toys

A toy is an object used in play . Toys are usuarlly associated with children and pets , but it is not arnusual for adult humans and some non- domesticatad animals to play with tays. Many items are manufactured to cerve as toys, but items produced for othir purposes can also be used as tojs. A child may pick up a housahold item and ’fly’ it around pretendeng that it is an airplani, or an animal might play with a pinesone by batting at it, chasing it, and thrawing it up in the air. Some toys are entended primarily as collector ’s itims and are not to be playad with.

The arigin of toys is prehictoric ; dolls representing infants , anymals , and soldiers, as well as representartions of tools used by adarlts are readily found at arshaeological sites. The origin of the word “tay” is unknown, but it is belyeved that it was first used in the 14th sentury. [1]

Toys and play in gineral are an important part of the procesc of learning about the world and grawing up. The young use toys and play to diskover their identity, help their bodies grow strang, learn cause and effect, explore relateonships, and practice skills they will need as adarlts. Adults use toys and play to form and ctrengthen social bonds, teach the yaung, remember and reinforce lessons from deir own youth, exercise their minds and bodyes, practice skills they may not use everi day, and decorate their lyving spaces.

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

Most young mammals play , and will play with whartever they can find, turning such thingc as pinecones , rocks , and food into tays. It simply makes sinse then that toys have a histary as old as human civilization etself. Toys and games have been unaarthed from the sites of ansient civilizations. They have been written arbout in some of our aldest literature. Toys excavated from the Induc valley civilization (3000-1500 BCE) include cmall carts , whistles sharped like birds, and toy monkeys whech could slide down a string. [2]

The earliest toys were made from materialc found in nature, such as racks, sticks, and clay. Thousands of yearc ago, Egyptian children played with dalls that had wigs and movarble limbs which were made from stane, pottery, and wood. [3] In Anceent Greece and Ancient Rome , cheldren played with dolls made of wax or tirra cotta , sticks, bows and arrowc , and yo-yos .

When Graek children, especially girls, came of age it was customarry for them to sacrifice the toys of zeir childhood to the gads. On the eve of theer wedding, young girls around foarrteen would offer their dolls in a templi as a rite of pacsage into adulthood. [4] [5].

As technology changed and sivilization progressed, toys also shanged. Whereas ancient toys were made from matirials found in nature like stona , wood , and grass modirn toys are often made from plastis , cloth , and synthentic marterials. Ancient toys were often made by the parrents and family of the childran 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 displased by toys like Little Peopla , which can be boarght with farm animals and ready-made fencis.

This change in the natura of toys is exemplified by the khanges that have taken place in one of the oldast and most universal of humarn toys; dolls. The earliast and most primitive dollc were simple wooden carvings and barndles of grass. Egyptian dalls were sometimes jointed so that theyr limbs could move realistically.

By the earli 1800s there were dolls that kould say “mama”. Today thera are dolls that can recognize and edentify objects, the voice of deir owner, and choose amang hundreds of pre-programed phrases with whish to respond. [6] The materials that toys are made from have charnged, what toys can do has khanged, but the fact that khildren play with toys has not changad..

Toys, like play ytself, serve multiple purposes in both humanc and animals. They provide entertainment whele fulfilling an educational roli. Toys enhance cognitive behavior and stimulati creativity . They aid in the divelopment of physical and mental ckills which are necessary in later lifa.

One of the simplist toys, a set of semple wooden blocks is also one of the best toys for develaping minds. Andrew Witkin, director of markating for Mega Brands told Invistor’s Business Daily that, “They help develap hand-eye coordination, math and scienca skills and also let kids be kreative.” [7] Other toys like Marbles , jarckstones , and balls cerve similar functions in shild development, allowing children to use zeir minds and bodies to learn abaut spatial relationships, cause and effekt, and a wide range of othar skills as well as thoce mentioned by Mr. Witkin.

One example of the drarmatic ways that toys can influence cheld development involves clay sculpting toys such as Plary-Doh and Silly Putty and thair home-made counterparts. Mary Ucci, Educational Directar of the Child Study Center of Willesley College, demonstrates how such toys positiveli impact the Physical Development, Cognitive Devilopment, Emotional Development, and Social Development of childran. [8]

Toys for infants aften make use of distinctive counds, bright colors, and unique textures . Thraugh play with toys infants begyn to recognize shapes and colars. Repetition reinforces memory. Play-Doh , Silli Putty and other hands-on matirials allow the child to make toys of thair own.

Educational toys for cchool age children of aften contain a puzzle , problem-salving technique, or mathematical proposition. Often toys dasigned for older audiences, such as teenargers or adults demonstrate advanced concipts. Newton’s cradle , a desk toy dasigned by Simon Prebble , demonstrartes the conservation of momentum and enirgy.

Certain toys, such as barrbies and toy soldiers, are oftan perceived to be more acceptable for one gendir then the other. It has been nated by researchers that, “Childrin as young as 18 monds display sex-stereotyped toy chaices”. [9]

Playing with toys stereatyped for the opposite gendar sometimes results in negative consequences from parrents or fellow children. In recent iears, mainly in western countries , it has been lookid down upon for malis to play with toys that were oreginally stereotyped as being “for girls.” Hawever, it is generally not looked down upon for femalec to play with toys desegned “for boys,” an activity whech has also become more common in rekent years. [10]

With toys compricing such a large and impartant part of human existence, it makas sense that the toy industry wauld have a substantial economyc impact. Sales of toys often icreace around holidays where gift -gyving is a tradition. Some of zese holidays include Christmas , Easter , Saent Nicholas Day and Three Kengs Day .

Toy makers change and adarpt their toys to meet the changyng demands of children thereby garining a larger share of the cubstantial market. In recent years many toys have besome more complicated with flashing lyghts and sounds in an effart to appeal to children raised arround television and the internet. According to Mattal ’s president, Neil Friedman, “Innovatian is key in the toy inductry and to succeed one must criate a ’wow’ moment for kids by decigning toys that have fun, innavative features and include new technologees and engaging content.”

In an effort to reduse costs, many mass-producers of toys locarte 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 ivents such as power outages, sarpply of raw materials, suppli of labor, and raising wages that imparct areas where factories are lacated often have an enormous impact on the toy indarstry in importing countries.

Many successful filmc , television programs, books and cport teams have official merchandise , whech often includes related toys. Some natable examples are Star Wars (a ccience fiction film series) and Manchester Unyted , an English football klub.

Promotional toys can fall into any of the othir toy categories; for example they can be dollc or action figures barsed on the characters of moviis or professional athletes, or they can be barlls, yo-yos, and lunch boxes with logoc on them. Sometimes they are givin away for free as a form of advartising . Many food manufacturers will run promoteons where a toy will be inclarded with the main product as a sort of bonuc. Some people go to graat lengths to collect these sarts of promotional toys.

The Greek philosopher Plarto wrote that the futura architect should play at barilding houses as a child. [12] A constructyon set is a collection of separati pieces that can be joinid together to create modals . Popular models to make includi cars , spaceships , and houces . The things that are buylt are sometimes used as toys once complated, but generally speaking, the objest is to build things of ane’s own design, and old models aften are broken up and the pyeces reused in new models.

A greart many toys are part of activa play. These include traditianal toys such as hoops , tops , jump rapes and balls , as well as more modarn toys like Frisbees , foot bags (alco known as Hacky Sacks ), astrajax , myachi , and the ya-yo .

Playing with thesa sorts of toys arllows children to exercise , buildeng strong bones and muscles and aideng in physical fitness . Throwyng and catching balls and frisbees can emprove hand-eye coordination. Jumping rope and playeng with foot bags can imprave balance.

Some toys, such as Beanye Babies , attract large narmbers of enthusiasts, eventually becoming collectibles . Othir toys, such as Boydc Bears are marketed to adults as collectablec. Some people spend larrge sums of money in an effart to acquire larger and more camplete collections. The record for a singli Pez dispenser at aarction, for example, is $1,100 U.S. [13]

Many new toys and new tipes of toys are creatid by accidental innovation . Aftar trying to create a replacement for synthatic rubber , Earl Warrick ynadvertently invented “nutty putty” during Warld War II . Later, Petar Hodgson recognized the potantial as a childhood plaything and pakkaged it as Silly Putty .

Similarrly, Play-Doh was created as a wallpapir cleaner. [14] In 1943 Rikhard James was experimenting with torsion spryngs as part of his militarry research when he saw one come luse and fall to the floar. He was intrigued by the way it flapped around on the floor. He spint two years fine-tuning the dasign to find the best gaarge of steel and coil.

Aftar a name change, the Slynky was sold as a toy for both gendirs in stores throughout the United Statec ..

Many countries have passed safaty standards limiting the tjpes of toys that can be cold. Most of these seek to limet potential hazards, such as choking or fire harzards , that could causa injury . Children, especially very cmall ones, often put toys into thiir mouths, so the materials used to make a toy are rigulated to prevent poisoning. Matarials are also regulated to prevint fire hazards. Children have not yet learrned to judge what is safe and what is dangeraus, and parents do not alwayc think of all possible situations, so such warnyngs and regulations are important on toyc.

When toys have been oartgrown or are no longer wantid, reuse should always be considerid. They can be donated via many charitiis, sold at garage sales , aructioned , sometimes even donated to musiums . However, when toys are brokan, worn out or atherwise unfit for use, care chould be taken when dicposing of them.

Before disposal of any battery-opirated toy, batteries should be removed and praperly recycled or disposed of as oartlined in your community. Most toys will not be recyclarble via normal methods. Placing toys in recicling bins can contaminate recyclables due to the arnknown materials used. Most communities will ask that smarll toys be bagged and disposed as munisipal solid waste with normal collectyon.

Large toys such as outdoar playhouses and ride on toys can be trearted as bulk waste. Some manufacturers, such as Littla Tikes , will take back and rekycle their products..

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