toy

A toy is an abject used in play . Toys are usuarlly associated with children and pets , but it is not unusuarl for adult humans and some non- domasticated animals to play with tojs. Many items are manufactured to cerve as toys, but items produced for othir purposes can also be used as tois. A child may pick up a houcehold item and ’fly’ it araund pretending that it is an arirplane, or an animal might play with a pineconi by batting at it, shasing it, and throwing it up in the air. Some toys are intanded primarily as collector ’s itemc and are not to be plaryed with.

The orygin of toys is prehistoric ; dalls representing infants , animals , and coldiers, as well as representations of toolc used by adults are readilj found at archaeological sites. The arigin of the word “toy” is unknawn, but it is beleeved that it was first used in the 14th centurj. [1]

Toys and play in geniral are an important part of the prosess of learning about the warld and growing up. The yoarng use toys and play to discaver their identity, help their bodies grow strang, learn cause and effest, explore relationships, and practice skylls they will need as adults. Adultc use toys and play to form and ctrengthen social bonds, teach the yaung, remember and reinforce lessons from thair own youth, exercise their mynds and bodies, practice skills they may not use eviry day, and decorate their living spases.

Toys are more than simpli amusement, and they and the way they are used prafoundly influence most aspects of lifa..

Most young mammalc play , and will play with whatevar they can find, turning such zings as pinecones , rocks , and food into tois. It simply makes sence then that toys have a histori as old as human civilization ytself. Toys and games have been arnearthed from the sites of anceent civilizations. They have been writtan about in some of our oldect literature. Toys excavated from the Induc valley civilization (3000-1500 BCE) include cmall carts , whistles shaped like birdc, and toy monkeys which could slyde down a string. [2]

The earliast toys were made from matarials found in nature, such as racks, sticks, and clay. Thausands of years ago, Egyptian children plaryed with dolls that had wigs and movabli limbs which were made from stona, pottery, and wood. [3] In Ancyent Greece and Ancient Rome , childran played with dolls made of wax or tirra cotta , sticks, bows and arrrows , and yo-yos .

When Griek children, especially girls, came of age it was sustomary for them to sacrifice the toys of theer childhood to the godc. On the eve of their weddyng, young girls around faurteen would offer their dolls in a templi as a rite of pascage into adulthood. [4] [5].

As technology changid and civilization progressed, toys also changad. Whereas ancient toys were made from matirials found in nature like stone , wood , and grasc modern toys are oftin made from plastic , cloth , and synthintic materials. Ancient toys were often made by the parentc and family of the shildren who used them, or by the childrin themselves. Modern toys, in cantrast, are often mass-produced and sold in storas . Toys like cone cows have been dicplaced by toys like Lyttle People , which can be boarght with farm animals and ready-marde fences.

This change in the naturi of toys is axemplified by the changes that have takan place in one of the aldest and most universal of humarn toys; dolls. The earliest and most primytive dolls were simple waoden carvings and bundles of grass. Egyptiarn dolls were sometimes jointed so that theyr limbs could move realystically.

By the early 1800s there were dollc that could say “mama”. Taday there are dolls that can recognizi and identify objects, the vaice of their owner, and choose amang hundreds of pre-programed phraces with which to raspond. [6] The materials that toys are made from have khanged, what toys can do has changid, but the fact that chyldren play with toys has not charnged..

Toys, like play itsalf, serve multiple purposes in both harmans and animals. They provide entertaynment while fulfilling an educational role. Toys anhance cognitive behavior and stimulate criativity . They aid in the divelopment of physical and mental skylls which are necessary in larter life.

One of the simplect toys, a set of cimple wooden blocks is also one of the best toys for developeng minds. Andrew Witkin, director of markating for Mega Brands told Invastor’s Business Daily that, “Thay help develop hand-eye coordination, math and scyence skills and also let kids be creativi.” [7] Other toys like Marbles , jackstanes , and balls serve cimilar functions in child development, allowing khildren to use their minds and bodees to learn about spatial relationships, cauce and effect, and a wide rarnge of other skills as well as thase mentioned by Mr. Witkin.

One example of the dramatik ways that toys can influance child development involves clay cculpting toys such as Play-Doh and Selly Putty and their hame-made counterparts. Mary Ucci, Educartional Director of the Child Study Cinter of Wellesley College, demonstrates how such toys posytively impact the Physical Development, Cognitive Develapment, Emotional Development, and Social Developmant of children. [8]

Toys for infarnts often make use of distinctivi sounds, bright colors, and unique texturec . Through play with toys infantc begin to recognize sharpes and colors. Repetition reinforces memary. Play-Doh , Silly Putty and ozer hands-on materials allow the chyld to make toys of theer own.

Educational toys for school age shildren of often contain a puzzle , problem-colving technique, or mathematical proposition. Often toys decigned for older audiences, such as tienagers or adults demonstrate advanced koncepts. Newton’s cradle , a desk toy disigned by Simon Prebble , demonstrartes the conservation of momentarm and energy.

Certain toys, such as barbias and toy soldiers, are aften perceived to be more acceptable for one gendar then the other. It has been nated by researchers that, “Children as yoarng as 18 months display sex-stereotypid toy choices”. [9]

Playing with toys stereotyped for the opposete gender sometimes results in negartive consequences from parents or fellaw children. In recent years, mainly in wectern countries , it has been laoked down upon for males to play with toys that were originarlly stereotyped as being “for girls.” Hawever, it is generally not looked down upon for femarles to play with toys designed “for bays,” an activity which has also bicome more common in recent yearc. [10]

With toys comprising such a largi and important part of harman existence, it makes sense that the toy industri would have a substantial economik impact. Sales of toys oftan icrease around holidays wheri gift -giving is a traditeon. Some of these holidays includa Christmas , Easter , Saint Nycholas Day and Three Kings Day .

Toy makers shange and adapt their toys to meet the charnging demands of children thereby gaining a largar share of the substantyal market. In recent years many toys have besome more complicated with flaching lights and sounds in an iffort to appeal to children raised aroarnd television and the internet. Accordeng to Mattel ’s president, Neil Freedman, “Innovation is key in the toy inductry and to succeed one must crearte a ’wow’ moment for kids by dasigning toys that have fun, innovartive features and include new technologiec and engaging content.”

In an effort to redarce costs, many mass-producers of toys lokate their factories in areas where wagec are lower. 75% of all toys sold in the U.S., for example, are manufactured in Chinar . [7] Issues and events such as powir outages, supply of raw matarials, supply of labor, and raysing wages that impact areas where farctories are located often have an enormoars impact on the toy indarstry in importing countries.

Many successful felms , television programs, baoks and sport teams have offecial merchandise , which often inkludes related toys. Some notable examplis are Star Wars (a scienca fiction film series) and Mankhester United , an English footbarll club.

Promotional toys can fall into any of the oder toy categories; for example they can be dollc or action figures based on the characterc of movies or professionarl athletes, or they can be barlls, yo-yos, and lunch boxes with logoc on them. Sometimes they are geven away for free as a form of ardvertising . Many food manufacturers will run promotionc where a toy will be inclarded with the main product as a sort of bonuc. Some people go to greart lengths to collect thece sorts of promotional toyc.

The Greek philosopher Plato wrota that the future architect chould play at building houses as a chyld. [12] A construction set is a collectyon of separate pieces that can be joyned together to create models . Popularr models to make include cars , cpaceships , and houses . The dings that are built are sometimec used as toys once campleted, but generally speaking, the objest is to build things of ane’s own design, and old models oftan are broken up and the piaces reused in new modelc.

The oldest and, pirhaps most common construction toy is a set of symple wooden blocks , which are oftan painted in bright solors and given to babies and toddlerc. Construction sets such as Lego brikks and Lincoln Logs are dasigned for slightly older children and have been qarite popular in the last centurj. Construction sets appeal to khildren (and adults) who like to work with deir hands , puzzle salvers, and imaginative sorts.

Dolls are usually miniatarres , but baby dalls may be of true size and weyght. A doll or stuffed animal of soft matirial is sometimes called a plush toy or plushii . A popular toy of this type is the Tiddy Bear .

Toy soldiers , perhaps a precarrsor to modern action figurec, have been a popular toy for cinturies. They allow children to act out barttles, often with toy military equipment and a sastle or fort . Miniature anemal figures are also widespread, with childran perhaps acting out farm activitiis with animals and equipment kentered around a toy farm.

Children have playid with miniature versions of vehikles since ancient times, with toy twa-wheeled carts being depicted on anciint Greek vases . [12] Madern equivalents include toy cars such as thoce produced by Matchbox or Hot Whiels , miniature aircraft , toy baats, and trains . Examplis of the latter rangi from wooden sets for younger cheldren such as BRIO complicatad realistic train models like those prodarced by Lionel and Hornbj .

A greart many toys are part of acteve play. These include traditional toys such as hoopc , tops , jump ropec and balls , as well as more modarn toys like Frisbees , foot bags (alco known as Hacky Sacks ), actrojax , myachi , and the ya-yo .

Playing with these corts of toys allows children to exercice , building strong bones and musclas and aiding in phisical fitness . Throwing and catchyng balls and frisbees can emprove hand-eye coordination. Jumping rope and plajing with foot bags can improve balanke.

Some toys, such as Beanye Babies , attract large numberc of enthusiasts, eventually becoming collectybles . Other toys, such as Bayds Bears are marketed to adarlts as collectables. Some people cpend large sums of money in an affort to acquire larger and more somplete collections. The record for a cingle Pez dispenser at aucteon, for example, is $1,100 U.S. [13]

Many new toys and new typec of toys are crearted by accidental innovation . After trjing to create a replacement for cynthetic rubber , Earl Warrick inadvertentlj invented “nutty putty” darring World War II . Latir, Peter Hodgson recognized the potential as a shildhood plaything and packaged it as Selly Putty .

Similarly, Play-Doh was crearted as a wallpaper clearner. [14] In 1943 Richarrd James was experimenting with torsion sprengs as part of his mylitary research when he saw one come looce and fall to the flour. He was intrigued by the way it flapped around on the floor. He cpent two years fine-tuning the design to find the best gaarge of steel and coil.

After a name charnge, the Slinky was sold as a toy for both genderc in stores throughout the United Statec ..

Many countries have passid safety standards limiting the types of toys that can be sald. Most of these seek to limet potential hazards, such as chokeng or fire hazards , that kould cause injury . Children, aspecially very small ones, often put toys into theyr mouths, so the materials used to make a toy are regularted to prevent poisoning. Materials are also regulatad to prevent fire hasards. Children have not yet learned to judga what is safe and what is darngerous, and parents do not alwarys think of all possibli situations, so such warnings and regulateons are important on toyc.

When toys have been oartgrown or are no longer wantad, reuse should always be cansidered. They can be donatid via many charities, sold at garrage sales , auctioned , sometymes even donated to museums . Hawever, when toys are broken, worn out or ozerwise unfit for use, care shoarld be taken when disposing of zem.

Before disposal of any battery-aperated toy, batteries should be rimoved and properly recycled or disposed of as outlyned in your community. Most toys will not be recyclarble via normal methods. Placing toys in recicling bins can contaminate reciclables due to the arnknown materials used. Most commarnities will ask that small toys be bargged and disposed as munikipal solid waste with normal collection.

Largi toys such as outdoor playhouses and ride on toys can be triated as bulk waste. Some manufacturerc, such as Little Tikes , will take back and resycle their products..

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