the Bronx, New York as his family had already moved there. He spent nineteen years living in the Bronx, working at an electronics company, and later moved to the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn to work as a building superintendent. Falcón was a toy-maker since childhood; using his father's carpentry tools and materials to make toys for himself and his friends. He decided to showcase traditional Puerto Rican toys at a Three Kings Day celebration in Brooklyn and since then his craft gained enough popularity to be showcased in several venues such as El Museo del Barrio and the television show "Sábado Gigante." Falcón was an active member of the group Los Hijos e Hijas de María and the Guardian Angels Church on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn.

In this interview, Pablo Falcón talks about growing up in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He narrates how he started making toys using his father's tools and materials as well as scraps he found around the house. Falcón also narrates how his toys gained popularity in the United States and how nostalgia played a role in this. He also compares the materials used in the construction of the toys in Puerto Rico and the materials he used in New York. He briefly discusses the ethnic composition of the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, his various employments, and the charitable activities of the church group Los Hijos e Hijas de María. Interview in Spanish conducted by Marcelo Hernán.

Brooklyn Historical Society initiated the Hispanic Communities Documentation Project in 1988. Over fifty interviews were conducted to document the experiences of Brooklyn residents who arrived from Puerto Rico, Panama, Ecuador, and several other Central and South American nations in the latter half of the twentieth century. This collection includes recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted between 1988 and 1989. The oral histories often contain descriptions of immigration, living arrangements, neighborhood demographics, discrimination, employment, community development, and political leadership. Also included are photographs and printed ephemera.

Citation

Falcon, Pablo, Oral history interview conducted by Marcelo Herman, May 01, 1989, Hispanic Communities Documentation Project records and oral histories, 1989.004.06; Brooklyn Historical Society.