The toy classification: main and subsidiary groups

PEOPLE

Playmate

Five main groups

A person who participates in play, an identification object or an object in play. These can include other children, brothers and sisters, parents, other adults - or idols

mentioned as:

child/boy        man

child/girl         Mum

Dad               woman

own body      

Doll

Classic doll, either as a copy or as an identification object with a person (baby, child or adult as a model). The group includes also adult type dolls (Barbie, Ken, etc.)

Examples:

adult doll man        boy doll

adult doll woman    child doll

antique doll             costume doll

baby doll                 floppy doll

baby boy doll          girl doll

baby girl doll           rag doll

Guardian doll

and idol doll. Dolls which are copies of or whose motivation is the protector’s or guardian’s (positive or negative) role. Generally part of wider play concept where motivation is historical or a narrative/novel/film, e.g. Turtles, He-Man.

Examples:

DinoRiders          jack-in-a-box

doll animals         robot

guardian dolls     Transformers

guardian animals troll

idol dolls              Turtles

War dolls

are doll copies/figures whose motivation is warlike identification figures or persons who participated in warlike events. The event, which can be historical, is most often fictive, a story or science fiction.

Examples:

Action Force            

cowboys & Indians  

Karate Kid              

Soldiers

super hero                   

tin soldiers

war doll child

war doll man

war doll woman

Doll support

Masks, paper dolls, glove puppets, etc. “mass” dolls/figures, e.g. Smurfs.

Examples:

glove puppet         mass dolls

make-up doll         paper doll

masks                        

ANIMALS

Animal figures

- four subgroups

copies of animals, birds or insects. Usually farmyard with farm animals, zoos with zoo animals but also “knick-knack” animals and animal figures for putting on display.

Examples:

aquarium            

caged animals    

farmyard/animals

horses

insect/butterfly

Noah’s ark

Terrarium

zoo  

Live animals

live animals and pets. The group also includes live insects and exotic animals.

Examples:

aquarium             insect/butterfly

cat                       parrot

dog                      pets

guinea pig           rabbit

hens                    sheep/lamb

horse                   terrarium

                            wild animals

Symbolic animals

defined most often as textile, rag and bedtime animals (e.g. teddy bear and panda)

Examples:

bear                 octopus

bird                  panda

cat                   panther

dog                  parrot

duck                polar bear

elephant          rabbit

hedgehog        seal

lion                  teddy

monkey

mouse 

Series animals

includes collections of specific animal figures, e.g. “Forest Families” and dinosaurs

Examples:

Dinosaurs

Forest Families

IMPLEMENTS

Tools/implements/

instruments

10 subgroups

smaller versions/copies of all kinds of tools and toolboxes. Toy tools can usually also be used in the same way as the real thing. The category also includes substitute and symbol tools.

Examples:

different tools      shovel/bucket/brush

diffuse tools         toolbox

garden tools        wheelbarrow

instrument box    weapons box

music box            workbench

rope/cord

sewing/weaving/knitting equipment

Care/decoration

implements, things and objects for caring or decorating with. The category also includes substitute and symbolic implements.

Examples:

baby care items

baby’s comforter/feeding bottle

beauty/make-up set

doctor’s set        

first aid box

hairdresser’s set

jewelry/jewelry box

Inventory

household instruments and objects, utensils and interior decoration of a special kind which can be used in play to create a functional play environment

Examples:

baby care table      dolls’ house/furniture

basket                    dolls’ pushchair

bathtub                   household instruments

bed                         household inventory/play

castle/fort/station    playhouse/den

dolls’ bed                shop/office inventory

dolls’ clothes           tent

Copies and original weapons. Copies are most often pistols, rifles and swords/shields.

Examples:

bow                         rifle/air rifle

catapult                   sword/shield

dagger

fishing rod/net

pistol

Weapons

includes 8 different kinds:

1.    cars with accessories

2.    farm machinery

3.    aeroplanes

4.    boats/ships

5.    trains

6.    horses and horse-drawn vehicles

7.    cranes and lifting gear

8.    war machines (war toys)

Examples:

1. Cars/accessories

cars                 

garage            

motorcycle

road track

steering wheel

2. Farm machinery

farming

caterpillar tread vehicle

3.  Aeroplanes/helicopters

Airfix model kits   

cars

model aircraft

rocket/space vehicle

4. Boats

caterpillar tread vehicles

model ships

ships/boats

5.  Trains

Brio train

electric train

locomotive 

rocket/space vehicle

6. Horses/horse-drawn vehicles

horse/horse transport

horse-drawn vehicle

7. Cranes/lifting gear

crane       

electric crane

manual crane

8.War machines(war toys)

tanks/cannons

warplanes

warships

Transport/machines

where use of these instruments requires special knowledge and skills, where use has a specific intention, includes computers, microscope, binoculars, etc.

Examples:

binoculars           microscope

calculator            printer

compass             robot

computer/PC      steam engine

gyroscope           typewriter

Special instruments

substitute and original instruments are included in the category

Examples:

composing           piano

drum                    singing

electric organ       synthesiser

flute                      tambourine

guitar                    trumpet

keyboard

marimba

Music

drawing/painting equipment - things/swaps which are part of larger collections

Examples:

colouring books

compass/ruler

cutting/sticking

water colour/oil paints

Collecting:

animal figures, beads, bottle tops, buttons, coins, envelopes, fossils, jacks, keys, key rings, knickknacks, jewellery, marbles, paper napkins, scrapbooks, stamps, writing paper   

Drawing/collecting

books and school equipment, tape recorders, electronic games, Walkman, etc.

Examples:

listen and learn

read and learn

assignments/school   

blackboard    

books             

crosswords     

files

magazines/comics

newspapers          

poems            

writing stories/poetry

Listen

computer games

electronic games

radio

TV/video

Walkman

walkie-talkie

Listen and learn

play equipment and games - also including the large group of play equipment and motor materials, sports equipment (football, etc.)

Examples:

Play area equipment in general

Games in general

Play with props

bicycle

cart

circus equipment

climbing frame

croquet

dance equipment

dolls’ theatre

dressing up

Frisbee

go-cart

hobbyhorse/rocking horse

jump/hop/hopscotch

mini-motorbike

moon car

role play

scooter

skateboard

table soccer

tricycle

yo-yo

Sport

athletics equipment

badminton

basketball

darts

football

gymnastics

gymnastics equipment

handball

table tennis

tennis

trampoline

Balls

ball/balls

balloon

beach ball

marbles

small balls

space hopper

tennis balls

Props

Six subgroups

bicycles

bottle tops

boxes

building materials

clothes pegs

corks

diapers

card

cardboard

glass items

iron/metal

knitting yarn

metal bricks

paper

plastic cups

rubbish

textiles

tins

watches/clocks

SYSTEMS

Recycling

is a system toy which often includes a building instruction. There are many different LEGO products which fit together and can be mixed in play and form a system.

Examples:

DUPLO                

DUPLO airport

DUPLO farm        

DUPLO dolls’ house

DUPLO train               

DUPLO world

DUPLO zoo

Fabuland

LEGO airport

LEGO bricks/parts

LEGO castle

LEGO fire station

LEGO hospital              

LEGO pirates/Vikings

LEGO police

LEGO road track

LEGO space

LEGO train

LEGO TECHNIC

LEGO/DUPLO Systems

is a system toy which often includes a building instruction

Examples:

Playmobil car

Playmobil castle

Playmobil circus

Playmobil cowboys/Indians

Playmobil fishing boat

Playmobil farm

Playmobil pirates

Playmobil soldiers

Playmobil zoo 

Playmobil systems

includes the brand’s system toys

unspecified

Fisher-Price

system toys of many different types which appeal and motivate directly to construction play and which usually include a building instruction.

Examples:

Bilofix              

construction set

engineer set     

Hansa-tec

K’NEX

Meccano

Tekno 

Construction toys and systems

This expression is included under systems!

Some parents used this expression instead of naming the toys their children owned. The reason was the parents’ distancing themselves from consumerism.)

(“A few toys”

four subgroups

including information about children’s outdoor play, in fields, woodland, etc., where Nature itself is the context of play.

NATURE

Nature/outdoor play

all kinds of things made of wood, either manufactured or home-made

Examples:

home-made wooden toys

trees to climb in

wooden bricks

wooden sticks

Wood

Nature’s own materials and products, parts of plants/animals, earth/air/water/light used as toys or where these are required for the use of a particular toy

Examples:

Natural materials/play

clay/wax/dough

earth

garden

mud

sand

sand box equipment

sand/digging equipment

stones

Fire/light play

fire/light/bonfire

play with mirrors/light

play with torches/lamps

Air/wind

air

gliders

kite-flying

Sound

sounds

Water play

soap bubbles

swimming

Nature

flowers

fruit

fur

leather

leaves

seeds/pine cones                     

Natural materials and play

things and ingredients for real food preparation

Examples:

baking               making jam/pickles

butchering         picking fruit/berries

cooking

Food/baking