Toys... Regardless of age, geography, or belief, they are our companions for a significant part of our lives.
From infancy to childhood, even through adolescence. When we look back at our childhood, we sometimes remember the place of toys in our imagination with nostalgia, and at times with joy. Childhood toys we encounter at a friend's house, in toy museums, or among old photographs transport us to a different time. In this sense, toys are timeless products that open the door to our childhood memories.
Toys have evolved, transformed, developed, and diversified throughout the ages, and thanks to today's production capacity and industrial capabilities, they can be made from various materials, taking on different shapes and features. However, centuries ago, the first toys that emerged, the so-called traditional toys, were much simpler in form compared to today's industrial toys. In times when production was entirely manual, traditional toys such as tops, marbles, spinning tops, wooden dolls, cloth dolls, small clay pots, and wooden horses were produced with simple lines, natural colors, and standard forms. What truly made traditional toys valuable was their simplicity and naturalness. In these days when design trends focus on "simplicity" and design has become completely "flat," toys made of wood, fabric, and felt, containing minimalist details, have become very popular. Humanity has come full circle in the toy industry, just as in other sectors, making it a thought-provoking and meaningful situation.
In addition to the trend of simplicity in design, the effort to return to everything natural, especially during the pandemic era, has also manifested itself in the toy industry. Toys made from basic and natural materials such as wood, cotton, and raw fabric gained value rapidly in the post-pandemic period. Concerns about how production frenzy and the impact of petrochemical production on the environment have led us to ponder the concept of "sustainable toys." We have begun to understand sustainability at every stage, from production to consumption and recycling.
Furthermore, there are scientific and academic studies on "toys." We have started to understand how petrochemicals and heavy metals affect children's health and why children suffer from diseases like leukemia and anemia from infancy. We have realized how important standards and sensitivity are in toy production and that toys are not just products but also cultural, psychological, and sociological products that directly affect children's personalities and identities. In other words, we have started thinking about the "sociology of toys" and the "psychology of toys."
On top of all this, we have also begun to see how the toy industry manipulates children through advertisements. Toys have become not only sources of entertainment, education, and cultural objects but also symbols of status and dominant in peer pressure. We observed that children had to buy toys just to possess them and that they became irritable when they did not have them. Over time, as we encountered piles of toys in our homes, we realized that this situation was actually a form of extravagance and wastefulness.
So, as you can see, there is a lot to say about toys. Toys are no longer just toys. The sweet spinning tops, marbles, wooden dolls, and small toys of our memories are now in the past. We have entered an era where it is necessary for our children to have the right toys at the right time and in the right quantity.
I am starting here with the title 'Subject: Toys' to write more about this.
Hakan Hekimhanlı
