Welcome to 2nd Generation Toys!  My name is David Graham, and I have loved playing with toys for over thirty years.

Why?

It's a question that comes to me now as I begin playing my own child's toys.  Why do we give, play with, display, modify, and even destroy toys?  For hundreds of thousands of years, boys and girls have played with sticks and dolls all over the world.  Sure, nowadays in western society there is a huge market geared towards selling toys with tie-ins to movies, television shows, games and more - but that's very much aimed at certain companies selling their toys.  Toys in general have done well without them.  No company ever ordered a three season cartoon show to sell a yoyo.

Tops yes, but not yoyos.

Getting back to my point, why do we feel drawn towards acting out with sticks and swords?  Why do we make up stories about our dolls and horses?  Why do we set up armies and use kung-fu grip?  Why do we cook food that can never be eaten in ovens that will never be hot?  What primal urge is sated when holding a miniature person in our hands and lording our total control over their circumstances, and even actions?

These are all part of the same question that I asked before, and I hope that you might join me as we seek insight into all these facets of inquiry.  Along the way, we'll look at toys current and past, both mine and my daughters, and what is it that she and I actually like about them.  What makes a good toy, how safe or dangerous really are they, and what makes them fun?

Thanks for coming along!