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Seasons Greetings!Toying with Ideas, by Kathe OliverEveryone likes toys. December is a month when people pay a lot of attention to toys, partially as holiday gifts and partially because the December school vacation gives families an unusual amount of playtime. While the type of toy that is fun often changes with age (for example, Teddy bears are forever, but rattles are not), the fact that play is an important part of life does not change. People play during their entire lives, using play as a way to relax, learn, socialize, and express creativity. Toys are tools for play. For the right person, a toy can be a teething ring, a board game, a chemistry set, computer software, or cookware. The idea of toys specifically made for children has been a part of human culture for all of recorded history. Some toys are hugely popular for a short period of time, perhaps in only one area or culture, and then disappear. In 1955 almost every American child wanted one of Davy Crockett’s coonskin caps, but the fad was soon over. Other toys, such as balls and dolls, are found in virtually every culture and time. Here is a list of some of the best-selling toys of the last century, and the year in which they were first sold. How many of these have or had a place in your house? Crayola Crayons ® (1903) Most of these new toys were variants on ancient toy ideas. They have several things in common: All of them were inexpensive enough that families could afford to buy them, and sturdy enough to survive enthusiastic play. They were adaptable and could be used in different ways, so that they would hold children’s interest for several years. Most importantly, they all encourage people to be creative and use their imaginations. These toys ask questions: What are you going to build? What adventures will you go on? What games can you invent? The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, is home to the National Toy Hall of Fame. It honors 34 toys, including the cardboard box, a favorite toy of children around the world. In many cases, small children would rather play with the box that a toy comes in than with the toy itself. The list of Hall of Fame toys is available online at http://strongmuseum.org/. Think about your favorite toy. Has it always been your favorite toy, or would you have chosen something else three years ago? What makes it your favorite toy? If your favorite toy is not in the National Toy Hall of Fame, you can nominate it for inclusion by going to the nominations website at http://strongmuseum.org/nthof/nominate.asp. Be prepared to explain what makes the toy special to you. Anyone can invent a toy, from almost anything. In the 1760s, London mapmaker John Spilsbury had a problem: he had too many unsold maps. He glued a map to a thin wooden board, then used a jigsaw to cut around the map’s borders. He sold his maps, and invented the jigsaw puzzle. In 1955 Joe McVicker found out that children liked to play with the wallpaper cleaning compound that he made. He changed the formula slightly, and created Play-Doh ®. Approximately 700 million pounds of this wallpaper cleaner turned toy have been sold in the past fifty years. Do you have an idea for a toy that would be at least a much fun as a cardboard box? Let your imagination run wild! A homemade toy can be a lot of fun to make, and even more fun to play with. If you don’t start with an idea, but would like to build a toy, have someone to put together an invention bag for you. Ask them to fill a paper grocery bag with an assortment of materials: cardboard and magazines from the recycling bin, spools, pipe cleaners, straws, or whatever else may be on hand. Then see what ideas the items in the bag generate. For students in fifth-eighth grades, Sally Ride Science offers an annual TOY challenge, in which teams participate in a toy designing competition. For information, visit the contest’s website at http://www.toychallenge.com/abouttc.shtml. The deadline for signing up for the 2007 competition is December 15, 2006. Handmade toys can make very special gifts. If you decide to make a toy as a gift, be sure that it is safe for the person who will play with it. Toy safety is an especially difficult problem for young gifted children. Most toys (and the patterns and kits that are sold for making many toys) come with age recommendations. These are based on considerations of intellectual and physical development, as well as safety. Young gifted children are often intellectually ready for toys that aren’t safe for them. Small or fragile parts can lead to tragedy. To learn about toy safety and hazards, visit the Toy Industry Association website at www.toyhotline.org. To see a list of toys that have been removed from sales due to safety problems, visit the Consumer Products Safety Commission’s website at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html. Enjoy your toys! ***** Information given this column is current as of the date when the column was submitted to Imprint. Websites and their contents are always subject to change. Mention of a website in this column does not imply endorsement by NNJM or American Mensa, Ltd. ***** (Published in IMprint, the Newsletter of Northern New Jersey Mensa, December, 2006. This article may be reprinted without alteration by any AML local group, as long as credit is given to IMprint and the author. Please notify Kathe Oliver at k.oliver@pobox.com ) |
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