Feb 10 2025

Requirements

Draw your playing experience with your favorite toy, post the drawing and answer the next questions:

• Why is/was this your favorite toy?
• Do you find any connections between drawing, toys, and playing?
• How would you define Toys and Play? (just from your own understanding, do not look for definitions)

Reasons for Favorite Toys

This is my favorite toy because it serves as a tangible reminder of my beloved stories from movies and games. When I pose the miniature character in different actions or expressions, it's like having the power to freeze time—allowing me to examine and play with “a still frame of the movie” from different angles and lightings. That’s why I especially enjoy playing with my toys while lying down or tilting my head back, since the backlit perspective creates a uniquely immersive experience.

Drawing, Playing, and Toys

Playing with toys and the toys themselves are creative processes and products much like drawing. Both activities can be spontaneous acts of creativity that bring us joy through their blend of tangible creation and personal expression. In my experiences playing with toys, they seems to have a special quality of making creativity less intimidating. Unlike many people who think they can't draw, few feel they can't play. Like coloring books, toys provide helpful structure—you don't have to start from nothing—while still offering creative freedom and enjoyment. This perfect balance between guidelines and creative liberty is what makes toys so appealing.

Defining Toy and Play

<aside> 🧸

Toy

noun,

a physical object or collection of objects that simulates or represents something real, providing amusement for a person.

</aside>

<aside> 🎮

Play

verb,

a self-directed creative activity focused on enjoyment rather than survival or financial gain.

</aside>

<aside> <img src="/icons/walk_gray.svg" alt="/icons/walk_gray.svg" width="40px" />

</aside>