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Toys and Games

Discover the world of dolls, puzzles, teddy bears, marbles and indoor, online video and board games. This topic also covers the history and culture of Māori toys (karetao), and traditional and modern day pastimes of children. SCIS no. 1842264

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Toys

Teddy bear’s picnic

Teddy bear’s picnic

Teddy bears having picnic fun.

Dolls being made for Christmas in 1960.

Cars for special needs

Cars for special needs

Go Baby Go toys are for children with special needs.

Toy stampede

Watch what happens when some dinosaurs break out of a cereal box to visit their friend Scotty T. Rex at Te Papa. Te Papa website - https://www.tepapa.govt.nz Te Papa collections - http://collection...

Toy soldier

Metal toy soldiers.

Tonka toys

Tonka's one of the biggest vehicle-maker's in the world, selling over 250 million trucks and cars in their trademark yellow.

Children learn to be creative at the Maungaraki school code club.

Traditional Māori and settler toys

A history of New Zealand toys.

Omakau's toy library

Omakau's toy library

Almost a wee playhouse itself!

Teddy One-Eye

New Zealand author Gavin Bishop with the one-eyed teddy bear he based his book on.

Star Wars display

Star Wars display

Central Library Peterborough. Monday 16 November 2015. File reference: 2015-11-16-IMG_1178 Photo by Donna Robertson. From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.

Toy trade fair

A poster for Hamilton’s first toy trade fair in 2010.

Sharks in the air

Sharks in the air

Pilots report seeing helium-filled inflatable toy sharks.

Mermaid suits

Auckland Council bans mermaid tails in public swimming pools.

Online games

The popular smartphone online game Candy Crush.

Table games

inlaid games table

Revival of traditional Māori games

Traditional Māori sports to be introduced into the school curriculum.

Cards, board games and puzzles

Māori played board games before the arrival of Europeans in New Zealand.

The origin of the game knucklebones.

Playing housie

A popular game of the working class.

Kirikiti

Samoan style cricket.

Reality games for education

Reality games for education

Stephen Lowe provides the background helium for a game called Fragmented.

Medieval board games

Medieval board games

Knights and Princesses fun day at Central Library Peterborough. Saturday 25 March 2017. File reference: CPB-2017-03-25-IMG_2613 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.

Uno

Board games day at New Brighton Library, Sunday April 2017. File reference: 2017-04-IMG_0493 Photo by Michelle Feary. From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.

Lead in toys

Shoppers warned not to buy toys with high levels of lead.

Stress toy

A stress toy in the shape of a brain from Puke Ariki.

Jump rope

The Auckland Skipping Club is trying to get people back into this childhood pastime.

Toys are important

An article from 1937 on the importance of toys in childhood.

Doll

A celluloid Pixy Toy doll, made in Japan.

New Zealand doll

New Zealand doll

cloth Maori doll

buzzy bee :)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwiana en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzy_Bee

Farmers' Trading Company Ltd

Farmers' Trading Company Ltd

A page featuring children's toys from the Farmers' Trading Company Ltd catalogue.

Karetao (puppet)

Karetao (puppet)

Maori puppet from the early 1800s.

Fun Ho! national toy museum

Fun Ho! national toy museum

Fun Ho! cast-aluminium toys were made in Inglewood by the Underwood Engineering Company from 1947 to 1982. Former Underwood employees Barry and Phyllis Young opened a Fun Ho! museum in the town in ...

Toy van

A Fun Ho! toy van.

Marbles

Boys playing marbles, around 1900.

Doll

A doll from early last century.

Children with toys

Children with toys

Children with peddle-cart and tricycle around 1910.

Model of a waka

Model of a waka

Unidentified Māori boy with a model waka.

Playground games

Playground games

Children playing in a school playground.

Bullrush

Bullrush was a popular New Zealand chasing game in schools.

Playing Space Invaders is one of the most addictive games ever made.

Recycled toys for kids

Toys made from cardboard, paper, old tin cans, bottle caps and other recyclable items.

Games from Fiji

Games in Fiji varied from place to place depending on the natural resources found.

Trailer of the first Toy Story movie.

The making of a Superman custom action figure.

Video and audio of 100 years of children’s songs, rhymes and games.

The positive and negative effects of video games

Are video games good or bad for you? It can be both.

Choosing safe toys

Guidelines to keep in mind when shopping for toys.

Tour the world’s largest toy museum.

Traditional Māori games

History and rules of traditional Māori games.

New fidget craze a money-spinner for kids.

20th century toys

Photographs of 20th century toys.

Lego facts and worksheets.

Toy commercials

Classic TV toy commercials from the 1950s-1960s.

DIY classroom toys.

Ancient games and toys

Photographs of ancient toys and games.

History of dolls

History of dolls from around the world.

The world's oldest toy.

What Is the oldest toy in the world?

A lesson plan on traditional games around the world.

Toys through the decades

History of children's games and toys.

Land of counterpane

A poem about toys that keep a sick boy happy.

Making a wire toy car

Use scrap wire and waste materials to make toy cars.

Mattel introduced the Barbie doll in 1959.

Hungary's best rope skipping team.

Toys and games from the Victorian era

Did movies originate from a Victorian toy?

Awesome toys from the 1980s

If you grew up in the ‘80s, you probably played with some of these toys.

Toys helping children

Ways in which toys help children.

The 13 most influential toys of all time

Toys that made the biggest impact on the toy industry.

Gender-specific toys

The toys children play with have an impact not only on how they see themselves and on what skills they learn.

Some easy card games for children.

Games of school children

Games that school children play around the world.

Skipping games have a long history.

African children with their homemade toys.

Toys and games representing countries around the world.

Steadfast Tin Soldier

Story of the ‘Steadfast Tin Soldier’ by Hans Christian Anderson.

Toys banned from schools

Spinners and the other toy crazes banned from schools.

Ten great inventions by children

Kids can be incredibly creative and inventive.

Toy safety tips

A selection of safety tips when playing with toys.

Some fun indoor games for children to play on a rainy day.

Wonders of a toy shop

A digitised Victorian book about a toy warehouse.

Hidden toys and faces

Hidden toys and faces

Hidden in this picture are nine toys and the faces of four children who will receive the toys as Christmas presents. How quickly can you find all of them?

Hula-hoop record broken.

Hula-hoop record broken.

Young girl hula-hooping.

Playing ukkers

Four sailors look to be enjoying a game of ukkers or ludo as it more popularly known as. This game originated in ancient India and was called Pachisi. It was popular with the Mughal rulers of India.

String games

From early times people stretched string over their fingers and wove intricate patterns or figures. They used string, strips of leather, even plants such as harakeke.

Buzzy Bee

A baby is focused on a Buzzy Bee toy. ‘Can I take it home?’, he wonders.

Playing marbles

Playing marbles

Four boys are playing a game of marbles while one keeps score.

Ti rākau

In this Māori stick game, the players face each other either sitting or standing and throw and catch the rākau or sticks to the rhythm of a song. The penalty for dropping the stick is leaving the g...

Japanese doll

The Japanese have always had a strong tradition of doll culture – even today. There are many Japanese dolls. They resemble warriors, heroes, gods and fairy tale characters etc.

Tug of war

Men and women on one side appear to be in a tug of war match against sailors in this photo taken in Wairewa County, Canterbury.

This Meccano clock is counting down the days to Christmas. The idea for Meccano was first conceived in 1898 when Frank Hornby made re-usable metal strips, plates, and wheels etc. for his sons to pl...

A Buzzy Bee for Siulolovao

A Buzzy Bee for Siulolovao

Countless Kiwi children have pulled behind them the bright wooden Buzzy Bee, which has become a piece of ‘kiwiana’ – everyday items which contribute to a sense of New Zealand identity. In this 1977...

Model airplane

Model Airplane This 1960s model airplanewas manufactured byFaller, a German company who specialised in model trains and airplanes. This particularmodel isbased on a Vickers Viscount 814 aircraft an...

Permits are needed to fly remote-controlled model airplanes.

Teddy bear

This toddler is enjoying playing with a large teddy bear, easily one of our most popular toy animals.