Why is it called Babes in Toyland

Taken from:
http://www.wayoutwest.org/toyland/film.html

And I quote:

"The film is based on the Victor Herbert operetta of 1903 and includes much of the original score throughout the film. However, the operetta consisted entirely of a musical revue, without an actual story. Of course, this would not play on the big screen. So a plot, involving many of the classic fairy tales characters, was developed specifically for the film.

Babes in Toyland has undergone several changes over the years. When it was later re-released as March of the Wooden Soldiers, about nine minutes had been removed. The film has also been edited by local television stations, to include additional commercials and remove "violent" scenes. It has been renamed at least five times, with other titles such as Laurel & Hardy in Toyland, Toyland, March of the Toys, and Revenge is Sweet. Today, it is most commonly known as March of the Wooden Soldiers, supposedly to avoid confusion with other films.

Even Walt Disney was involved in the original film. He allowed the use of his "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Woolf" theme to accompany the appearance of the Three Little Pigs. An animal that resembles Mickey Mouse is even seen in the film. Of course, the Walt Disney Studios remade the film in 1961, with Ray Bolger and Annette Funicello. Disney remade the film once again in 1986, for television, with a cast that included Drew Barrymore and Keanu Reeves. Needless to say, neither remake came close to the original"

Taken from:
http://www.savoyards.org/BabesinToylandStory.htm

And I quote:

"Babes in Toyland opened in New York City in 1903 and ran for 192 performances. Drawing on the English tradition of holiday pantomines about Mother Goose Land, Babes in Toyland gave audiences great music and a fine spectacle. It has been made into movies ranging from Laurel and Hardy’s 1934 March of the Wooden Soldiers to Disney’s 1961 version starring Ray Bolger of Wizard of Oz fame. A 1986 remake for television starred Drew Barrymore and Keanu Reeves. Over the years, the story has been dramatically adapted and many versions —of both stage and screen—bear little relation to Victor Herbert’s and Glen MacDonough’s original.

Victor Herbert began his career as cellist with the Metropolitan Opera. In addition to Babes in Toyland, he composed Naughty Marietta (1910) and thirty-eight other operettas. He was conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and founder of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)."


End quotes
______________________________

Not sure if that's any help to you what-so-ever but I tried!!

Personally, I always assumed the term "babes", as in slang for "babies" (not hot chicks! LOL!!)' simply meant that they were just kids, really young and niave.
Like the biblical quote "from the mouths of babes..." I think it just means kids.



Rent it if you can find it - I think you'll quite enjoy it!