Difference between revisions of "Toy" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[File:Wooden toys (cropped).JPG|thumb|400px|A variety of traditional wooden toys]]
 
[[File:Wooden toys (cropped).JPG|thumb|400px|A variety of traditional wooden toys]]
A '''toy''' or '''plaything''' is an object that is used primarily to provide [[entertainment]]. Simple examples include [[Toy block|toy blocks]], [[Board game|board games]], and [[Doll|dolls]]. Additionally, utilitarian objects, especially those which are no longer needed for their original purpose, can be used as toys. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults or pets. In addition to bringing joy, toys provide many benefits, including physical exercise, cultural awareness, and academic education. The term "toy" can also be used to refer to utilitarian objects purchased for enjoyment rather than need, or for expensive necessities for which a large fraction of the cost represents its ability to provide enjoyment to the owner, such as luxury cars, high-end motorcycles, gaming computers, and flagship smartphones.
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A '''toy''' or '''plaything''' is an object that is used primarily to provide [[entertainment]]. Simple examples include [[Toy block|toy blocks]], [[Board game|board games]], and [[Doll|dolls]]. Utilitarian objects, especially those which are no longer needed for their original purpose, can also be used as toys. The term "toy" can also be used to refer to utilitarian objects purchased for enjoyment rather than need, or for expensive necessities for which a large fraction of the cost represents its ability to provide enjoyment to the owner, such as luxury cars, high-end motorcycles, gaming computers, and flagship smartphones.  
  
Playing with toys can be an enjoyable way of training young children for life experiences. Different materials like wood, clay, paper, and plastic are used to make toys. Newer forms of toys include [[Video game|interactive digital entertainment]] and [[smart toy]]s. Some toys are produced primarily as collectors' items and are intended for display only.
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Different materials like wood, clay, paper, and plastic are used to make toys. Newer forms of toys include [[Video game|interactive digital entertainment]] and [[smart toy]]s. Some toys are produced primarily as collectors' items and are intended for display only.  
 
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{{toc}}
Playing with toys is an important part of development. Younger children use toys to discover their identity, help with [[cognition]], learn cause and effect, explore relationships, become stronger physically, and practice skills needed in adulthood. Adults on occasion use toys to form and strengthen social bonds, teach, help in therapy, and to remember and reinforce lessons from their youth.
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Playing with toys can be an enjoyable way of training young children for life experiences and is an important part of development. Younger children use toys to discover their identity, help with [[cognition]], learn cause and effect, explore relationships, become stronger physically, and practice skills needed in adulthood. Adults on occasion use toys to form and strengthen social bonds, teach, help in therapy, and to remember and reinforce lessons from their youth.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
Toys have been existed since early times; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults, have been found at many archaeological sites. The oldest known doll toy is a 4,000-year-old stone doll head found in the ruins of a village on the Italian island of Pantelleria.<ref> Amber Williams, [https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-01/what-oldest-toy-world/ FYI: What Is the Oldest Toy in the World?] ''Popular Science'', February 16, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2023. </ref>
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Toys have existed since early times; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults, have been found at many archaeological sites. The oldest known doll toy is a 4,000-year-old stone doll head found in the ruins of a village on the Italian island of Pantelleria.<ref> Amber Williams, [https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-01/what-oldest-toy-world/ FYI: What Is the Oldest Toy in the World?] ''Popular Science'', February 16, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2023. </ref>
  
 
The origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the fourteenth century to mean "amorous playing, sport," and later "piece of fun or entertainment." <ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=toy toy] ''Online Etymology Dictionary''. Retrieved February 9, 2023.</ref>  
 
The origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the fourteenth century to mean "amorous playing, sport," and later "piece of fun or entertainment." <ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=toy toy] ''Online Etymology Dictionary''. Retrieved February 9, 2023.</ref>  
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[[File:Little horse on wheels (Ancient greek child's Toy).jpg|thumb|350px|Little horse on wheels, [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] children's toy. From a tomb dating 950–900 B.C.E., [[Kerameikos]] Archaeological Museum, Athens]]
 
[[File:Little horse on wheels (Ancient greek child's Toy).jpg|thumb|350px|Little horse on wheels, [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] children's toy. From a tomb dating 950–900 B.C.E., [[Kerameikos]] Archaeological Museum, Athens]]
  
Toys and [[game]]s have been retrieved from the sites of ancient civilizations, and have been mentioned in ancient literature. The earliest toys were made from natural materials, such as rocks, sticks, and [[clay]]. For example, items excavated from the [[Indus valley civilization]] (3010–1500 B.C.E.) include small carts, [[whistle]]s shaped like [[bird]]s, and toy [[monkey]]s that could slide down a string.<ref>[https://india.mrdonn.org/indus-dailylife.html Indus Valley Civilization Daily Life 3000-1500 B.C.E.] ''Mr. Donn's Site. Retrieved February 9, 2023.</ref>
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Toys and [[game]]s have been retrieved from the sites of ancient civilizations, and have been mentioned in ancient literature. The earliest toys were made from natural materials, such as rocks, sticks, and [[clay]]. For example, items excavated from the [[Indus valley civilization]] include small carts, [[whistle]]s shaped like [[bird]]s, and toy [[monkey]]s that could slide down a string.<ref>[https://india.mrdonn.org/indus-dailylife.html Indus Valley Civilization Daily Life 3000-1500 B.C.E.] ''Mr. Donn's Site. Retrieved February 9, 2023.</ref>
  
 
[[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] children played with [[doll]]s that had wigs and movable limbs, which were made from stone, [[pottery]], and wood.<ref name=Maspero>Gaston Maspero, Amelia B. Edwards (trans.), ''Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt'' (Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1887), ISBN 978-1013973710).</ref> However, evidence of toys in ancient Egypt is difficult to identify with certainty. Small figurines and models found in tombs are usually interpreted as ritual objects; those from settlement sites are more easily labelled as toys. These include spinning tops, balls of spring, and wooden models of animals with movable parts.<ref> Toby Wilkinson, ''Dictionary of Ancient Egypt'' (Thames & Hudson, 2008, ISBN 978-0500203965).</ref>
 
[[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] children played with [[doll]]s that had wigs and movable limbs, which were made from stone, [[pottery]], and wood.<ref name=Maspero>Gaston Maspero, Amelia B. Edwards (trans.), ''Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt'' (Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1887), ISBN 978-1013973710).</ref> However, evidence of toys in ancient Egypt is difficult to identify with certainty. Small figurines and models found in tombs are usually interpreted as ritual objects; those from settlement sites are more easily labelled as toys. These include spinning tops, balls of spring, and wooden models of animals with movable parts.<ref> Toby Wilkinson, ''Dictionary of Ancient Egypt'' (Thames & Hudson, 2008, ISBN 978-0500203965).</ref>
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In [[ancient Greece]] and [[ancient Rome]], children played with dolls made of [[wax]] or [[terracotta]]: sticks, [[bow and arrow|bows and arrows]], and [[yo-yo]]s. When Greek children, especially girls, came of age, it was customary for them to sacrifice the toys of their childhood to the [[Greek mythology|gods]]. On the eve of their wedding, young girls around fourteen would offer their dolls in a temple as a [[rite of passage]] into adulthood.<ref>Barry B. Powell, ''Classical Myth'' (Prentice Hall, 2000, ISBN 978-0130884428).</ref>
 
In [[ancient Greece]] and [[ancient Rome]], children played with dolls made of [[wax]] or [[terracotta]]: sticks, [[bow and arrow|bows and arrows]], and [[yo-yo]]s. When Greek children, especially girls, came of age, it was customary for them to sacrifice the toys of their childhood to the [[Greek mythology|gods]]. On the eve of their wedding, young girls around fourteen would offer their dolls in a temple as a [[rite of passage]] into adulthood.<ref>Barry B. Powell, ''Classical Myth'' (Prentice Hall, 2000, ISBN 978-0130884428).</ref>
 
[[File:Stomachion.JPG|thumb|350px|Stomachion (Ostomachion) dissection puzzle]]
 
[[File:Stomachion.JPG|thumb|350px|Stomachion (Ostomachion) dissection puzzle]]
The oldest known [[mechanical puzzle]] also comes from ancient Greece and appeared in the third century B.C.E. The game consisted of a square divided into 14 parts, and the aim was to create different shapes from the pieces. One form of play to which classical texts attest is the creation of different objects, animals, or plants by rearranging the pieces: an elephant, a tree, a barking dog, a ship, a sword, a tower and so forth. Another suggestion is that it exercised and developed memory skills in the young, by putting the pieces back in their box in a specific arrangement.<ref>James Gow, ''A Short History of Greek Mathematics'' (Cambridge University Press, 2010 (original 1884), ISBN 978-1108009034).</ref>
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The oldest known [[mechanical puzzle]], which appeared in the third century B.C.E.., also comes from ancient Greece. The toy consisted of a square divided into 14 parts, and the aim was to create different shapes from the pieces. One form of [[Play (activity)|play]] to which classical texts attest is the creation of different objects, animals, or plants by rearranging the pieces: an elephant, a tree, a barking dog, a ship, a sword, a tower and so forth. Another suggestion is that it exercised and developed memory skills in the young, by putting the pieces back in their box in a specific arrangement.<ref>James Gow, ''A Short History of Greek Mathematics'' (Cambridge University Press, 2010 (original 1884), ISBN 978-1108009034).</ref>
  
 
===Enlightenment Era===
 
===Enlightenment Era===
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[[File:Spilsbury jigsaw - John Spilsbury, 1766 - BL.jpg|thumb|350px|John Spilsbury's "Europe divided into its kingdoms, etc." (1766). He created the jigsaw puzzle for educational purposes, and called them "Dissected Maps"]]
 
[[File:Spilsbury jigsaw - John Spilsbury, 1766 - BL.jpg|thumb|350px|John Spilsbury's "Europe divided into its kingdoms, etc." (1766). He created the jigsaw puzzle for educational purposes, and called them "Dissected Maps"]]
John Spilsbury, a London cartographer and engraver, is credited with producing the first jigsaw puzzle around 1760. His design took world maps, and cut out the individual nations in order for them to be reassembled by students as a geographical teaching aid. His early puzzles, known as "dissected maps," were produced by mounting maps on sheets of hardwood and cutting along national boundaries. The name "jigsaw" came to be associated with the puzzle around 1880 when the jig saw was invented and made it possible to cut more intricate shapes. It also reduced the time to cut the pieces, with the result that they were cheaper and so more popular.<ref>Martin Fone, [https://www.countrylife.co.uk/out-and-about/sporting-country-pursuits/curious-questions-why-do-we-call-picture-puzzles-jigsaws-215829 Curious Questions: Why do we call picture puzzles ‘jigsaws’?] ''Country Life'', June 6, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2023.</ref>
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The first jigsaw puzzle was produced around 1760 by John Spilsbury, a London cartographer and engraver. His design took world maps, and cut out the individual nations in order for them to be reassembled by students as a geographical teaching aid. His early puzzles, known as "dissected maps," were produced by mounting maps on sheets of hardwood and cutting along national boundaries. The name "jigsaw" came to be associated with the puzzle around 1880 when the jig saw was invented and made it possible to cut more intricate shapes. It also reduced the time to cut the pieces, with the result that they were cheaper and so became more popular.<ref>Martin Fone, [https://www.countrylife.co.uk/out-and-about/sporting-country-pursuits/curious-questions-why-do-we-call-picture-puzzles-jigsaws-215829 Curious Questions: Why do we call picture puzzles ‘jigsaws’?] ''Country Life'', June 6, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2023.</ref>
  
 
In the nineteenth century, Western values prioritized toys with an educational purpose, such as puzzles, books, cards and board games. Religion-themed toys were also popular, including a model [[Noah's Ark]] with miniature animals and objects from other [[Bible]] scenes. With growing prosperity among the [[middle class]], children had more [[leisure]] time on their hands, which led to the application of industrial methods to the manufacture of toys.
 
In the nineteenth century, Western values prioritized toys with an educational purpose, such as puzzles, books, cards and board games. Religion-themed toys were also popular, including a model [[Noah's Ark]] with miniature animals and objects from other [[Bible]] scenes. With growing prosperity among the [[middle class]], children had more [[leisure]] time on their hands, which led to the application of industrial methods to the manufacture of toys.
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More complex mechanical and [[Optics|optical]]-based toys were also invented during the nineteenth century. [[Carpenter and Westley]] began to mass-produce the [[kaleidoscope]], invented by Sir [[David Brewster]] in 1817, and had sold over 200,000 items within three months in London and Paris. The modern [[zoetrope]] was invented in 1833 by British mathematician [[William George Horner]] and was popularized in the 1860s.<ref> Kristin Thompson, David Bordwell, and Jeff Smith, ''Film History: An Introduction'', (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2021, ISBN 978-1260837476). </ref>
 
More complex mechanical and [[Optics|optical]]-based toys were also invented during the nineteenth century. [[Carpenter and Westley]] began to mass-produce the [[kaleidoscope]], invented by Sir [[David Brewster]] in 1817, and had sold over 200,000 items within three months in London and Paris. The modern [[zoetrope]] was invented in 1833 by British mathematician [[William George Horner]] and was popularized in the 1860s.<ref> Kristin Thompson, David Bordwell, and Jeff Smith, ''Film History: An Introduction'', (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2021, ISBN 978-1260837476). </ref>
  
===Industrial Era and mass-marketed toys===
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===Industrial Era===
 
[[File:Hornby pt1901.jpg|thumb|300px|Frank Hornby's 1901 patent number GB190100587A for what later became known as [[Meccano]]]]
 
[[File:Hornby pt1901.jpg|thumb|300px|Frank Hornby's 1901 patent number GB190100587A for what later became known as [[Meccano]]]]
  
The golden age of toy development occurred during the [[Industrial Revolution|Industrial Era]]. [[Real wage]]s were rising steadily in the Western world, allowing even working-class families to afford toys for their children, and industrial techniques of precision engineering and mass production were able to provide the supply to meet this rising demand. Intellectual emphasis was also increasingly being placed on the importance of a wholesome and happy childhood for the future development of children. [[Franz Kolb]], a German pharmacist, invented [[plasticine]] in 1880, and in 1900 commercial production of the material as a children's toy began. [[Frank Hornby]] was a visionary in toy development and manufacture and was responsible for the invention and production of three of the most popular lines of toys based on [[Engineering mechanics|engineering principles]] in the twentieth century: [[Meccano]], [[Hornby Railways|Hornby Model Railways]] and [[Dinky Toys]].
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The golden age of toy development occurred during the [[Industrial Revolution|Industrial Era]]. [[Real wage]]s were rising steadily in the Western world, allowing even working-class families to afford toys for their children, and industrial techniques of precision engineering and mass production were able to provide the supply to meet this rising demand. Intellectual emphasis was also increasingly being placed on the importance of a wholesome and happy childhood for the future development of children.  
  
Meccano was a [[Scale model|model]] construction system that consisted of re-usable metal strips, plates, [[Angle iron|angle]] [[girder]]s, wheels, axles and [[gear]]s, with [[Nut (hardware)|nuts]] and [[screw#bolt|bolts]] to connect the pieces and enabled the building of working models and mechanical devices. [[Dinky Toys]] pioneered the manufacture of [[die-cast toy]]s with the production of toy cars, trains and ships and model train sets became popular in the 1920s. The [[Britains (toy brand)|Britain's company]] revolutionized the production of [[toy soldiers]] with the invention of the process of [[hollow casting]] in lead in 1893<ref>Norman Joplin, ''Toy Soldiers'' (Courage Books, 1994, ISBN 978-1561384327). </ref> – the company's products remained the industry standard for many years.
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[[Franz Kolb]], a German pharmacist, invented [[plasticine]] in 1880, and in 1900 commercial production of the material as a children's toy began. [[Frank Hornby]] was a visionary in toy development and manufacture and was responsible for the invention and production of three of the most popular lines of toys based on [[Engineering mechanics|engineering principles]] in the twentieth century: [[Meccano]], [[Hornby Railways|Hornby Model Railways]], and [[Dinky Toys]]. Meccano was a [[Scale model|model]] construction system that consisted of re-usable metal strips, plates, [[Angle iron|angle]] [[girder]]s, wheels, axles and [[gear]]s, with [[Nut (hardware)|nuts]] and [[screw#bolt|bolts]] to connect the pieces and enabled the building of working models and mechanical devices. [[Dinky Toys]] pioneered the manufacture of [[die-cast toy]]s with the production of toy cars, trains and ships and model train sets became popular in the 1920s. The [[Britains (toy brand)|Britain's company]] revolutionized the production of [[toy soldiers]] with the invention of the process of [[hollow casting]] in lead in 1893.<ref>Norman Joplin, ''Toy Soldiers'' (Courage Books, 1994, ISBN 978-1561384327). </ref>
  
Puzzles became popular as well. In 1893, the English lawyer [[s:Author:Angelo John Lewis|Angelo John Lewis]], writing under the pseudonym of Professor Hoffman, wrote a book called ''Puzzles Old and New''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://puzzlemuseum.com/library/hoffm/hoff-bk.htm|title=''Puzzles Old and New'' by Professor Hoffmann|website=puzzlemuseum.com}}</ref> It contained, among other things, more than 40 descriptions of puzzles with secret opening mechanisms. This book grew into a reference work for puzzle games and was very popular at the time. The [[Tangram]] puzzle, originally from China, spread to Europe and America in the nineteenth century.
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Puzzles became popular as well. In 1893, the English lawyer [[Angelo John Lewis]], writing under the pseudonym of Professor Hoffmann, wrote a book called ''Puzzles Old and New''.<ref>Professor Hoffmann, ''Puzzles Old and New'' (Forgotten Books, 2018 (original 1893), ISBN 978-0282566012).</ref> It contained, among other things, more than 40 descriptions of puzzles with secret opening mechanisms. This book grew into a reference work for puzzle games and was very popular at the time.  
  
 
[[File:Beatrix potter certificate of registration for a peter rabbit doll.jpg|thumb|right|400px|1903 patent for a [[Peter Rabbit]] soft toy, the first licensed character, created by [[Beatrix Potter]]]]
 
[[File:Beatrix potter certificate of registration for a peter rabbit doll.jpg|thumb|right|400px|1903 patent for a [[Peter Rabbit]] soft toy, the first licensed character, created by [[Beatrix Potter]]]]
In 1903, a year after publishing ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit]]'', English author [[Beatrix Potter]] created the first [[Peter Rabbit]] [[soft toy]] and registered him at the [[Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)|Patent Office]] in London, making Peter the oldest licensed character.<ref>{{cite news |title=Peter Rabbit blazed a trail still well trod |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/peter-rabbit-blazed-a-trail-still-well-trod-c9zdfx2c6nk |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=The Times}}</ref> It was followed by other "spin-off" merchandise over the years, including painting books and board games. The ''[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]'' magazine stated,  "Potter was also an entrepreneur and a pioneer in licensing and merchandising literary characters. Potter built a retail empire out of her “bunny book” that is worth $500 million today. In the process, she created a system that continues to benefit all licensed characters, from [[Mickey Mouse]] to [[Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter]]."<ref>{{cite news |title=How Beatrix Potter Invented Character Merchandising |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-beatrix-potter-invented-character-merchandising-180961979/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=Smithsonian}}</ref>
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In 1903, a year after publishing ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit]]'', English author [[Beatrix Potter]] created the first [[Peter Rabbit]] [[soft toy]] and registered him at the [[Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)|Patent Office]] in London, making Peter the oldest licensed character.<ref>Erica Wagner, [https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/peter-rabbit-blazed-a-trail-still-well-trod-c9zdfx2c6nk Peter Rabbit blazed a trail still well trod] ''The Times'', December 23, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref> It was followed by other "spin-off" merchandise over the years, including painting books and board games. The merchandising of literary characters has developed into a major industry:
 
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<blockquote>Potter was also an entrepreneur and a pioneer in licensing and merchandising literary characters. Potter built a retail empire out of her “bunny book” that is worth $500 million today. In the process, she created a system that continues to benefit all licensed characters, from Mickey Mouse to Harry Potter.<ref>Joy Lanzendorfer, [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-beatrix-potter-invented-character-merchandising-180961979/ How Beatrix Potter Invented Character Merchandising] ''Smithsonian Magazine'', January 31, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref></blockquote>
The beginning of the twentieth century also saw the arrival of the "[[teddy bear]]," named for President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]. The name originated from an incident on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902, to which Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino. There were several other hunters competing, and most of them had already killed an animal. A suite of Roosevelt's attendants, led by Holt Collier,[4] cornered, clubbed, and tied an American black bear to a willow tree after a long exhausting chase with hounds. They called Roosevelt to the site and suggested that he shoot it. He refused to shoot the bear himself, deeming this unsportsmanlike, but instructed that the bear be killed to put it out of its misery,[5][6] and it became the topic of a political cartoon by Clifford Berryman in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902.[7][8][9] While the initial cartoon of an adult black bear lassoed by a handler and a disgusted Roosevelt had symbolic overtones, later issues of that and other Berryman cartoons made the bear smaller and cuter.[10]
 
  
Morris Michtom saw the Berryman drawing of Roosevelt and was inspired to create a teddy bear. He created a tiny soft bear cub and put it in his candy shop window at 404 Tompkins Avenue in Brooklyn with a sign "Teddy's bear." The toys were an immediate success and Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co.[6]  
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The beginning of the twentieth century also saw the arrival of the "[[Teddy bear]]," named for President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]. The name originated from an incident on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902, to which Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino. There were several other hunters competing, and most of them had already killed an animal. Roosevelt's attendants cornered, clubbed, and tied an American black bear to a willow tree after a long exhausting chase with hounds. They called Roosevelt to the site and suggested that he shoot it. He refused to shoot the bear himself, deeming this unsportsmanlike, and it became the topic of a political [[cartoon]] by Clifford Berryman in ''The Washington Post'' on November 16, 1902.
 
[[File:Teddy bear early 1900s - Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.jpg|thumb|300px|An original "Teddy Bear" from 1903, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History]]
 
[[File:Teddy bear early 1900s - Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.jpg|thumb|300px|An original "Teddy Bear" from 1903, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History]]
<blockquote>That night, Rose cut and stuffed a piece of plush velvet into the shape of a bear, sewed on shoe button eyes and handed it to Morris to display in the shop window. He labeled it, "Teddy’s bear." To his surprise, not only did someone enter the store asking to buy the bear, but twelve other potential customers also asked to purchase it. Aware that he might offend the president by using his name without permission, the Michtoms mailed the original bear to the White House, offering it as a gift to the president’s children and asking Roosevelt for the use of his name. He told the Michtoms he doubted his name would help its sales but they were free to use it if they wanted.<ref>[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/rose-and-morris-michtom  
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Morris Michtom saw the Berryman drawing of Roosevelt and he and his wife were inspired to create a toy bear, the first "Teddy bear," and the rest is history:
Rose & Morris Michtom (1870 - 1938)] ''Jewish Virtual Library''. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref>
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<blockquote>That night, Rose cut and stuffed a piece of plush velvet into the shape of a bear, sewed on shoe button eyes and handed it to Morris to display in the shop window. He labeled it, "Teddy’s bear." To his surprise, not only did someone enter the store asking to buy the bear, but twelve other potential customers also asked to purchase it. Aware that he might offend the president by using his name without permission, the Michtoms mailed the original bear to the White House, offering it as a gift to the president’s children and asking Roosevelt for the use of his name. He told the Michtoms he doubted his name would help its sales but they were free to use it if they wanted.<ref>[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/rose-and-morris-michtom Rose & Morris Michtom (1870 - 1938)] ''Jewish Virtual Library''. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref>
 
</blockquote>
 
</blockquote>
  
In tandem with the development of mass-produced toys, Enlightenment ideals about children's rights to education and leisure time came to fruition. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, many families needed to send their children to work in factories and other sites to make ends meet—just as their predecessors had required their labor producing household goods in the medieval era.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reed |first1=Lawrence W. |title=Child Labor and the British Industrial Revolution |url=https://www.mackinac.org/3879 |website=Mackinac Center for Public Policy |access-date=10 April 2022}}</ref> Business owners' exploitation and abuse of child laborers during this period differed from how children had been treated as workers within a family unit, though. Thanks to advocacy including photographic documentation of children's exploitation and abuse by business owners, Western nations enacted a series of child labor laws, putting an end to child labor in nations such as the U.S. (1949).<ref>{{cite web |title=National Child Labor Committee |url=https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/nclc/ |website=Library of Congress |access-date=10 April 2022}}</ref> This fully entrenched, through law, the Western idea that childhood is a time for ''leisure'', not work—and with leisure time comes more space for consumer goods such as toys.<ref name="The Marketing of Children's Toys">{{cite book |last1=Hains |first1=Rebecca C. |last2=Jennings |first2=Nancy A. |title=The Marketing of Children's Toys |date=2021 |publisher=Palgrave |page=2}}</ref>
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In tandem with the development of mass-produced toys, Enlightenment ideals about children's rights to education and leisure time came to fruition. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, many families needed to send their children to work in factories and other sites to make ends meet—just as their predecessors had required their labor producing household goods in the medieval era.<ref>Lawrence W. Reed, [https://www.mackinac.org/3879 Child Labor and the British Industrial Revolution] ''Mackinac Center for Public Policy'', December 7, 2001. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref> By the twentieth century, however, child labor laws were passed, thus fully entrenching the idea that childhood is a time for leisure, not work. With children's free time came demand for more toys.<ref name="The Marketing of Children's Toys"> Rebecca C. Hains and Nancy A. Jennings (eds.), ''The Marketing of Children's Toys'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, ISBN 978-3030628802). </ref>
  
During the [[Second World War]], some new types of toys were created through accidental innovation. After trying to create a replacement for [[synthetic rubber]], the American [[Earl L. Warrick]] inadvertently invented "nutty putty" during [[World War II]]. Later, Peter Hodgson recognized the potential as a childhood plaything and packaged it as [[Silly Putty]]. Similarly, [[Play-Doh]] was originally created as a wallpaper cleaner.<ref name="mit">{{cite web|title=On the invention of silly putty, from Lemelson-MIT Program|url=http://web.mit.edu/Invent/iow/sillyputty.html|website=web.mit.edu|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030216041436/http://web.mit.edu/Invent/iow/sillyputty.html|archive-date=16 February 2003}}</ref> In 1943 [[Richard T. James|Richard James]] was experimenting with springs as part of his military research when he saw one come loose and fall to the floor. He was intrigued by the way it flopped around on the floor. He spent two years fine-tuning the design to find the best gauge of steel and coil; the result was the [[Slinky]], which went on to sell in stores throughout the United States.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
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During the [[Second World War]], some new types of toys were created through accidental innovation. After trying to create a replacement for [[synthetic rubber]], the American [[Earl L. Warrick]] inadvertently invented "nutty putty" during [[World War II]]. Later, Peter Hodgson recognized the potential as a childhood plaything and packaged it as [[Silly Putty]]. <ref>[https://www.museumofplay.org/toys/silly-putty/ Silly Putty] ''The Strong National Museum of Play''. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref> In 1943 [[Richard T. James|Richard James]] was experimenting with springs as part of his military research when he saw one come loose and fall to the floor. He was intrigued by the way it flopped around on the floor. He spent two years fine-tuning the design to find the best gauge of steel and coil; the result was the [[Slinky]], which went on to sell in stores throughout the United States.<ref>[https://www.museumofplay.org/toys/slinky/ Slinky] ''The Strong National Museum of Play''. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref>
  
 
After the [[Second World War]], as society became ever more affluent and new technology and materials (plastics) for toy manufacture became available, toys became cheap and ubiquitous in households across the Western World. At this point, [[Brand|name-brand]] toys became widespread in the U.S.–a new phenomenon that helped market mass-produce toys to audiences of children growing up with ample leisure time and during a period of relative prosperity.<ref name="The Marketing of Children's Toys"/>
 
After the [[Second World War]], as society became ever more affluent and new technology and materials (plastics) for toy manufacture became available, toys became cheap and ubiquitous in households across the Western World. At this point, [[Brand|name-brand]] toys became widespread in the U.S.–a new phenomenon that helped market mass-produce toys to audiences of children growing up with ample leisure time and during a period of relative prosperity.<ref name="The Marketing of Children's Toys"/>
 
Among the more well-known products of the 1950s there was the Danish company [[Lego]]'s line of colourful interlocking plastic brick construction sets (based on [[Hilary Page]]'s [[Kiddicraft]] Self-Locking Bricks, described by London's [[V&A Museum of Childhood]] as among the "must-have toys" of the 1940s<ref>{{cite web |title=Must Have Toys 1940s - V&A Museum of Childhood |url=https://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/collections/must-toys-1940s/ |website=V&A Museum of Childhood |publisher=Victoria and Albert Museum, London |accessdate=11 October 2018}}</ref>), [[Mr. Potato Head]], the [[Barbie doll]] (inspired by the [[Bild Lilli doll]] from Germany), and [[Action Man]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.localhistories.org/toys.html|title=A Brief History of Toys|website=localhistories.org|access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> The [[Rubik's Cube]] became an enormous seller in the 1980s. In modern times, there are computerized dolls that can recognize and identify objects, the voice of their owner, and choose among hundreds of pre-programmed phrases with which to respond.<ref name=VanPatten>{{cite web|last=Van Patten|first=Denise|title=A Brief History of Talking Dolls – From Bebe Phonographe to Amazing Amanda|publisher=About.com|url=http://collectdolls.about.com/od/dollsbymaterial/a/talkingdolls.htm|access-date=30 October 2006}}</ref>
 
  
 
==Types==
 
==Types==
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{{Main|Construction set}}
 
{{Main|Construction set}}
  
The Greek philosopher [[Plato]] wrote that the future [[architect]] should play at building houses as a child.<ref name=Hils>Karl Hils, ''The Toy – Its Value, Construction and Use'', Edmund Ward Ltd., London, 1959.</ref> A [[construction set]] is a collection of separate pieces that can be joined to create [[Scale model|models]]. Popular models include cars, [[spacecraft|spaceships]], and houses. The things that are built are sometimes used as toys once completed, but generally speaking, the object is to build things of one's own design, and old models often are broken up with the pieces reused in new models.
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A [[construction set]] is a collection of separate pieces that can be joined to create [[Scale model|models]]. Popular models include cars, [[spacecraft|spaceships]], and houses. The items constructed are sometimes used as toys once completed, but generally speaking, it is the act of building that is valued. The purpose is to build items of one's own design, and old models often are broken up so that the pieces can be reused in new models. Construction sets appeal to children (and adults) who like to work with their hands, puzzle solvers, and those with creative minds.
  
The oldest and perhaps most common construction toy is a set of simple wooden [[Toy block|blocks]], which are often painted in bright colors and given to babies and toddlers. Construction sets such as [[Lego]] bricks and [[Lincoln Logs]] are designed for slightly older children and have been quite popular in the last century.
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The oldest and perhaps most common construction toy is a set of simple wooden [[Toy block|blocks]], which are often painted in bright colors and given to babies and toddlers. Construction sets such as [[Lego]] bricks and [[Lincoln Logs]] are designed for slightly older children.
Construction sets appeal to children (and adults) who like to work with their hands, puzzle solvers, and imaginative sorts.
 
 
 
Some other examples include [[Bayko]], Konstruk-Tubes, [[K'Nex]], [[Erector Set]]s, [[Tinkertoy]]s, and [[Meccano]], and generic construction toys such as [[Neodymium magnet toys]].
 
  
 
===Dolls and miniatures===
 
===Dolls and miniatures===
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[[File:Child and Doll.jpg|thumb|300px|A girl and her [[doll]] in the 1900s]]
 
[[File:Child and Doll.jpg|thumb|300px|A girl and her [[doll]] in the 1900s]]
  
A [[doll]] is a model of a human (often a baby), a humanoid (like [[Bert and Ernie]]), or an animal. Modern dolls are often made of cloth or plastic. Other materials that are, or have been, used in the manufacture of dolls include [[Husk|cornhusks]], [[bone]], [[Rock (geology)|stone]], wood, [[porcelain]] (sometimes called china), [[Bisque doll|bisque]], [[celluloid]], [[wax]], and even apples. Often, people will make dolls out of whatever materials are available to them.
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A [[doll]] is a model of a human (often a baby), a humanoid (like [[Bert and Ernie]]), or an animal. Modern dolls are often made of cloth or plastic. Other materials that are, or have been, used in the manufacture of dolls include [[Husk|cornhusks]], [[bone]], [[Rock (geology)|stone]], wood, [[porcelain]] (sometimes called china), [[Bisque doll|bisque]], [[celluloid]], and [[wax]]. Often, people will make dolls out of whatever materials are available to them.
  
Sometimes intended as decorations, keepsakes, or [[collectible]]s for older children and adults, most dolls are intended as toys for children, usually girls, to play with. Dolls have been found in [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] tombs that date to as early as 2000 BCE.<ref name="Maspero"/>
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Sometimes intended as decorations, keepsakes, or [[collectible]]s for older children and adults, most dolls are intended as toys for children, usually girls, to play with. Dolls have been found in [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] tombs that date to as early as 2000 B.C.E.<ref name="Maspero"/>
  
 
Dolls are usually miniatures, but baby dolls may be of true size and weight. A doll or [[stuffed animal]] of soft material is sometimes called a [[plush toy]] or [[Stuffed toy|plushie]]. A popular toy of this type is the [[Teddy bear]].
 
Dolls are usually miniatures, but baby dolls may be of true size and weight. A doll or [[stuffed animal]] of soft material is sometimes called a [[plush toy]] or [[Stuffed toy|plushie]]. A popular toy of this type is the [[Teddy bear]].
 
[[File:3 Humfrey hug-a-bears.jpeg|thumb|400px|Teddy Bears]]
 
[[File:3 Humfrey hug-a-bears.jpeg|thumb|400px|Teddy Bears]]
A distinction is often made between dolls and [[action figure]]s, which are generally of plastic or semi-metallic construction and poseable to some extent, and often are merchandising from television shows or films which feature the characters. Modern action figures, such as [[Action Man]], are often marketed towards boys, whereas dolls are often marketed towards girls.
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A distinction is often made between dolls and [[action figure]]s, which are generally of plastic or semi-metallic construction and poseable to some extent, and often are merchandising from television shows or films which feature the characters.  
  
[[Toy soldiers]], perhaps a precursor to modern [[action figures]], have been a popular toy for centuries. They allow children to act out battles, often with toy military equipment and a castle or fort. Miniature animal figures are also widespread, with children perhaps acting out farm activities with animals and equipment centered on a toy farm.
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[[Toy soldiers]], perhaps a precursor to modern [[action figures]], have been a popular toy for centuries. They allow children (and adults) to act out battles, often with toy military equipment and a castle or fort. Miniature animal figures are also widespread, allowing for acting out farm activities with animals and equipment on a toy farm.
  
 
===Puzzles===
 
===Puzzles===
 
{{main|Puzzle}}
 
{{main|Puzzle}}
 
[[File:Rubik's cube.png|350px|thumb|A Rubik's Cube]]
 
[[File:Rubik's cube.png|350px|thumb|A Rubik's Cube]]
A puzzle is a [[Problem solving|problem]] or enigma that challenges ingenuity. Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing [[pattern]]s and creating a particular order. People with a high [[inductive reasoning aptitude]] may be better at solving these puzzles than others. Puzzles based on the process of inquiry and discovery to complete may be solved faster by those with good [[Deductive reasoning|deduction]] skills. A popular puzzle toy is the [[Rubik's Cube]], invented by Hungarian [[Ernő Rubik]] in 1974. Popularized in the 1980s, solving the cube requires planning and problem-solving skills and involves algorithms.
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A puzzle is a [[Problem solving|problem]] or enigma that challenges ingenuity. Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing [[pattern]]s and creating a particular order. People with a high [[inductive reasoning aptitude]] may be better at solving these puzzles than others. Puzzles based on the process of inquiry and discovery to complete may be solved faster by those with good [[Deductive reasoning|deduction]] skills.  
  
There are many different types of puzzles; for example, a [[maze]] is a type of [[tour puzzle]]. Other categories include: [[construction puzzle]]s, [[stick puzzle]]s, [[tiling puzzle]]s, [[disentanglement puzzle]]s, [[sliding puzzle]]s, [[logic puzzle]]s, [[picture puzzle]]s, [[lock puzzle]]s, and [[mechanical puzzle]]s.
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There are many different types of puzzles; for example, a [[maze]] is a type of [[tour puzzle]]. Other categories include: [[construction puzzle]]s, [[stick puzzle]]s, [[tiling puzzle]]s, [[disentanglement puzzle]]s, [[sliding puzzle]]s, [[logic puzzle]]s, [[picture puzzle]]s, [[lock puzzle]]s, and [[mechanical puzzle]]s. A popular puzzle toy is the [[Rubik's Cube]], invented by Hungarian [[Ernő Rubik]] in 1974. Popularized in the 1980s, solving the cube requires planning and problem-solving skills and involves algorithms.
  
 
===Vehicles===
 
===Vehicles===
 
[[File:Knatterboot.jpg|thumb|400px|A [[pop pop boat|toy boat]]]]
 
[[File:Knatterboot.jpg|thumb|400px|A [[pop pop boat|toy boat]]]]
  
Children have played with miniature versions of vehicles since ancient times, with toy two-wheeled [[cart]]s being depicted on [[Pottery of Ancient Greece|ancient Greek vases]].<ref name=Hils/> [[Wind-up toy]]s have also played a part in the advancement of toy vehicles. Modern equivalents include toy [[motor vehicle|cars]] such as those produced by [[Matchbox (toy company)|Matchbox]] or [[Hot Wheels]], miniature aircraft, toy boats, [[military vehicle]]s, and [[toy train|trains]]. Examples of the latter range from wooden sets for younger children such as [[BRIO]] to more complicated realistic [[Rail transport modeling|train models]] like those produced by [[Lionel Corporation|Lionel]], [[Doepke Toys|Doepke]] and [[Hornby Railways|Hornby]]. Larger die-cast vehicles, 1:18 scale, have become popular toys; these vehicles are produced with a great attention to detail.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}
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Children have played with miniature versions of vehicles since ancient times, with toy two-wheeled [[cart]]s being depicted on [[ancient Greek]] [[vase]]s. [[Wind-up toy]]s have also played a part in the advancement of toy vehicles. Modern equivalents include toy [[motor vehicle|cars]] such as those produced by [[Matchbox (toy company)|Matchbox]] or [[Hot Wheels]], miniature aircraft, toy boats, [[military vehicle]]s, and [[toy train|trains]]. Examples of the latter range from wooden sets, such as [[BRIO]], for younger children, to more complicated realistic [[Rail transport modeling|train models]] like those produced by [[Lionel Corporation|Lionel]], [[Doepke Toys|Doepke]], and [[Hornby Railways|Hornby]].  
  
 
===Physical activity===
 
===Physical activity===
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[[File:Jakarta old football.jpg|thumb|350px|A boy from [[Jakarta]] with his ball. [[Ball game]]s are good exercise, and are popular worldwide.]]
 
[[File:Jakarta old football.jpg|thumb|350px|A boy from [[Jakarta]] with his ball. [[Ball game]]s are good exercise, and are popular worldwide.]]
  
A large amount of toys are part of active play. These include traditional toys such as [[Hoop rolling|hoops]], [[top]]s, [[jump rope]]s, and [[ball]]s, as well as more modern toys like [[Frisbee]]s, [[foot bag]]s, [[fidget toy]]s, [[astrojax]], and [[Myachi]].
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Many toys are part of active play. These include traditional toys such as [[Hoop rolling|hoops]], [[top]]s, [[jump rope]]s, and [[ball]]s, as well as more modern toys like [[Frisbee]]s, [[foot bag]]s, [[fidget toy]]s, [[astrojax]], and [[Myachi]].
  
 
Playing with these sorts of toys allows children to exercise, building strong bones and muscles and aiding in [[physical fitness]]. Throwing and catching balls and Frisbees can improve [[Eye–hand coordination|hand–eye coordination]]. Jumping rope, (also known as skipping) and playing with foot bags can improve balance.
 
Playing with these sorts of toys allows children to exercise, building strong bones and muscles and aiding in [[physical fitness]]. Throwing and catching balls and Frisbees can improve [[Eye–hand coordination|hand–eye coordination]]. Jumping rope, (also known as skipping) and playing with foot bags can improve balance.
 
  
 
===Promotional merchandise===
 
===Promotional merchandise===
 
 
[[File:John Deere toy tractor.jpg|thumb|right|400px|This toy tractor also serves as an advertisement for [[John Deere]].]]
 
[[File:John Deere toy tractor.jpg|thumb|right|400px|This toy tractor also serves as an advertisement for [[John Deere]].]]
  
Many successful films, television programs, books and sport teams have official merchandise, which often includes related toys. Some notable examples are ''[[Star Wars]]'' (a space fantasy franchise) and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], an English [[association football|football]] club.
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Many successful films, television programs, books, and sport teams have official merchandise, which often includes related toys. Some notable examples are ''[[Star Wars]]'' (a space fantasy franchise) and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], an English [[association football|football]] club.
  
Likewise, many successful children's films, television series, books or franchises extend their marketing campaign to [[fast food]] chains by including small toys of fictional characters or the series' associated symbols in a sealed plastic bag within their [[kids' meal]]s. One famous example is the [[Happy Meal]] from [[McDonald's]].<ref name="Bishop">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3oVKAAAAIBAJ&pg=6140,5493787|title=Fast food meals for kids come under fire|last=Bishop|first=Pete|date=20 March 1990|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=21 October 2020}}</ref>
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Likewise, many successful children's films, television series, books or franchises extend their marketing campaign to [[fast food]] chains by including small toys of fictional characters or the series' associated symbols in a sealed plastic bag within their [[kids' meal]]s.  
  
Promotional toys can fall into any of the other toy categories; for example, they can be dolls or action figures based on the characters of movies or professional athletes, or they can be balls, yo-yos, or [[lunch box]]es with logos on them. Sometimes they are given away for free as a form of advertising. [[Model aircraft]] are often toys that are used by airlines to promote their brand, just as [[Die cast toy|toy cars and trucks]] and [[model train]]s are used by trucking, railroad and other companies as well. Many food manufacturers run promotions where a toy is included with the main product as a [[Prize (marketing)|prize]]. Toys are also used as [[Premium (marketing)|premiums]], where consumers redeem [[Proof of purchase|proofs of purchase]] from a product and pay shipping and handling fees to get the toy.  Some people go to great lengths to collect these sorts of promotional toys.
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Promotional toys can fall into any of the other toy categories; for example, they can be dolls or action figures based on the characters of movies or professional athletes, or they can be balls, [[yo-yo]]s, or [[lunch box]]es with logos on them. Sometimes they are given away for free as a form of advertising. [[Model aircraft]] are often toys that are used by airlines to promote their brand, just as [[Die cast toy|toy cars and trucks]] and [[model train]]s are used by trucking, railroad, and other companies. Many food manufacturers run promotions where a toy is included with the main product as a [[Prize (marketing)|prize]]. Toys are also used as [[Premium (marketing)|premiums]], where consumers redeem [[Proof of purchase|proofs of purchase]] from a product and pay shipping and handling fees to get the toy.
  
 
===Digital toys===
 
===Digital toys===
 
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Digital toys are toys that incorporate some form of interactive digital technology. Examples include [[virtual pets]] and [[handheld electronic games]]. Among the earliest digital toys are [[Mattel Auto Race]] and the [[Little Professor]], both released in 1976.
Digital toys are toys that incorporate some form of interactive digital technology.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/27/business/tech-toys-that-can-make-the-video-screen-passe.html|title=Tech Toys That Go Beyond the Screen|first=Farhad|last=Manjoo|date=26 November 2014|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Examples of digital toys include [[virtual pets]] and [[handheld electronic games]]. Among the earliest digital toys are [[Mattel Auto Race]] and the [[Little Professor]], both released in 1976. The concept of using technology in a way that bridges the digital with the physical world, providing unique interactive experiences for the user, has also been referred to as ''[[phygital]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://phygitalien.com/what-is-phygital/ |title=What is Phygital? |website=phygitalien.com |access-date=9 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216182145/http://phygitalien.com/what-is-phygital/ |archive-date=16 December 2014 }}</ref>
 
 
 
  
 
===Collectibles===
 
===Collectibles===
 
 
{{Main|Collectible}}
 
{{Main|Collectible}}
 
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Some toys, such as [[Beanie Baby|Beanie Babies]], attract large numbers of enthusiasts, eventually becoming [[collectible]]s. Other toys, such as [[Boyds Bears]] are marketed to adults as collectibles. Some people spend large sums of money in an effort to acquire larger and more complete collections.
Some toys, such as [[Beanie Baby|Beanie Babies]], attract large numbers of enthusiasts, eventually becoming [[collectible]]s. Other toys, such as [[Boyds Bears]] are marketed to adults as collectibles. Some people spend large sums of money in an effort to acquire larger and more complete collections. The record for a single [[Pez dispenser]] at an auction, for example, is US$1100.<ref name="Brown">{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Patricia Leigh|date=23 April 1995|title=New Auction Gems: Common Folks; Venerable Houses Woo Unstuffy Buyers With Unstuffy Stuff|page=37|work=The New York Times|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F6061EF93B5D0C708EDDAD0894DD494D81|url-status=dead|access-date=11 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515173948/https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F6061EF93B5D0C708EDDAD0894DD494D81|archive-date=15 May 2007}}</ref>
 
  
 
==Child development==
 
==Child development==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2022}}
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Toys, like [[Play (activity)|play]] itself, serve multiple purposes in both humans and animals. They provide entertainment while fulfilling an educational role. Toys enhance [[cognition|cognitive behavior]] and stimulate creativity. They aid in the development of physical and mental skills which are necessary in later life.
Toys, like play itself, serve multiple purposes in both humans and animals. They provide entertainment while fulfilling an educational role. Toys enhance [[cognition|cognitive behavior]] and stimulate creativity. They aid in the development of physical and mental skills which are necessary in later life.
 
  
Wooden [[Block (toy)|blocks]], though simple, are regarded by early childhood education experts such as Sally Cartwright (1974) as an excellent toy for young children; she praised the fact that they are relatively easy to engage with, can be used in repeatable and predictable ways, and are versatile and open-ended, allowing for a wide variety of developmentally appropriate play.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cartwright |first1=Sally |title=Blocks and learning |journal=Young Children |date=March 1974 |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=141–146 |jstor=42657609 }}</ref> Andrew Witkin, director of marketing for [[Mega Brands]], told ''[[Investor's Business Daily]]'' that "They help develop hand-eye coordination, math and science skills and also let kids be creative."<ref name=Tsuruoka>{{cite journal|last=Tsuruoka |first=Doug |title=Toys: Not All Fun And Games |journal=Investor's Business Daily |date=5 January 2007 |url=http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=23&issue=20070105 |access-date=8 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009073731/http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=23&issue=20070105 |archive-date=9 October 2009 }}</ref> Other toys like [[marbles]], [[jackstones]], and [[ball]]s serve similar functions in child development, allowing children to use their minds and bodies to learn about [[spatial relationships]], [[cause and effect]], and a wide range of other skills.
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Wooden [[Block (toy)|blocks]], though simple, are regarded by early childhood education experts as an excellent toy for young children. They are relatively easy to engage with, can be used in repeatable and predictable ways, and are versatile and open-ended, allowing for a wide variety of developmentally appropriate play.<ref>Sally Cartwrightm "Blocks and learning," ''Young Children'' 29(3) (March 1974): 141–146.</ref> They also help develop hand-eye coordination, as well as math and science skills, while encouraging [[creativity]].<ref name=Tsuruoka>Doug Tsuruoka, "Toys: Not All Fun And Games," ''Investor's Business Daily'', January 5, 2007.</ref> Other toys like [[marbles]], [[jackstones]], and [[ball]]s serve similar functions in child development, allowing children to use their minds and bodies to learn about [[spatial relationships]], [[cause and effect]], and a wide range of other skills.
  
[[File:Hitting the Ball in the Shadow of the Banana Leaves.jpg|thumb|350px|Two children playing with [[paddle ball]]s in ''Hitting the Ball in the Shadow of the Banana'', a painting by the [[History of Chinese art|Chinese artist]] Su Hanchen (苏汉臣, active 1130s–1160s AD), [[Song Dynasty]]]]
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[[File:Hitting the Ball in the Shadow of the Banana Leaves.jpg|thumb|350px|Two children playing with [[paddle ball]]s in ''Hitting the Ball in the Shadow of the Banana'', a painting by the [[History of Chinese art|Chinese artist]] Su Hanchen (苏汉臣, active 1130s–1160s C.E.), [[Song Dynasty]]]]
One example of the dramatic ways that toys can influence child development involves clay sculpting toys such as [[Play-Doh]] and [[Silly Putty]] and their home-made counterparts. Mary Ucci, Educational Director of the Child Study Center of [[Wellesley College]], has demonstrated how such toys positively impact the [[physical development]], [[cognitive development]], [[Child development#Social-emotional|emotional development]], and [[Social change|social development]] of children.<ref name=Ucci>{{cite journal | last =Ucci | first =Mary | title =Playdough: 50 Years' Old, And Still Gooey, Fun, And Educational | journal =Child Health Alert | volume =24 | date =April 2006 | url =http://web110.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=sid+50E579A7%2D22F7%2D4ED5%2DADF6%2DF699A2D5EB3B%40sessionmgr2+dbs+afh+cp+1+B804&_us=mh+1+sl+%2D1+hs+False+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+mdbs+afh+ri+KAAAGEIB00091355+dstb+KS+sel+False+frn+1+1CD0&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Dafh+hd+False+op%5B0+%2D+st%5B0+%2DToys++in++Child++development++AND++DE++%22TOYS%22+ex%5B0+%2Dproximity+mdb%5B0+%2Dimh+A6B6&cf=1&fn=1&rn=2& | access-date =17 February 2007 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} (Note that the full-text online version requires login.)</ref>
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One example of the dramatic ways that toys can influence child development is clay sculpting toys, such as [[Play-Doh]] and [[Silly Putty]] and their home-made counterparts. Such toys have been shown to positively impact children's [[physical development]], [[cognitive development]], [[Child development#Social-emotional|emotional development]], and [[Social change|social development]].<ref>Mary Ucci, "Playdough: 50 Years' Old, And Still Gooey, Fun, And Educational," ''Child Health Alert'' 24 (April 2006). </ref>
  
Toys for infants often make use of distinctive sounds, bright colors, and unique [[Texture (visual arts)|textures]]. Through repetition of play with toys, infants begin to recognize shapes and colors. [[Play-Doh]], [[Silly Putty]] and other hands-on materials allow the child to make toys of their own.
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Toys for infants often make use of distinctive sounds, bright colors, and unique [[Texture (visual arts)|textures]]. Through repetition of play with toys, infants begin to recognize shapes and colors.  
  
 
[[Educational toy]]s for school age children of often contain a [[puzzle]], problem-solving technique, or mathematical proposition. Often toys designed for older audiences, such as teenagers or adults, demonstrate advanced concepts. [[Newton's cradle]], a desk toy designed by [[Simon Prebble]], demonstrates the [[Conservation law|conservation of momentum and energy]].
 
[[Educational toy]]s for school age children of often contain a [[puzzle]], problem-solving technique, or mathematical proposition. Often toys designed for older audiences, such as teenagers or adults, demonstrate advanced concepts. [[Newton's cradle]], a desk toy designed by [[Simon Prebble]], demonstrates the [[Conservation law|conservation of momentum and energy]].
  
Not all toys are appropriate for all ages of children.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cffd4f9HBL0C&q=Not+all+toys+are+appropriate+for+all+ages+of+children|title=The Mommy Guide: Real-life Advice and Tips from Over 250 Moms and Other Experts|last=Bernard|first=Susan|date=1994|publisher=Contemporary Books|isbn=978-0-8092-3797-5|language=en}}</ref> Even some toys which are marketed for a specific age range can even harm the development of children in that range, such as when for example toys meant for young girls contribute to the ongoing problem of girls' sexualization in Western culture.<ref>{{cite web |title=Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls |url=https://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report |website=American Psychological Association |access-date=10 April 2022}}</ref>
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There is a modern trend of children moving through play stages faster than was the case in the past, whereby children progress to more complex toys at a faster pace, girls in particular. Barbie dolls, for example, were once marketed to girls around 8 years old but have been found to be more popular in recent years with girls around 3 to 7 years old.<ref name="Pressler">Margaret Webb Pressler, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040100186.html Bored with her toys] ''The Washington Post'', April 2, 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref> The packaging for the dolls labels them as appropriate for ages 3 and up.
  
A study suggested that supplying fewer toys in the environment allows toddlers to better focus to explore and play more creatively. The provision of four rather than sixteen toys is thus suggested to promote children's development and healthy play.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dauch|first1=Carly|last2=Imwalle|first2=Michelle|last3=Ocasio|first3=Brooke|last4=Metz|first4=Alexia E.|date=February 2018|title=The influence of the number of toys in the environment on toddlers' play |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0163638317301613|journal=Infant Behavior and Development|language=en|volume=50|pages=78–87 |doi=10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.11.005|pmid=29190457}}</ref>
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Boys, by contrast, apparently enjoy toys and games over a longer timespan, gravitating towards toys that meet their interest in assembling and disassembling mechanical toys, and toys that "move fast and things that fight." Girls mature earlier, entering the "[[Preadolescence|tween]]" phase by the time they are 8 years old and want non-traditional toys, whereas boys maintain an interest in traditional toys until they are 12 years old, meaning the traditional toy industry holds onto their boy customers for 50 percent longer than their girl customers.<ref name="Pressler"/>
 
 
There is a modern trend of children moving through play stages faster than was the case in the past, whereby children progress to more complex toys at a faster pace, girls in particular. Barbie dolls, for example, were once marketed to girls around 8 years old but have been found to be more popular in recent years with girls around 3 years old,<ref name="Pressler">{{cite news|last=Pressler|first=Margaret Webb|title=Bored with her toys|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040100186.html|access-date=2 April 2006|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=29 October 2011}}</ref> with most girls outgrowing the brand by about age 7.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hains |first1=Rebecca |title=A Barbie with curves is still all about looks |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/02/01/a-barbie-with-curves-is-still-all-about-looks/ |access-date=10 April 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=1 February 2016}}</ref> The packaging for the dolls labels them appropriate for ages 3 and up. Boys, in contrast, apparently enjoy toys and games over a longer timespan, gravitating towards toys that meet their interest in assembling and disassembling mechanical toys, and toys that "move fast and things that fight". An industry executive points out that girls have entered the "[[Preadolescence|tween]]" phase by the time they are 8 years old and want non-traditional toys, whereas boys have been maintaining an interest in traditional toys until they are 12 years old, meaning the traditional toy industry holds onto their boy customers for 50% longer than their girl customers.<ref name="Pressler"/>
 
 
 
Girls gravitate towards "music, clothes, make-up, television talent shows and celebrities". As young children are more exposed to and drawn to music intended for older children and teens, companies are having to rethink how they develop and market their products.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xMEAAAAMBAJ&q=KID+RHINO+ADDRESSES+AGE+COMPRESSION+BY+TWEAKING+PRODUCTS,+STRATEGIES&pg=PA69|title=Kid Rhino Addresses Age Compression By Tweaking Products, Strategies|date=10 March 2001|magazine=Billboard|via=Google Books|language=en-US|access-date=15 February 2018}}</ref> Girls also demonstrate a longer loyalty to characters in toys and games marketed towards them.<ref name="Tansel">{{cite web|last=Tansel|first=Utku|title=Effects of age compression on traditional toys and games|url=http://blog.euromonitor.com/2010/10/effects-of-age-compression-on-traditional-toys-and-games.html|publisher=Euromonitor International|access-date=29 October 2011|date=19 October 2010|archive-date=5 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405114828/http://blog.euromonitor.com/2010/10/effects-of-age-compression-on-traditional-toys-and-games.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> A variety of global toy companies have marketed themselves to this aspect of girls' development, for example, the [[Hello Kitty]] brand and the [[Disney Princess]] franchise.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hains |first1=Rebecca |title=The Princess Problem |date=2014 |publisher=Sourcebooks |isbn=978-1402294037}}</ref> Boys have shown an interest in computer games at an ever-younger age in recent years.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
 
  
 
==Culture==
 
==Culture==
The act of children's play with toys embodies the values set forth by the adults of their specific community, but through the lens of the child's perspective. Within cultural societies, toys are a medium to enhance a child's cognitive, social, and linguistic learning.<ref name="Smith2010">{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Peter K|title=Children and Play:Understanding Children's Worlds|date=2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=West Sussex, United Kingdom|isbn=978-0-631-23521-7|pages=89–94|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MLLhoS7LDEkC&q=toys+symbolism+of+other+cultures&pg=PA94|access-date=5 December 2016}}</ref>
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The act of children's play with toys embodies the values set forth by the adults of their specific community, but through the lens of the child's perspective. Within cultural societies, toys are a medium to enhance a child's cognitive, social, and linguistic learning.<ref name="Smith2010">Peter K. Smith, ''Children and Play:Understanding Children's Worlds'' (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, ISBN 978-0631235224).</ref>
  
In some cultures, toys are used as a way to enhance a child's skillset within the traditional boundaries of their future roles in the community. In [[Sahara]]n and [[North Africa]]n cultures, play is facilitated by children through the use of toys to enact scenes recognizable in their community such as hunting and herding. The value is placed in a realistic version of development in preparing a child for the future they are likely to grow up into. This allows the child to imagine and create a personal interpretation of how they view the adult world.<ref name="Rossie2005">{{cite book|last1=Rossie|first1=Jean-Pierre|title=Toys, Play, Culture, and Society. An anthrological approach with reference to North Africa and the Sahara|date=2005|publisher=SITREC|location=Stockholm|isbn=978-91-974811-3-7|pages=88–91|url=https://www.academia.edu/5180690|access-date=5 December 2016}}</ref>
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In some cultures, toys are used as a way to enhance a child's skillset within the traditional boundaries of their future roles in the community. In [[Sahara]]n and [[North Africa]]n cultures, [[Play (activity)|play]] is facilitated by children through the use of toys to enact scenes recognizable in their community, such as [[hunting]] and [[herding]]. This allows the child to imagine and create a personal interpretation of how they view the adult world.<ref name="Rossie2005">Jean-Pierre Rossie, ''Toys, Play, Culture, and Society: An Anthropological Approach with Reference to North Africa and the Sahara'' (Stockholm: SITREC, 2005).</ref>
  
 
However, in other cultures, toys are used to expand the development of a child's cognition in an idealistic fashion. In these communities, adults place the value of play with toys to be on the aspirations they set forth for their child. In the Western culture, the Barbie and Action-Man represent lifelike figures but in an imaginative state out of reach from the society of these children and adults. These toys give way to a unique world in which children's play is isolated and independent of the social constraints placed on society leaving the children free to delve into the imaginary and idealized version of what their development in life could be.<ref name="Rossie2005" />
 
However, in other cultures, toys are used to expand the development of a child's cognition in an idealistic fashion. In these communities, adults place the value of play with toys to be on the aspirations they set forth for their child. In the Western culture, the Barbie and Action-Man represent lifelike figures but in an imaginative state out of reach from the society of these children and adults. These toys give way to a unique world in which children's play is isolated and independent of the social constraints placed on society leaving the children free to delve into the imaginary and idealized version of what their development in life could be.<ref name="Rossie2005" />
  
In addition, children from differing communities may treat their toys in different ways based on their cultural practices. Children in more affluent communities may tend to be possessive of their toys, while children from poorer communities may be more willing to share and interact more with other children. The importance the child places on possession is dictated by the values in place within the community that the children observe on a daily basis.<ref name="Starr2013">{{cite news|last1=Starr|first1=Benjamin|title=Toy Stories: Children's Favorite Toys Around the World|url=https://www.visualnews.com/2013/03/13/toy-stories-childrens-favorite-toys-around-the-world/|access-date=5 December 2016|publisher=Visual News|date=13 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106104131/https://www.visualnews.com/2013/03/13/toy-stories-childrens-favorite-toys-around-the-world/|archive-date=6 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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Children may treat their toys in different ways based on their cultural practices. For example, children in certain communities may tend to be possessive of their toys, while children from other communities may be more willing to share. Favorite toys depend on familiar items in their environment, or their parents' interest, or the economic reality of the children's life. Children in an affluent society may enjoy board games or digital toys, whereas those living in poverty may find broken or lost items and those become their favorite playthings.<ref>Gabriele Galimberti, ''Toy Stories: Photos of Children from Around the World and Their Favorite Things'' (Harry N. Abrams, 2014, ISBN 978-1419711749). </ref>
 
 
  
 
===Gender===
 
===Gender===
 
[[File:Tank toy radio.JPG|thumb|right|400px|A toy tank with a remote control. Such toys are generally thought of as boys' toys.]]
 
[[File:Tank toy radio.JPG|thumb|right|400px|A toy tank with a remote control. Such toys are generally thought of as boys' toys.]]
Certain toys, such as [[Barbie]] [[doll]]s and toy soldiers, are often perceived as being more acceptable for one gender than the other. The turning point for the addition of gender to toys came about in the 1960s and 1970s. Before 1975, only about two percent of toys were labeled by gender, whereas today on the Disney store's website, considered a dominating global force for toys by researcher Claire Miller, all toys are labeled by gender.<ref name=Miller2015/> The journal [[Sex Roles (journal)|''Sex Roles'']] began publishing research on this topic in 1975, focusing on the effects of gender in youth. Too, many psychological textbooks began to address this new issue. Along with these publications, researchers also started to challenge the ideas of male and female as being opposites, even going as far as to claim toys which have characteristics of both genders are preferable.<ref name=pmid21747580>{{cite journal |last1=Zosuls |first1=Kristina M. |last2=Miller |first2=Cindy Faith |last3=Ruble |first3=Diane N. |last4=Martin |first4=Carol Lynn |last5=Fabes |first5=Richard A. |title=Gender Development Research in Sex Roles: Historical Trends and Future Directions |journal=Sex Roles |date=June 2011 |volume=64 |issue=11–12 |pages=826–842 |doi=10.1007/s11199-010-9902-3 |pmid=21747580 |pmc=3131694 }}</ref>
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Traditions within various cultures promote the passing down of certain toys to their children based on the child's gender. In [[Indigenous peoples of South America|Indigenous South American]] communities, boys receive a toy bow and arrow from their father while young girls receive a toy basket from their mother.<ref name="Smith2010" /> In North African and Saharan cultural communities, gender plays a role in the creation of self-made dolls. While female dolls are used to represent brides, mothers, and wives, male dolls are used to represent horsemen and warriors. This contrast stems from the various roles of men and women within the Saharan and North African communities. There are differences in the toys that are intended for girls and boys within various cultures, which is reflective of the differing roles of men and women within a specific cultural community.<ref name="Rossie2005" />
  
A milestone for research on gender is the use of [[meta-analysis]], which provides a way to assess patterns in a systematic way, especially relevant for a topic such as gender, which can be difficult to quantify.<ref name=pmid21747580/> [[Nature versus nurture|Nature and nurture]] have historically been analyzed when looking at gender in play, as well as reinforcement by peers and parents of typical [[gender role]]s and consequently, gender play.<ref name=pmid21747580/> Toy companies have often promoted the segregation by gender in toys because it enables them to customize the same toy for each gender, which ultimately doubles their revenue. For example, Legos added more colors to certain sets of toys in the 1990s, including colors commonly attributed to girls such as lavender.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
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In the United States, certain toys, such as [[Barbie]] [[doll]]s and toy soldiers, are often perceived as being more acceptable for one gender than the other. Toy companies have often promoted the segregation by gender in toys because it enables them to customize the same toy for each gender, which ultimately doubles their revenue.  
  
It has been noted by researchers that, "Children as young as 18 months display sex-stereotyped toy choices".<ref name=Caldera>{{cite journal|last1=Caldera|first1=Yvonne M. |last2=Huston|first2=Aletha C. |last3=O'Brien|first3=Marion |title=Social Interactions and Play Patterns of Parents and Toddlers with Feminine, Masculine, and Neutral Toys|journal=Child Development|volume=60|issue=1|pages=70–76|date=February 1989|doi=10.2307/1131072|pmid=2702876|jstor=1131072}}</ref> When eye movement is tracked in young infants, infant girls show a visual preference for a doll over a toy truck (d > 1.0). Boys showed no preference for the truck over the doll. However, they did fixate on the truck more than the girls (d = .78).<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Alexander | first1 = G. M. | last2 = Wilcox | first2 = T. | last3 = Woods | first3 = R. | year = 2009 | title = Sex differences in infants' visual interest in toys | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 38 | issue = 3| pages = 427–433 | doi = 10.1007/s10508-008-9430-1 | pmid = 19016318 | s2cid = 20435292 }}</ref> This small study suggests that even before any self-awareness of gender identity has emerged, children already prefer sex-typical toys. These differences in toy choice are well established within the child by the age of three.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Alexander | first1 = G. M. | last2 = Saenz | first2 = J. | year = 2012 | title = Early androgens, activity levels and toy choices of children in the second year of life | journal = Hormones and Behavior | volume = 62 | issue = 4| pages = 500–504 | doi = 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.08.008 | pmid = 22955184 | s2cid = 25564513 }}</ref>
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It has been noted that "Children as young as 18 months display sex-stereotyped toy choices."<ref>Yvonne M. Caldera, Aletha C. Huston, and Marion O'Brien, "Social Interactions and Play Patterns of Parents and Toddlers with Feminine, Masculine, and Neutral Toys" ''Child Development'' 60(1) (1989): 70–76. </ref> These differences in toy choice are well established within the child by the age of three.<ref>G.M Alexander and J. Saenz, "Early androgens, activity levels and toy choices of children in the second year of life" ''Hormones and Behavior'' 62(4) (2012): 500–504. </ref>
  
Another study done by Jeffrey Trawick-Smith took 60 different children ages three to four and observed them playing with nine different toys deemed best for development. They were allowed to play with the toys in a typical environment, a preschool classroom, which allowed for the results to be more authentic compared to research done in a lab. The researchers then quantified play quality of the children with each toy based on factors such as learning, problem solving, curiosity, creativity, imagination, and peer interaction. The results revealed that boys generally received higher scores for overall play quality than girls, and the toys with the best play quality were those identified as the most gender neutral, such as building blocks and bricks along with pieces modeling people. Trawick-Smith then concluded that the study encourages a focus on toys which are beneficial to both genders in order to create a better balance.<ref name="Trawick-Smith et al. 2015">{{cite journal |last1=Trawick-Smith |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Wolff |first2=Jennifer |last3=Koschel |first3=Marley |last4=Vallarelli |first4=Jamie |title=Effects of Toys on the Play Quality of Preschool Children: Influence of Gender, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status |journal=Early Childhood Education Journal |date=July 2015 |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=249–256 |doi=10.1007/s10643-014-0644-7 |s2cid=145171764 }}</ref>
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From a different perspective, studies have shown that when young girls and boys were observed, toys rated with the best play quality, based on factors such as learning, problem solving, curiosity, creativity, imagination, and peer interaction, were those identified as the most gender neutral, such as building blocks and bricks along with pieces modeling people.<ref>Jeffrey Trawick-Smith, Jennifer Wolff, Marley Koschel, and Jamie Marley, "Effects of Toys on the Play Quality of Preschool Children: Influence of Gender, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status" ''Early Childhood Education Journal'' 43(4) (July 2015): 249–256. </ref> It has been suggested that allowing children to play with toys which more closely fit their talents would help them to better develop their skills.<ref>Carol J. Auster and Claire S. Mansbach, "The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Store Website" ''Sex Roles'' 67(7) (October 2012): 375–388. </ref> Even as this debate is evolving and children are becoming more inclined to cross barriers in terms of gender with their toys, girls are typically more encouraged to do so than boys because of the societal value of masculinity.<ref>Claire Cain Miller, [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/upshot/boys-and-girls-constrained-by-toys-and-costumes.html Boys and Girls, Constrained by Toys and Costumes] ''The New York Times'', October 30, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2023.</ref>
 
 
While some parents promote gender neutral play, many parents encourage their children to participate in sex-typed activities, including doll-playing and engaging in housekeeping activities for girls and playing with trucks and engaging in sports activities for boys.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eccles |first1=Jacquelynne S. |last2=Jacobs |first2=Janis E. |last3=Harold |first3=Rena D. |title=Gender Role Stereotypes, Expectancy Effects, and Parents' Socialization of Gender Differences |journal=Journal of Social Issues |date=July 1990 |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=183–201 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-4560.1990.tb01929.x }}</ref> Researcher Susan Witt said that parents are the primary influencer on the gender roles of their children.<ref name=pmid9179321>{{cite journal |last1=Witt |first1=Susan D |title=Parental influence on children's socialization to gender roles |journal=Adolescence |year=1997 |volume=32 |issue=126 |pages=253–259 |id={{ProQuest|195928943}} |pmid=9179321 }}</ref> Parents, siblings, peers, and even teachers have been shown to react more positively to children engaging in sex-typical behavior and playing with sex-typical toys.<ref name="Servin, A. 1999">{{cite journal | last1 = Servin | first1 = A. | last2 = Bohlin | first2 = G. | last3 = Berlin | first3 = L. | year = 1999 | title = Sex differences in 1-, 3-, and 5-year olds' toy-choice in a structured play-session | journal = [[Scandinavian Journal of Psychology]] | volume = 40 | issue = 1| pages = 43–48 | doi = 10.1111/1467-9450.00096 | pmid = 10216463 }}</ref> This is often done through encouragement or discouragement, as well as suggestions<ref name=pmid9179321/> and imitation.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} Additionally, sons are more likely to be reinforced for sex-typical play and discouraged from atypical play.<ref name="Servin, A. 1999" /> However, it is generally not as looked down upon for girls to play with toys designed "for boys", an activity which has also become more common in recent years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Toys for Girls and Boys|url=http://www.toy-testing.org/contents/whatbuzz/bz_gbfil/bz_gb.htm|publisher=[[Canadian Toy Testing Council]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000304154641/http://www.toy-testing.org/contents/whatbuzz/bz_gbfil/bz_gb.htm|archive-date=4 March 2000}}</ref> Fathers are also more likely to reinforce typical play and discourage atypical play than mothers are.<ref>Berenbaum, S. A., Martin, C. L., Hanish, L. D., Briggs, P. T., & Fabes, R. A. (2008). Sex differences in children's play. In J. Becker, K. Berkley, N. Geary, E. Hampson, J.Herman, & Young, E.A. (Eds.), Sex Differences in the Brain from Genes to Behavior (1ed., pp. 275–290).New York, NY: Oxford University Press.</ref> A study done by researcher Susan Witt suggests that stereotypes are oftentimes only strengthened by the environment, which perpetuates them to linger in older life.<ref name=pmid9179321/>
 
 
 
This stereotypical attribution of sex-typical toys for girls and boys is gradually changing, with toys companies creating more gender neutral toys, as the benefits associated with allowing children to play with toys that appeal to them far outweighs controlling their individual preferences.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toyreviewexperts.com/gender-neutral-toys-how-they-empower-our-kids/ |title=Gender Neutral Toys: How They Empower Our Kids |work=Toy Review Experts |date= 22 June 2017}}</ref> For example, many stores are beginning to change their gender labels on children's play items. [[Target Corporation|Target]] removed all identification related to gender from their toy aisles and Disney did the same for their costumes.<ref name=Miller2015>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Claire Cain |title=Boys and Girls, Constrained by Toys and Costumes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/upshot/boys-and-girls-constrained-by-toys-and-costumes.html |work=The New York Times |date=30 October 2015 }}</ref> The Disney store is an especially prevalent example of gender in play because they are a global identity in the toy world. A study done regarding their website found that though they have removed gender labels from their costumes, the toys online reflect more stereotypical gender identities. For example, toys depicting males were associated with physicality and females were associated with beauty, housing, and caring.<ref name=":5">{{cite journal |last1=Auster |first1=Carol J. |last2=Mansbach |first2=Claire S. |title=The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Store Website |journal=Sex Roles |date=1 October 2012 |volume=67 |issue=7 |pages=375–388 |doi=10.1007/s11199-012-0177-8 |s2cid=143551702 }}</ref> Though Disney promotes their toys as being for both genders, there is no gender neutral section on their website. Those which are generally deemed for both genders more closely resemble what many would label "boy toys," as they relate closer to the stereotype of masculinity within play.<ref name=":5" />
 
 
 
Traditions within various cultures promote the passing down of certain toys to their children based on the child's gender. In [[Indigenous peoples of South America|Indigenous South American]] communities, boys receive a toy bow and arrow from their father while young girls receive a toy basket from their mother.<ref name="Smith2010" /> In North African and Saharan cultural communities, gender plays a role in the creation of self-made dolls. While female dolls are used to represent brides, mothers, and wives, male dolls are used to represent horsemen and warriors. This contrast stems from the various roles of men and women within the Saharan and North African communities. There are differences in the toys that are intended for girls and boys within various cultures, which is reflective of the differing roles of men and women within a specific cultural community.<ref name="Rossie2005" />
 
 
 
Research on the repercussions of gender in toys suggests that desegregation of the genders can be achieved by encouraging more gender-neutral play.<ref name="Trawick-Smith et al. 2015" /> Researchers Carol Auster and Claire Mansbach have argued that allowing children to play with toys which more closely fit their talents would help them to better develop their skills.<ref name=":5" /> In terms of parental influence, a study found that parents who demonstrated some androgynous behavior have higher scores in support, warmth, and self-worth in regards to the treatment of their children.<ref name=pmid9179321/> Even as this debate is evolving and children are becoming more inclined to cross barriers in terms of gender with their toys, girls are typically more encouraged to do so than boys because of the societal value of masculinity.<ref name=Miller2015/>
 
  
 
==Economics==
 
==Economics==
 
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[[File:Toys R Us sg.JPG|thumb|400px|[[Toys "R" Us]] operated over 1,500 stores in 30 countries and had an annual revenue of US$13.6&nbsp;billion]]
 
[[File:Making toys, Digby, Nova Scotia. 2008.jpg|thumb|400px|Making toys, [[Digby, Nova Scotia]]. 2008]]
 
[[File:Making toys, Digby, Nova Scotia. 2008.jpg|thumb|400px|Making toys, [[Digby, Nova Scotia]]. 2008]]
With toys comprising such a large and important part of human existence, the toy industry has a substantial economic impact. Sales of toys often increase around holidays where gift-giving is a tradition. Some of these holidays include Christmas, Easter, [[Saint Nicholas Day]], and [[Three Kings Day]].
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With toys comprising such a large and important part of human existence, the toy industry has a substantial economic impact. Sales of toys often increase around holidays where gift-giving is a tradition, such as [[Christmas]].  
  
In 2005, toy sales in the United States totaled about $22.9&nbsp;billion.<ref name="Tsuruoka" /> <!-- This reference has a slightly lower figure, but isn't from as reliable a source. I'm hesitant to delete it entirely at this point, so I'm hiding it in a comment until I know what to do with it.<ref name=Vargas>
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Toy companies change and adapt their toys to meet the changing demands of children thereby gaining a larger share of the substantial market. In recent years many toys have become more complicated with flashing lights and sounds in an effort to appeal to children raised around television and the internet.  
{{cite web|last=Vargas|first=Melody|title=Annual Toy Industry Sales|work=About.com|url=http://retailindustry.about.com/od/seg_toys/a/toy_sales.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060313161559/http://retailindustry.about.com/od/seg_toys/a/toy_sales.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 March 2006|access-date=22 November 2006}}</ref>—> Money spent on children between the ages of 8 and twelve alone totals approximately $221&nbsp;million annually in the U.S.<ref name="tweens">{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=28 November 2006|title=Parents of tweens seek balance for fast-maturing kids|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/11/28/teen.tweens.ap/index.html|url-status=dead|access-date=16 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061201012535/http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/11/28/teen.tweens.ap/index.html|archive-date=1 December 2006}}</ref> It was estimated that in 2011, 88% of toy sales was in the age group 0–11 years.<ref name="NPD Group">{{cite web|last=Crupnick|first=Russ|title=Drilling to the Core in Toy Spending|url=https://www.npdgroupblog.com/drilling-to-the-core-in-toy-spending/#comment-4736|work=npdgroupblog.com|publisher=NPD Group|access-date=12 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312031305/https://www.npdgroupblog.com/drilling-to-the-core-in-toy-spending/#comment-4736|archive-date=12 March 2013}}</ref>
 
  
[[File:Toys R Us sg.JPG|thumb|400px|[[Toys "R" Us]] operated over 1,500 stores in 30 countries and had an annual revenue of US$13.6&nbsp;billion]]
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In an effort to reduce costs, many mass-producers of toys locate their factories in areas where wages are lower. For example, the majority of all toys sold in the U.S., for example, are manufactured in China.<ref name=Tsuruoka/>  
Toy companies change and adapt their toys to meet the changing demands of children thereby gaining a larger share of the substantial market. In recent years many toys have become more complicated with flashing lights and sounds in an effort to appeal to children raised around television and the internet. According to [[Mattel]]'s president, Neil Friedman, "Innovation is key in the toy industry and to succeed one must create a 'wow' moment for kids by designing toys that have fun, innovative features and include new technologies and engaging content."
 
 
 
In an effort to reduce costs, many mass-producers of toys locate their factories in areas where wages are lower. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world's toys and is home to more than 8,000 toy firms, most of which are located in the [[Pearl River Delta]] of [[Guangdong|Guangdong Province]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=Dezhi|last2=Wei|first2=William|last3=Hu|first3=Daiping|last4=Muralidharan|first4=Etayankara|title=Survival strategy of OEM companies: a case study of the Chinese toy industry|journal=International Journal of Operations & Production Management|date=5 September 2016|volume=36|issue=9|pages=1065–1088|doi=10.1108/IJOPM-04-2015-0212}}</ref> 75% of all toys sold in the U.S., for example, are manufactured in China.<ref name=Tsuruoka/> Issues and events such as power outages, supply of raw materials, supply of labor, and raising wages that impact areas where factories are located often have an enormous impact on the toy industry in importing countries.
 
 
 
Many traditional toy makers have been losing sales to [[video game]] [[Video game industry|makers]] for years. Because of this, some traditional toy makers have entered the field of [[electronic game]]s and have even been turning [[audio games]] into toys, and are enhancing the brands that they have by introducing interactive extensions or internet connectivity to their current toys.<ref name = "Ibisworld">{{cite news
 
| url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/world-in-their-hands/2007/03/24/1174597945762.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2
 
| title = World in their hands
 
| newspaper = The Age
 
| location=Melbourne
 
| date=26 March 2007
 
}}</ref>
 
  
In addition, the rise of [[distributed manufacturing]] enables consumers to make their own toys from [[open source]] designs with a [[3-D printer]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Researchers run the numbers on cutting the cost of toys by 3-D printing them at home |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2017/researchers-run-numbers-cutting-cost-toys-3-d-printing-home/ |work=Geekwire|date=20 July 2017 }}</ref> As of 2017 consumers were already offsetting millions of dollars per year by [[3D printing]] their own toys from [[MyMiniFactory]], a single repository.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Petersen | display-authors = etal | year = 2017| title = Impact of DIY Home Manufacturing with 3-D Printing on the Toy and Game Market | url = https://www.academia.edu/33966963 | journal = Technologies | volume = 5 | issue = 3| page = 45 | doi = 10.3390/technologies5030045 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How 3D printing could save consumers millions in toys and games |url=https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/3d-printing-save-consumers-millions-toys-games-118735/ |work=3D Printing Industry|date=24 July 2017 }}</ref>
+
Many traditional toy makers have been losing sales to [[video game]] [[Video game industry|makers]] for years. Because of this, some traditional toy makers entered the field of [[electronic game]]s, enhancing the brands that they have by introducing interactive extensions or internet connectivity to their existing toys.<ref>Elissa Baxter, [https://www.theage.com.au/technology/world-in-their-hands-20070326-gdpra0.html World in their hands] ''The Age'', March 26, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2023.</ref>
  
 
==Safety regulations==
 
==Safety regulations==
{{main|Toy safety}}
 
 
[[File:LEGO-01.jpg|thumb|400px|Toys with small parts, such as these [[Lego]] elements are required by law in some countries to have warnings about choking hazards.]]
 
[[File:LEGO-01.jpg|thumb|400px|Toys with small parts, such as these [[Lego]] elements are required by law in some countries to have warnings about choking hazards.]]
  
Many countries have passed [[safety standards]] limiting the types of toys that can be sold. Most of these seek to limit potential hazards, such as [[choking]] or [[fire hazard]]s that could cause injury. Children, especially very small ones, often put toys into their mouths, so the materials used to make a toy are regulated to prevent poisoning. Materials are also regulated to prevent fire hazards. Young children cannot judge what is safe and what is dangerous, and parents do not always think of all possible situations, so such warnings and regulations are important on toys.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
+
Many countries have passed [[safety standards]] limiting the types of toys that can be sold. Most of these seek to limit potential hazards, such as [[choking]] or [[fire hazard]]s that could cause injury. Children, especially very small ones, often put toys into their mouths, so the materials used to make a toy are regulated to prevent [[poison]]ing. Materials are also regulated to prevent fire hazards.  
 
 
Every country has its own regulations on toy safety, but since the [[globalization]] and opening of markets, most of them try to harmonize their regulations. The most common danger for younger children is to put toys in their mouths. This is why chemicals contained in paint and other components of children's products are carefully regulated.<!--<ref>[http://newsletter.sgs.com/eNewsletterPro/uploadedimages/000006/sgs-safeguards-02812-korea-plans-to-limit-five-chemicals-in-childrens-products-a4-en-12.pdf "Korea plans to limit five chemicals in children's products"], SGS SafeGuards. Retrieved 02/2012</ref> —> Countries or trade zones such as the [[European Union]] regularly publish lists to regulate the quantities or ban chemicals from toys and juvenile products. The globalization of toys has had negative effects on locally-produced toys in various countries, pushing out traditional ways of play<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |author1=Oktaviani, R.C. |author2=Ichwan, F.N. |author1-link=Imported Toys in Indonesia: Parental Consumer Literacy, Purchasing Decisions, and Globalization |editor1-last=Hains |editor1-first=Rebecca C. |editor2-last=Jennings |editor2-first=Nancy A. |title=The Marketing of Children's Toys |date=2021 |publisher=Palgrave}}</ref> and presenting new risks to children in areas where parental [[literacy]] levels make it hard for parents to understand the risks and age-appropriateness of various imported toys.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
 
  
There have also been issues of toy safety regarding [[lead paint]]. Some toy factories, when projects become too large for them to handle, outsource production to other less known factories, often in other countries. Recently,{{When|date=May 2022}} there were some in China that America had to send back. The subcontractors may not be watched as closely and sometimes use improper manufacturing methods. The U.S. government, along with mass market stores, is now moving towards requiring companies to submit their products to testing before they end up on shelves.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/business/worldbusiness/11lead.html | work=The New York Times | title=Why Lead in Toy Paint? It's Cheaper | first=David | last=Barboza | date=11 September 2007 | access-date=28 March 2010}}</ref>
+
Every country has its own regulations on toy safety, but most of them try to harmonize their regulations. Since the most common danger for younger children is putting toys in their mouths, chemicals contained in paint and other components of children's products are carefully regulated. For example, while [[lead]] was a common ingredient in paint but this practice is now banned in the manufacture of toys.<ref>David Barboza, [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/business/worldbusiness/11lead.html Why Lead in Toy Paint? It's Cheaper] ''The New York Times'', September 11, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2023. </ref> The globalization of toys has had negative effects on locally-produced toys in various countries, pushing out traditional ways of play and presenting new risks to children in areas where parental [[literacy]] levels make it hard for parents to understand the risks and age-appropriateness of various imported toys.<ref>Rebecca C. Hains and Nancy A. Jennings (eds.), ''The Marketing of Children's Toys'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, ISBN 978-3030628833).</ref>
  
 
==Toy use in animals==
 
==Toy use in animals==
It is not unusual for some animals to play with toys. An example of this is a dolphin being trained to nudge a ball through a hoop. Young chimpanzees use sticks as dolls–the social aspect is seen by the fact that young females more often use a stick this way than young male chimpanzees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/101220-chimpanzees-play-nature-nurture-science-animals-evolution/|title=Chimp "Girls" Play With "Dolls" Too—First Wild Evidence|date=22 December 2010|work=National Geographic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.cub.2010.11.024| title=Sex differences in chimpanzees' use of sticks as play objects resemble those of children| journal=Current Biology| volume=20| issue=24| pages=R1067–R1068| year=2010| last1=Kahlenberg| first1=Sonya M.| last2=Wrangham| first2=Richard W.| pmid=21172622| s2cid=14490592| url=http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:34903207}}</ref> They carry their chosen stick and put it in their nest. Such behavior is also seen in some adult female chimpanzees, but never after they have become mothers.
+
It is not unusual for some animals to play with toys. An example of this is a dolphin being trained to nudge a ball through a hoop. Young chimpanzees use sticks as dolls–the social aspect is seen by the fact that young females more often use a stick this way than young male chimpanzees.<ref>[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/101220-chimpanzees-play-nature-nurture-science-animals-evolution Chimp "Girls" Play With "Dolls" Too—First Wild Evidence] ''National Geographic'', December 22, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2023.</ref> They carry their chosen stick and put it in their nest. Such behavior is also seen in some adult female chimpanzees, but never after they have become mothers.<ref>Sonya M. Kahlenberg and Richard W. Wrangham, [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982210014491 Sex differences in chimpanzees' use of sticks as play objects resemble those of children] ''Current Biology'' 20(24) (2010): R1067–R1068. Retrieved February 12, 2023.</ref>
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
Line 223: Line 183:
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 +
 
* Cannons, Helen Cox. ''The History of Toys''. Capstone Global Library, 2020. ISBN 978-1474792622
 
* Cannons, Helen Cox. ''The History of Toys''. Capstone Global Library, 2020. ISBN 978-1474792622
 +
* Galimberti, Gabriele. ''Toy Stories: Photos of Children from Around the World and Their Favorite Things''. Harry N. Abrams, 2014. ISBN 978-1419711749
 
* Gow, James. ''A Short History of Greek Mathematics''. Cambridge University Press, 2010 (original 1884). ISBN 978-1108009034
 
* Gow, James. ''A Short History of Greek Mathematics''. Cambridge University Press, 2010 (original 1884). ISBN 978-1108009034
 +
* Hains, Rebecca C., and Nancy A. Jennings (eds.). ''The Marketing of Children's Toys''. Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, ISBN 978-3030628833
 +
* Hoffmann, Professor. ''Puzzles Old and New''. Forgotten Books, 2018 (original 1893). ISBN 978-0282566012
 
* Jenkins, Henry (ed.). ''The Children's Culture Reader''. New York University Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0814742327
 
* Jenkins, Henry (ed.). ''The Children's Culture Reader''. New York University Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0814742327
 +
* Joplin, Norman. ''Toy Soldiers''. Courage Books, 1994. ISBN 978-1561384327
 
* Maspero, Gaston, Amelia B. Edwards (trans.). ''Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt''. Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1887). ISBN 978-1013973710
 
* Maspero, Gaston, Amelia B. Edwards (trans.). ''Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt''. Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1887). ISBN 978-1013973710
 +
* Rossie, Jean-Pierre. ''Toys, Play, Culture, and Society: An Anthropological Approach with Reference to North Africa and the Sahara''. Stockholm: SITREC, 2005.
 +
* Smith, Peter K. ''Children and Play:Understanding Children's Worlds''. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. ISBN 978-0631235224
 
* Thompson, Kristin, David Bordwell, and Jeff Smith. ''Film History: An Introductio''. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2021. ISBN 978-1260837476
 
* Thompson, Kristin, David Bordwell, and Jeff Smith. ''Film History: An Introductio''. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2021. ISBN 978-1260837476
 +
* Walsh, Tim. ''Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them''. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-0740755712
 
* Whitehouse, Francis Reginald Beaman. ''Table Games of Georgian and Victorian Days''. Priory Press Ltd, 1971., ISBN 978-0850780192
 
* Whitehouse, Francis Reginald Beaman. ''Table Games of Georgian and Victorian Days''. Priory Press Ltd, 1971., ISBN 978-0850780192
 
* Wilkinson, Toby. ''Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson, 2008. ISBN 978-0500203965
 
* Wilkinson, Toby. ''Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson, 2008. ISBN 978-0500203965
 
* {{cite book|author=Kline, Stephen|year=1995| title=Out of the Garden: Toys, TV, and Children's Culture in the Age of Marketing|publisher=Verso Books|isbn=978-1-85984-059-7}}
 
* {{cite book|author=Walsh, Tim|year=2005|title=Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|isbn=978-0-7407-5571-2}}
 
* {{cite book|author=Wulffson, Don L.|title=Toys!|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|isbn=978-0-8050-6196-3|date=July 2000|url=https://archive.org/details/toysamazingstori00wulf}}
 
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
All links retrieved
+
All links retrieved May 1, 2023.
 
* [http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/toys/index.aspx The Toys of our Childhood]  
 
* [http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/toys/index.aspx The Toys of our Childhood]  
 
* [https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/family/2020/11/from-marbles-to-mickey-a-short-but-awesome-history-of-toys Toy story: A short history of awesome playthings] ''National Geographic''
 
* [https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/family/2020/11/from-marbles-to-mickey-a-short-but-awesome-history-of-toys Toy story: A short history of awesome playthings] ''National Geographic''

Latest revision as of 04:50, 1 May 2023

A variety of traditional wooden toys

A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Utilitarian objects, especially those which are no longer needed for their original purpose, can also be used as toys. The term "toy" can also be used to refer to utilitarian objects purchased for enjoyment rather than need, or for expensive necessities for which a large fraction of the cost represents its ability to provide enjoyment to the owner, such as luxury cars, high-end motorcycles, gaming computers, and flagship smartphones.

Different materials like wood, clay, paper, and plastic are used to make toys. Newer forms of toys include interactive digital entertainment and smart toys. Some toys are produced primarily as collectors' items and are intended for display only.

Playing with toys can be an enjoyable way of training young children for life experiences and is an important part of development. Younger children use toys to discover their identity, help with cognition, learn cause and effect, explore relationships, become stronger physically, and practice skills needed in adulthood. Adults on occasion use toys to form and strengthen social bonds, teach, help in therapy, and to remember and reinforce lessons from their youth.

History

Toys have existed since early times; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults, have been found at many archaeological sites. The oldest known doll toy is a 4,000-year-old stone doll head found in the ruins of a village on the Italian island of Pantelleria.[1]

The origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the fourteenth century to mean "amorous playing, sport," and later "piece of fun or entertainment." [2]

Antiquity

Little horse on wheels, Ancient Greek children's toy. From a tomb dating 950–900 B.C.E., Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, Athens

Toys and games have been retrieved from the sites of ancient civilizations, and have been mentioned in ancient literature. The earliest toys were made from natural materials, such as rocks, sticks, and clay. For example, items excavated from the Indus valley civilization include small carts, whistles shaped like birds, and toy monkeys that could slide down a string.[3]

Egyptian children played with dolls that had wigs and movable limbs, which were made from stone, pottery, and wood.[4] However, evidence of toys in ancient Egypt is difficult to identify with certainty. Small figurines and models found in tombs are usually interpreted as ritual objects; those from settlement sites are more easily labelled as toys. These include spinning tops, balls of spring, and wooden models of animals with movable parts.[5]

In ancient Greece and ancient Rome, children played with dolls made of wax or terracotta: sticks, bows and arrows, and yo-yos. When Greek children, especially girls, came of age, it was customary for them to sacrifice the toys of their childhood to the gods. On the eve of their wedding, young girls around fourteen would offer their dolls in a temple as a rite of passage into adulthood.[6]

Stomachion (Ostomachion) dissection puzzle

The oldest known mechanical puzzle, which appeared in the third century B.C.E., also comes from ancient Greece. The toy consisted of a square divided into 14 parts, and the aim was to create different shapes from the pieces. One form of play to which classical texts attest is the creation of different objects, animals, or plants by rearranging the pieces: an elephant, a tree, a barking dog, a ship, a sword, a tower and so forth. Another suggestion is that it exercised and developed memory skills in the young, by putting the pieces back in their box in a specific arrangement.[7]

Enlightenment Era

A boy with a hoop. Hoops have long been a popular toy across a variety of cultures.

Toys became more widespread with changing Western attitudes towards children and childhood brought about by the Enlightenment. Previously, children had often been thought of as small adults, who were expected to work in order to produce the goods that the family needed to survive. As children's culture scholar Stephen Kline has argued, Medieval children were:

more fully integrated into the daily flux of making and consuming, of getting along. They had no autonomy, separate statuses, privileges, special rights or forms of social comportment that were entirely their own.[8]

As these ideas began changing during the Enlightenment Era, blowing bubbles from leftover washing up soap became a popular pastime, as shown in the painting The Soap Bubble (1739) by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, and other popular toys included hoops, toy wagons, kites, spinning wheels and puppets. Many board games were produced by John Jefferys in the 1750s, including A Journey Through Europe.[9] The game was very similar to modern board games; players moved along a track with the throw of a die (a teetotum was actually used) and landing on different spaces would either help or hinder the player.

John Spilsbury's "Europe divided into its kingdoms, etc." (1766). He created the jigsaw puzzle for educational purposes, and called them "Dissected Maps"

The first jigsaw puzzle was produced around 1760 by John Spilsbury, a London cartographer and engraver. His design took world maps, and cut out the individual nations in order for them to be reassembled by students as a geographical teaching aid. His early puzzles, known as "dissected maps," were produced by mounting maps on sheets of hardwood and cutting along national boundaries. The name "jigsaw" came to be associated with the puzzle around 1880 when the jig saw was invented and made it possible to cut more intricate shapes. It also reduced the time to cut the pieces, with the result that they were cheaper and so became more popular.[10]

In the nineteenth century, Western values prioritized toys with an educational purpose, such as puzzles, books, cards and board games. Religion-themed toys were also popular, including a model Noah's Ark with miniature animals and objects from other Bible scenes. With growing prosperity among the middle class, children had more leisure time on their hands, which led to the application of industrial methods to the manufacture of toys.

More complex mechanical and optical-based toys were also invented during the nineteenth century. Carpenter and Westley began to mass-produce the kaleidoscope, invented by Sir David Brewster in 1817, and had sold over 200,000 items within three months in London and Paris. The modern zoetrope was invented in 1833 by British mathematician William George Horner and was popularized in the 1860s.[11]

Industrial Era

Frank Hornby's 1901 patent number GB190100587A for what later became known as Meccano

The golden age of toy development occurred during the Industrial Era. Real wages were rising steadily in the Western world, allowing even working-class families to afford toys for their children, and industrial techniques of precision engineering and mass production were able to provide the supply to meet this rising demand. Intellectual emphasis was also increasingly being placed on the importance of a wholesome and happy childhood for the future development of children.

Franz Kolb, a German pharmacist, invented plasticine in 1880, and in 1900 commercial production of the material as a children's toy began. Frank Hornby was a visionary in toy development and manufacture and was responsible for the invention and production of three of the most popular lines of toys based on engineering principles in the twentieth century: Meccano, Hornby Model Railways, and Dinky Toys. Meccano was a model construction system that consisted of re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces and enabled the building of working models and mechanical devices. Dinky Toys pioneered the manufacture of die-cast toys with the production of toy cars, trains and ships and model train sets became popular in the 1920s. The Britain's company revolutionized the production of toy soldiers with the invention of the process of hollow casting in lead in 1893.[12]

Puzzles became popular as well. In 1893, the English lawyer Angelo John Lewis, writing under the pseudonym of Professor Hoffmann, wrote a book called Puzzles Old and New.[13] It contained, among other things, more than 40 descriptions of puzzles with secret opening mechanisms. This book grew into a reference work for puzzle games and was very popular at the time.

1903 patent for a Peter Rabbit soft toy, the first licensed character, created by Beatrix Potter

In 1903, a year after publishing The Tale of Peter Rabbit, English author Beatrix Potter created the first Peter Rabbit soft toy and registered him at the Patent Office in London, making Peter the oldest licensed character.[14] It was followed by other "spin-off" merchandise over the years, including painting books and board games. The merchandising of literary characters has developed into a major industry:

Potter was also an entrepreneur and a pioneer in licensing and merchandising literary characters. Potter built a retail empire out of her “bunny book” that is worth $500 million today. In the process, she created a system that continues to benefit all licensed characters, from Mickey Mouse to Harry Potter.[15]

The beginning of the twentieth century also saw the arrival of the "Teddy bear," named for President Theodore Roosevelt. The name originated from an incident on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902, to which Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino. There were several other hunters competing, and most of them had already killed an animal. Roosevelt's attendants cornered, clubbed, and tied an American black bear to a willow tree after a long exhausting chase with hounds. They called Roosevelt to the site and suggested that he shoot it. He refused to shoot the bear himself, deeming this unsportsmanlike, and it became the topic of a political cartoon by Clifford Berryman in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902.

An original "Teddy Bear" from 1903, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

Morris Michtom saw the Berryman drawing of Roosevelt and he and his wife were inspired to create a toy bear, the first "Teddy bear," and the rest is history:

That night, Rose cut and stuffed a piece of plush velvet into the shape of a bear, sewed on shoe button eyes and handed it to Morris to display in the shop window. He labeled it, "Teddy’s bear." To his surprise, not only did someone enter the store asking to buy the bear, but twelve other potential customers also asked to purchase it. Aware that he might offend the president by using his name without permission, the Michtoms mailed the original bear to the White House, offering it as a gift to the president’s children and asking Roosevelt for the use of his name. He told the Michtoms he doubted his name would help its sales but they were free to use it if they wanted.[16]

In tandem with the development of mass-produced toys, Enlightenment ideals about children's rights to education and leisure time came to fruition. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, many families needed to send their children to work in factories and other sites to make ends meet—just as their predecessors had required their labor producing household goods in the medieval era.[17] By the twentieth century, however, child labor laws were passed, thus fully entrenching the idea that childhood is a time for leisure, not work. With children's free time came demand for more toys.[18]

During the Second World War, some new types of toys were created through accidental innovation. After trying to create a replacement for synthetic rubber, the American Earl L. Warrick inadvertently invented "nutty putty" during World War II. Later, Peter Hodgson recognized the potential as a childhood plaything and packaged it as Silly Putty. [19] In 1943 Richard James was experimenting with springs as part of his military research when he saw one come loose and fall to the floor. He was intrigued by the way it flopped around on the floor. He spent two years fine-tuning the design to find the best gauge of steel and coil; the result was the Slinky, which went on to sell in stores throughout the United States.[20]

After the Second World War, as society became ever more affluent and new technology and materials (plastics) for toy manufacture became available, toys became cheap and ubiquitous in households across the Western World. At this point, name-brand toys became widespread in the U.S.–a new phenomenon that helped market mass-produce toys to audiences of children growing up with ample leisure time and during a period of relative prosperity.[18]

Types

Lincoln Logs have been a popular construction type toy in the U.S. since the 1920s.

Toys are generally designed for use by children, although some may be designed for adults or pets. Beyond those items specifically designed as playthings, utilitarian objects, especially those which are no longer needed for their original purpose, can also used as toys. For example, children may build a fort with empty boxes. The term "toy" can also be used to refer to utilitarian objects purchased for enjoyment rather than need, or for expensive necessities for which a large fraction of the cost represents its ability to provide enjoyment to the owner, such as luxury cars, high-end motorcycles, gaming computers, and flagship smartphones.

Construction sets

A construction set is a collection of separate pieces that can be joined to create models. Popular models include cars, spaceships, and houses. The items constructed are sometimes used as toys once completed, but generally speaking, it is the act of building that is valued. The purpose is to build items of one's own design, and old models often are broken up so that the pieces can be reused in new models. Construction sets appeal to children (and adults) who like to work with their hands, puzzle solvers, and those with creative minds.

The oldest and perhaps most common construction toy is a set of simple wooden blocks, which are often painted in bright colors and given to babies and toddlers. Construction sets such as Lego bricks and Lincoln Logs are designed for slightly older children.

Dolls and miniatures

A girl and her doll in the 1900s

A doll is a model of a human (often a baby), a humanoid (like Bert and Ernie), or an animal. Modern dolls are often made of cloth or plastic. Other materials that are, or have been, used in the manufacture of dolls include cornhusks, bone, stone, wood, porcelain (sometimes called china), bisque, celluloid, and wax. Often, people will make dolls out of whatever materials are available to them.

Sometimes intended as decorations, keepsakes, or collectibles for older children and adults, most dolls are intended as toys for children, usually girls, to play with. Dolls have been found in Egyptian tombs that date to as early as 2000 B.C.E.[4]

Dolls are usually miniatures, but baby dolls may be of true size and weight. A doll or stuffed animal of soft material is sometimes called a plush toy or plushie. A popular toy of this type is the Teddy bear.

Teddy Bears

A distinction is often made between dolls and action figures, which are generally of plastic or semi-metallic construction and poseable to some extent, and often are merchandising from television shows or films which feature the characters.

Toy soldiers, perhaps a precursor to modern action figures, have been a popular toy for centuries. They allow children (and adults) to act out battles, often with toy military equipment and a castle or fort. Miniature animal figures are also widespread, allowing for acting out farm activities with animals and equipment on a toy farm.

Puzzles

A Rubik's Cube

A puzzle is a problem or enigma that challenges ingenuity. Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing patterns and creating a particular order. People with a high inductive reasoning aptitude may be better at solving these puzzles than others. Puzzles based on the process of inquiry and discovery to complete may be solved faster by those with good deduction skills.

There are many different types of puzzles; for example, a maze is a type of tour puzzle. Other categories include: construction puzzles, stick puzzles, tiling puzzles, disentanglement puzzles, sliding puzzles, logic puzzles, picture puzzles, lock puzzles, and mechanical puzzles. A popular puzzle toy is the Rubik's Cube, invented by Hungarian Ernő Rubik in 1974. Popularized in the 1980s, solving the cube requires planning and problem-solving skills and involves algorithms.

Vehicles

A toy boat

Children have played with miniature versions of vehicles since ancient times, with toy two-wheeled carts being depicted on ancient Greek vases. Wind-up toys have also played a part in the advancement of toy vehicles. Modern equivalents include toy cars such as those produced by Matchbox or Hot Wheels, miniature aircraft, toy boats, military vehicles, and trains. Examples of the latter range from wooden sets, such as BRIO, for younger children, to more complicated realistic train models like those produced by Lionel, Doepke, and Hornby.

Physical activity

A boy from Jakarta with his ball. Ball games are good exercise, and are popular worldwide.

Many toys are part of active play. These include traditional toys such as hoops, tops, jump ropes, and balls, as well as more modern toys like Frisbees, foot bags, fidget toys, astrojax, and Myachi.

Playing with these sorts of toys allows children to exercise, building strong bones and muscles and aiding in physical fitness. Throwing and catching balls and Frisbees can improve hand–eye coordination. Jumping rope, (also known as skipping) and playing with foot bags can improve balance.

Promotional merchandise

This toy tractor also serves as an advertisement for John Deere.

Many successful films, television programs, books, and sport teams have official merchandise, which often includes related toys. Some notable examples are Star Wars (a space fantasy franchise) and Arsenal, an English football club.

Likewise, many successful children's films, television series, books or franchises extend their marketing campaign to fast food chains by including small toys of fictional characters or the series' associated symbols in a sealed plastic bag within their kids' meals.

Promotional toys can fall into any of the other toy categories; for example, they can be dolls or action figures based on the characters of movies or professional athletes, or they can be balls, yo-yos, or lunch boxes with logos on them. Sometimes they are given away for free as a form of advertising. Model aircraft are often toys that are used by airlines to promote their brand, just as toy cars and trucks and model trains are used by trucking, railroad, and other companies. Many food manufacturers run promotions where a toy is included with the main product as a prize. Toys are also used as premiums, where consumers redeem proofs of purchase from a product and pay shipping and handling fees to get the toy.

Digital toys

Digital toys are toys that incorporate some form of interactive digital technology. Examples include virtual pets and handheld electronic games. Among the earliest digital toys are Mattel Auto Race and the Little Professor, both released in 1976.

Collectibles

Some toys, such as Beanie Babies, attract large numbers of enthusiasts, eventually becoming collectibles. Other toys, such as Boyds Bears are marketed to adults as collectibles. Some people spend large sums of money in an effort to acquire larger and more complete collections.

Child development

Toys, like play itself, serve multiple purposes in both humans and animals. They provide entertainment while fulfilling an educational role. Toys enhance cognitive behavior and stimulate creativity. They aid in the development of physical and mental skills which are necessary in later life.

Wooden blocks, though simple, are regarded by early childhood education experts as an excellent toy for young children. They are relatively easy to engage with, can be used in repeatable and predictable ways, and are versatile and open-ended, allowing for a wide variety of developmentally appropriate play.[21] They also help develop hand-eye coordination, as well as math and science skills, while encouraging creativity.[22] Other toys like marbles, jackstones, and balls serve similar functions in child development, allowing children to use their minds and bodies to learn about spatial relationships, cause and effect, and a wide range of other skills.

Two children playing with paddle balls in Hitting the Ball in the Shadow of the Banana, a painting by the Chinese artist Su Hanchen (苏汉臣, active 1130s–1160s C.E.), Song Dynasty

One example of the dramatic ways that toys can influence child development is clay sculpting toys, such as Play-Doh and Silly Putty and their home-made counterparts. Such toys have been shown to positively impact children's physical development, cognitive development, emotional development, and social development.[23]

Toys for infants often make use of distinctive sounds, bright colors, and unique textures. Through repetition of play with toys, infants begin to recognize shapes and colors.

Educational toys for school age children of often contain a puzzle, problem-solving technique, or mathematical proposition. Often toys designed for older audiences, such as teenagers or adults, demonstrate advanced concepts. Newton's cradle, a desk toy designed by Simon Prebble, demonstrates the conservation of momentum and energy.

There is a modern trend of children moving through play stages faster than was the case in the past, whereby children progress to more complex toys at a faster pace, girls in particular. Barbie dolls, for example, were once marketed to girls around 8 years old but have been found to be more popular in recent years with girls around 3 to 7 years old.[24] The packaging for the dolls labels them as appropriate for ages 3 and up.

Boys, by contrast, apparently enjoy toys and games over a longer timespan, gravitating towards toys that meet their interest in assembling and disassembling mechanical toys, and toys that "move fast and things that fight." Girls mature earlier, entering the "tween" phase by the time they are 8 years old and want non-traditional toys, whereas boys maintain an interest in traditional toys until they are 12 years old, meaning the traditional toy industry holds onto their boy customers for 50 percent longer than their girl customers.[24]

Culture

The act of children's play with toys embodies the values set forth by the adults of their specific community, but through the lens of the child's perspective. Within cultural societies, toys are a medium to enhance a child's cognitive, social, and linguistic learning.[25]

In some cultures, toys are used as a way to enhance a child's skillset within the traditional boundaries of their future roles in the community. In Saharan and North African cultures, play is facilitated by children through the use of toys to enact scenes recognizable in their community, such as hunting and herding. This allows the child to imagine and create a personal interpretation of how they view the adult world.[26]

However, in other cultures, toys are used to expand the development of a child's cognition in an idealistic fashion. In these communities, adults place the value of play with toys to be on the aspirations they set forth for their child. In the Western culture, the Barbie and Action-Man represent lifelike figures but in an imaginative state out of reach from the society of these children and adults. These toys give way to a unique world in which children's play is isolated and independent of the social constraints placed on society leaving the children free to delve into the imaginary and idealized version of what their development in life could be.[26]

Children may treat their toys in different ways based on their cultural practices. For example, children in certain communities may tend to be possessive of their toys, while children from other communities may be more willing to share. Favorite toys depend on familiar items in their environment, or their parents' interest, or the economic reality of the children's life. Children in an affluent society may enjoy board games or digital toys, whereas those living in poverty may find broken or lost items and those become their favorite playthings.[27]

Gender

A toy tank with a remote control. Such toys are generally thought of as boys' toys.

Traditions within various cultures promote the passing down of certain toys to their children based on the child's gender. In Indigenous South American communities, boys receive a toy bow and arrow from their father while young girls receive a toy basket from their mother.[25] In North African and Saharan cultural communities, gender plays a role in the creation of self-made dolls. While female dolls are used to represent brides, mothers, and wives, male dolls are used to represent horsemen and warriors. This contrast stems from the various roles of men and women within the Saharan and North African communities. There are differences in the toys that are intended for girls and boys within various cultures, which is reflective of the differing roles of men and women within a specific cultural community.[26]

In the United States, certain toys, such as Barbie dolls and toy soldiers, are often perceived as being more acceptable for one gender than the other. Toy companies have often promoted the segregation by gender in toys because it enables them to customize the same toy for each gender, which ultimately doubles their revenue.

It has been noted that "Children as young as 18 months display sex-stereotyped toy choices."[28] These differences in toy choice are well established within the child by the age of three.[29]

From a different perspective, studies have shown that when young girls and boys were observed, toys rated with the best play quality, based on factors such as learning, problem solving, curiosity, creativity, imagination, and peer interaction, were those identified as the most gender neutral, such as building blocks and bricks along with pieces modeling people.[30] It has been suggested that allowing children to play with toys which more closely fit their talents would help them to better develop their skills.[31] Even as this debate is evolving and children are becoming more inclined to cross barriers in terms of gender with their toys, girls are typically more encouraged to do so than boys because of the societal value of masculinity.[32]

Economics

Toys "R" Us operated over 1,500 stores in 30 countries and had an annual revenue of US$13.6 billion
Making toys, Digby, Nova Scotia. 2008

With toys comprising such a large and important part of human existence, the toy industry has a substantial economic impact. Sales of toys often increase around holidays where gift-giving is a tradition, such as Christmas.

Toy companies change and adapt their toys to meet the changing demands of children thereby gaining a larger share of the substantial market. In recent years many toys have become more complicated with flashing lights and sounds in an effort to appeal to children raised around television and the internet.

In an effort to reduce costs, many mass-producers of toys locate their factories in areas where wages are lower. For example, the majority of all toys sold in the U.S., for example, are manufactured in China.[22]

Many traditional toy makers have been losing sales to video game makers for years. Because of this, some traditional toy makers entered the field of electronic games, enhancing the brands that they have by introducing interactive extensions or internet connectivity to their existing toys.[33]

Safety regulations

Toys with small parts, such as these Lego elements are required by law in some countries to have warnings about choking hazards.

Many countries have passed safety standards limiting the types of toys that can be sold. Most of these seek to limit potential hazards, such as choking or fire hazards that could cause injury. Children, especially very small ones, often put toys into their mouths, so the materials used to make a toy are regulated to prevent poisoning. Materials are also regulated to prevent fire hazards.

Every country has its own regulations on toy safety, but most of them try to harmonize their regulations. Since the most common danger for younger children is putting toys in their mouths, chemicals contained in paint and other components of children's products are carefully regulated. For example, while lead was a common ingredient in paint but this practice is now banned in the manufacture of toys.[34] The globalization of toys has had negative effects on locally-produced toys in various countries, pushing out traditional ways of play and presenting new risks to children in areas where parental literacy levels make it hard for parents to understand the risks and age-appropriateness of various imported toys.[35]

Toy use in animals

It is not unusual for some animals to play with toys. An example of this is a dolphin being trained to nudge a ball through a hoop. Young chimpanzees use sticks as dolls–the social aspect is seen by the fact that young females more often use a stick this way than young male chimpanzees.[36] They carry their chosen stick and put it in their nest. Such behavior is also seen in some adult female chimpanzees, but never after they have become mothers.[37]

Notes

  1. Amber Williams, FYI: What Is the Oldest Toy in the World? Popular Science, February 16, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  2. toy Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  3. Indus Valley Civilization Daily Life 3000-1500 B.C.E. Mr. Donn's Site. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Gaston Maspero, Amelia B. Edwards (trans.), Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt (Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1887), ISBN 978-1013973710).
  5. Toby Wilkinson, Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (Thames & Hudson, 2008, ISBN 978-0500203965).
  6. Barry B. Powell, Classical Myth (Prentice Hall, 2000, ISBN 978-0130884428).
  7. James Gow, A Short History of Greek Mathematics (Cambridge University Press, 2010 (original 1884), ISBN 978-1108009034).
  8. Stephen Klein, "The making of children's culture" in Henry Jenkins (ed.), The Children's Culture Reader (New York University Press, 1998, ISBN 978-0814742327), 95–109.
  9. Francis Reginald Beaman Whitehouse, Table Games of Georgian and Victorian Days (Priory Press Ltd, 1971, ISBN 978-0850780192).
  10. Martin Fone, Curious Questions: Why do we call picture puzzles ‘jigsaws’? Country Life, June 6, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  11. Kristin Thompson, David Bordwell, and Jeff Smith, Film History: An Introduction, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2021, ISBN 978-1260837476).
  12. Norman Joplin, Toy Soldiers (Courage Books, 1994, ISBN 978-1561384327).
  13. Professor Hoffmann, Puzzles Old and New (Forgotten Books, 2018 (original 1893), ISBN 978-0282566012).
  14. Erica Wagner, Peter Rabbit blazed a trail still well trod The Times, December 23, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  15. Joy Lanzendorfer, How Beatrix Potter Invented Character Merchandising Smithsonian Magazine, January 31, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  16. Rose & Morris Michtom (1870 - 1938) Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  17. Lawrence W. Reed, Child Labor and the British Industrial Revolution Mackinac Center for Public Policy, December 7, 2001. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Rebecca C. Hains and Nancy A. Jennings (eds.), The Marketing of Children's Toys (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, ISBN 978-3030628802).
  19. Silly Putty The Strong National Museum of Play. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  20. Slinky The Strong National Museum of Play. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  21. Sally Cartwrightm "Blocks and learning," Young Children 29(3) (March 1974): 141–146.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Doug Tsuruoka, "Toys: Not All Fun And Games," Investor's Business Daily, January 5, 2007.
  23. Mary Ucci, "Playdough: 50 Years' Old, And Still Gooey, Fun, And Educational," Child Health Alert 24 (April 2006).
  24. 24.0 24.1 Margaret Webb Pressler, Bored with her toys The Washington Post, April 2, 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Peter K. Smith, Children and Play:Understanding Children's Worlds (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, ISBN 978-0631235224).
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 Jean-Pierre Rossie, Toys, Play, Culture, and Society: An Anthropological Approach with Reference to North Africa and the Sahara (Stockholm: SITREC, 2005).
  27. Gabriele Galimberti, Toy Stories: Photos of Children from Around the World and Their Favorite Things (Harry N. Abrams, 2014, ISBN 978-1419711749).
  28. Yvonne M. Caldera, Aletha C. Huston, and Marion O'Brien, "Social Interactions and Play Patterns of Parents and Toddlers with Feminine, Masculine, and Neutral Toys" Child Development 60(1) (1989): 70–76.
  29. G.M Alexander and J. Saenz, "Early androgens, activity levels and toy choices of children in the second year of life" Hormones and Behavior 62(4) (2012): 500–504.
  30. Jeffrey Trawick-Smith, Jennifer Wolff, Marley Koschel, and Jamie Marley, "Effects of Toys on the Play Quality of Preschool Children: Influence of Gender, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status" Early Childhood Education Journal 43(4) (July 2015): 249–256.
  31. Carol J. Auster and Claire S. Mansbach, "The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Store Website" Sex Roles 67(7) (October 2012): 375–388.
  32. Claire Cain Miller, Boys and Girls, Constrained by Toys and Costumes The New York Times, October 30, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  33. Elissa Baxter, World in their hands The Age, March 26, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  34. David Barboza, Why Lead in Toy Paint? It's Cheaper The New York Times, September 11, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  35. Rebecca C. Hains and Nancy A. Jennings (eds.), The Marketing of Children's Toys (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, ISBN 978-3030628833).
  36. Chimp "Girls" Play With "Dolls" Too—First Wild Evidence National Geographic, December 22, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  37. Sonya M. Kahlenberg and Richard W. Wrangham, Sex differences in chimpanzees' use of sticks as play objects resemble those of children Current Biology 20(24) (2010): R1067–R1068. Retrieved February 12, 2023.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Cannons, Helen Cox. The History of Toys. Capstone Global Library, 2020. ISBN 978-1474792622
  • Galimberti, Gabriele. Toy Stories: Photos of Children from Around the World and Their Favorite Things. Harry N. Abrams, 2014. ISBN 978-1419711749
  • Gow, James. A Short History of Greek Mathematics. Cambridge University Press, 2010 (original 1884). ISBN 978-1108009034
  • Hains, Rebecca C., and Nancy A. Jennings (eds.). The Marketing of Children's Toys. Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, ISBN 978-3030628833
  • Hoffmann, Professor. Puzzles Old and New. Forgotten Books, 2018 (original 1893). ISBN 978-0282566012
  • Jenkins, Henry (ed.). The Children's Culture Reader. New York University Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0814742327
  • Joplin, Norman. Toy Soldiers. Courage Books, 1994. ISBN 978-1561384327
  • Maspero, Gaston, Amelia B. Edwards (trans.). Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt. Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1887). ISBN 978-1013973710
  • Rossie, Jean-Pierre. Toys, Play, Culture, and Society: An Anthropological Approach with Reference to North Africa and the Sahara. Stockholm: SITREC, 2005.
  • Smith, Peter K. Children and Play:Understanding Children's Worlds. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. ISBN 978-0631235224
  • Thompson, Kristin, David Bordwell, and Jeff Smith. Film History: An Introductio. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2021. ISBN 978-1260837476
  • Walsh, Tim. Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-0740755712
  • Whitehouse, Francis Reginald Beaman. Table Games of Georgian and Victorian Days. Priory Press Ltd, 1971., ISBN 978-0850780192
  • Wilkinson, Toby. Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2008. ISBN 978-0500203965

External links

All links retrieved May 1, 2023.

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