Toy

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A variety of traditional wooden Channapatna toys from India

A toy is an item that is used in play, especially one designed for such use. It is mainly
intended for use by children, though may also be marketed to adults under certain
circumstances. Playing with toys can be an enjoyable means of training young children
for life in society. Different materials like wood, clay, paper, and plastic are used to
make toys. Many items are designed to serve as toys, but goods produced for other
purposes can also be used. For instance, a small child may fold an ordinary piece of
paper into an airplane shape and "fly it". Newer forms of toys include interactive digital
entertainment. Some toys are produced primarily as collectors' items and are intended
for display only.
The origin of toys is prehistoric; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well
as representations of tools used by adults are readily found at archaeological sites. The
origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the 14th
century. Toys are mainly made for children. [1] The oldest known doll toy is thought to be
4,000 years old.[2]
Playing with toys is considered to be important when it comes to growing up and
learning about the world around us. Younger children use toys to discover their identity,
help their bodies grow strong, learn cause and effect, explore relationships, and practice
skills they will need as adults. Adults on occasion use toys to form and strengthen social
bonds, teach, help in therapy, and to remember and reinforce lessons from their youth.

Contents
  1History
o 1.1Antiquity
o 1.2Enlightenment era
o 1.3Mass market
 2Culture
 3Child development
o 3.1Age compression
 4Gender
 5Economics
 6Types
o 6.1Construction sets
o 6.2Dolls and miniatures
o 6.3Vehicles
o 6.4Puzzles
o 6.5Collectibles
o 6.6Promotional merchandise
o 6.7Digital toys
o 6.8Physical activity
 7Safety regulations
 8Disposal
 9Toy use in animals
 10See also
 11References
 12Further reading
 13External links

History
Antiquity

Little horse on wheels, Ancient Greek children's toy. From a tomb dating 950–900

BCE, Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, Athens

Most children have been said[weasel  words] to play with whatever they can find, such as sticks
and rocks. Toys and games have been unearthed from the sites of ancient civilizations.
They have been written about in some of the oldest literature. Toys excavated from
the Indus valley civilization (3010–1500 BCE) include small carts, whistles shaped like
birds, and toy monkeys which could slide down a string. [3]
The earliest toys are made from materials found in nature, such as rocks, sticks,
and clay. Thousands of years ago, Egyptian children played with dolls that had wigs and
movable limbs which were made from stone, pottery, and wood. [4] Given their love of
games, it is highly likely that the ancient Egyptians also had children's toys, but they are
exceptionally difficult to identify with certainty in the archaeological record. Small
figurines and models found in tombs are usually interpreted as ritual objects; those from
settlements sites are more easily labelled as toys. They 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][7]
The oldest known mechanical puzzle also comes from Greece and appeared in the 3rd
century BCE. The game consisted of a square divided into 14 parts, and the aim was to
create different shapes from these pieces. In Iran "puzzle-locks" were made as early as
the 17th century (AD).
Enlightenment era
Toys became more widespread with the changing attitudes towards children
engendered by the Enlightenment. Children began to be seen as people in and of
themselves, as opposed to extensions of their household and that they had a right to
flourish and enjoy their childhood. The variety and number of toys that were
manufactured during the 18th century steadily rose; John Spilsbury invented the
first jigsaw puzzle in 1767 to help children learn geography. He created puzzles on eight
themes – the World, Europe, Asia, Africa, America, England and Wales, Ireland and
Scotland. The rocking horse (on bow rockers) was developed at the same time in
England, especially with the wealthy as it was thought to develop children's balance for
riding real horses.[8]

A boy with a hoop. Hoops have long been a popular toy across a variety of cultures.
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. 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.[10]
In the nineteenth century, the emphasis was put on toys that had an educational
purpose to them, such as puzzles, books, cards and board games. Religiously 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.[10]
More complex mechanical and optics-based toys were also invented. 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
company was also able to mass-produce magic lanterns for use in phantasmagoria and
galanty shows, by developing a method of mass production using a copper plate
printing process. Popular imagery on the lanterns included royalty, flora and fauna, and
geographical/man-made structures from around the world. [11] The modern zoetrope was
invented in 1833 by British mathematician William George Horner and was popularized
in the 1860s.[12] Wood and porcelain dolls in miniature doll houses were popular with
middle-class girls, while boys played with marbles and toy trains.
Mass market

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

The golden age of toy development was at the turn of the 20th century. 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 was 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. William Harbutt, an English
painter, invented plasticine in 1897, 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[13] – the company's products remained the industry
standard for many years.
Puzzles became greatly fashionable as well. In 1893, the English lawyer Angelo John
Lewis, writing under the pseudonym of Professor Hoffman, wrote a book called Puzzles
Old and New.[14] It contained, amongst 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 19th century.
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.[15] 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.
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. Among the more well known
products of the 1950s there was the Danish company Lego's line of colourful
interlocking plastic brick construction sets, Rubik's Cube, Mr. Potato Head, the Barbie
doll and Action Man.[16] Today 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.[17] The materials that toys are made from
have changed, what toys can do has changed, but the fact that children play with toys
has not.
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.[18]
In some cultures, societies utilize toys 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. 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.[19]
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.[19]
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.[20]

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.
One of the simplest toys, a set of simple wooden blocks is also one of the best toys for
developing minds.[citation needed] 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." [21] 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 AD), 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, emotional development, and social development of children.[22]
Toys for infants often make use of distinctive sounds, bright colors, and unique textures.
Through play with toys infants begin to recognize shapes and colors. Repetition
reinforces memory. Play-Doh, Silly Putty and other hands-on materials allow the child to
make toys of their own.
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.
Not all toys are appropriate for all ages of children. [23] Even some toys which are
marketed for a specific age range can even harm the development of children in that
range.[citation needed]
Age compression
Age compression is the modern trend of children moving through play stages faster
than was the case in the past. Children have a desire to 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.[24] 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 "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. [24]
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.[25] Girls also demonstrate a longer loyalty to characters in toys and games
marketed towards them.[26] 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. Boys have shown an interest in computer games at an ever-younger
age in recent years.

Gender

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

Main articles: Girls' toys and games and Boys' toys and games

Certain toys, such as Barbie dolls 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.[27] The 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 gender are preferable. [28]
A milestone for research on gender is the use of meta-analysis, which provides a way to
assess patterns in a systematic way, which is especially relevant for a topic such as
gender, which can be difficult to quantify.[28] Nature and nurture have historically been
analyzed when looking at gender in play, as well as reinforcement by peers and parents
of typical gender roles and consequently, gender play. [28] 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.[29]
It has been noted by researchers that, "Children as young as 18 months display sex-
stereotyped toy choices".[30] 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).[31] 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. [32]
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. [33]
While some parents promote gender neutral play, many parents encourage their sons
and daughters 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.[34] Researcher Susan Witt said that parents are the primary influencer
on the gender roles of their children. [35] 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.[36] This is often done through encouragement or
discouragement, as well as suggestions[35] and imitation.[29] Additionally, sons are more
likely to be reinforced for sex-typical play and discouraged from atypical play.
[36]
 However, it is generally not as looked down upon for females to play with toys
designed "for boys", an activity which has also become more common in recent years.
[37]
 Fathers are also more likely to reinforce typical play and discourage atypical play than
mothers are.[38] 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.[35]
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.[39] For example, many stores are beginning to change their
gender labels on children's play items. Target removed all identification related to
gender from their toy aisles and Disney did the same for their costumes. [27] 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, males were associated with physicality and
females were associated with beauty, housing, and caring. [40] Too, though they promote
their toys as being for both genders, there is no section for boys and girls combined 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.[40]
Traditions within various cultures promote the passing down of certain toys to their
children based on the child's gender. In South American Indian communities, boys
receive a toy bow and arrow from their father while young girls receive a toy basket from
their mother.[18] 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.[19]
Research on the repercussions of gender in toys suggests that play should be
encouraged to be more gender neutral in order to work towards a desegregation of the
genders.[33] Too, researcher Carol Auster and Claire Mansbach promote that allowing
children to play with toys which more closely fit their talents would help them to better
develop their skills.[40] 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. [35] 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.[27]

Economics

Toys "R" Us operated over 1,500 stores in 30 countries and had an annual revenue of US$13.6 billion

With toys comprising such a large and important part of human existence, it makes
sense that the toy industry would have 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.
In 2005, toy sales in the United States totaled about $22.9 billion.[21] Money spent on
children between the ages of 8 and twelve alone totals approximately $221 million
annually in the U.S.[41] It was estimated that in 2011, 88% of toy sales was in the age
group 0–11 years.[42]
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 Province.[43] 75% of all toys sold in the U.S., for example, are manufactured
in China.[21] 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 makers for years.
Because of this, some traditional toy makers have entered the field of electronic
games and even turning audio games into toys, and are enhancing the brands that they
have by introducing interactive extensions or internet connectivity to their current toys. [44]
In addition, the rise of distributed manufacturing enables consumers to make their own
toys from open source designs with a 3-D printer.[45] As of 2017 consumers were already
offsetting 10s of millions of dollars per year by 3D printing their own toys
from MyMiniFactory, a single repository.[46][47]

Types

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

Construction sets
Main article: Construction set
The Greek philosopher Plato wrote that the future architect should play at building
houses as a child.[48] A construction set is a collection of separate pieces that can be
joined together to create models. Popular models to make include cars, 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 and the pieces reused in new models.
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 and have been quite popular in the last century. 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 Sets, Tinkertoys,
and Meccano, and generic construction toys such as Neodymium magnet toys.
Dolls and miniatures
Main article: doll

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, wax, and even apples.
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 which date to as early as 2000 BCE.[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. Modern
action figures, such as Action Man, are often marketed towards boys, whereas dolls are
often marketed towards girls.
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.
Vehicles

A toy boat.

Main article: Vehicle
Children have played with miniature versions of vehicles since ancient times, with toy
two-wheeled carts being depicted on ancient Greek vases.[48] 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 for
younger children such as BRIO to more complicated realistic train models like those
produced by Lionel, Doepke and Hornby. Larger die-cast vehicles, 1:18 scale, have
become popular toys; these vehicles are produced with a great attention to detail. [citation needed]
Puzzles
Main article: Puzzle
A Rubik's Cube

A puzzle is a problem or enigma that challenges ingenuity. Solutions to puzzle 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. 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.
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.
Collectibles
Main article: Collectible
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. The record for a single Pez dispenser at auction, for
example, is US$1100.[49]
Promotional merchandise

This toy tractor also works 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. One famous example is the Happy Meal from McDonald's.[50]
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, and 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 as well. 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. Some people go to great lengths to collect
these sorts of promotional toys.
Digital toys
Digital toys are toys that incorporate some form of interactive digital technology.
[51]
 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."[52]
Physical activity
Main article: Physical activity

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

A great 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, 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.

Safety regulations
Main article: Toy safety
Toys with small parts, such as these Lego elements are required by law to have warnings about choking
hazards in some countries.

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. Children have not yet learned to 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.
For toy safety, every country has their own regulations. But since the globalization and
opening of markets, most of them try to harmonize their regulations. The most common
action for younger children is to put toys in their mouths. This is why it is of utmost
importance to regulate chemicals which are contained in the paintings and other
materials children's products are made of. Countries or trade zones such as
the European Union regularly publish lists to regulate the quantities or ban chemicals
from toys and juvenile products.
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, 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. [53]

Disposal

Some communities require recycling of the batteries in toys such as qfix robot "crash-bobby".
When toys have been outgrown or are no longer wanted, they may be donated to
charities such as Goodwill Industries and the Salvation Army, sold at garage
sales, auctioned, or even donated to museums. However, when toys are broken, worn
out or otherwise unfit for use, care should be taken when disposing of them. Donated or
resold toys should be gently used, clean and have all parts. [54] Before disposal of any
battery-operated toy, batteries should be removed and recycled; some communities
demand this be done. Some manufacturers, such as Little Tikes, will take back and
recycle their products.
In 2007, massive recalls of toys produced in China[55] led many U.S.-based charities to
cut back on, or even discontinue, their acceptance of used toys. Goodwill stopped
accepting donations of any toys except stuffed animals, and other charities checked all
toys against government-issued checklists. [56]
The WEEE directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), which aims at
increasing re-use and recycling and reducing electronic waste, applies to toys in the
United Kingdom as of 2 January 2007. [57]

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.[58][59] They carry their chosen stick and put it in their nest.
Such behaviour is also seen in some adult female chimpanzees, but never after they
have become mothers.

See also

 Toys portal

 Girls' games and toys

 Battery recycling
 Board games
 Card games
 List of toys
 List of wooden toys
 List of toys and children's media awards
 National Toy Hall of Fame (United States)
 Toy museums
 Traditional Mexican handcrafted toys
 Toy Story a franchise about toys

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Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Toys.

 Kline, Stephen (1995). Out of the Garden: Toys, TV, and

Children's Culture in the Age of Marketing. Verso
Books. ISBN 978-1-85984-059-7.
 Walsh, Tim (2005). Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the
Playmakers Who Created Them. Andrews McMeel
Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7407-5571-2.
 Wulffson, Don L. (July 2000). Toys!. Henry Holt and
Company. ISBN 978-0-8050-6196-3.

External links
 The Toys of our Childhood, online exhibit on Archives of
Ontario website
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Toys

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