How many of us can remember a time as a child when we did not play with toys? Toys are synonymous with childhood which is perhaps the most innocent phase of our lives as a human being on this planet earth. Toys are anything with which a child can play and learn (leg og lr)different aspects of life at an early stage. The history of toys can be traced to 3000 BCE as many toys such as small carts, whistles shaped birds and monkeys made out of clay, belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization have been excavated. Toys such as dolls, sticks and bows and arrows made out of wax and terracotta were used by children in Ancient Greece and Ancient Roman civilization.
As time passed by, with development in technology the toys which in the days of yore were made by natural materials like terracotta, wood, straw and wax were replaced by toys made of synthetic materials like rubber and plastic. Today unlike the days of yore toys are mass produced and sold in markets where there is a toy according to everyone's budget. The earliest of the toys were dolls which were played by kids even in Ancient Egyptian Civilization. Dolls in Egypt were made out of wood and many of them even had movable limbs and used to wear wigs. In the modern times the most famous doll is known as Barbie who was launched in 1959 by an American toy company called Mattle, Inc. Since toys are an essential item in the shopping list of any family with small children, it is very obvious that toys industry plays a major role in the economy of any country. Sales of toys increase especially during vacations and festivals such as Christmas and Easter.
Another popular kind of toy is teddy bear which comes in the category of soft toys and is also called plushie. Teddy bears are popular in many countries and they are not only favourite toy of children but also adults as teddy bears are one of the best-selling gifts on Valentine's Day. Bilibo is a toy made of hard wearing plastic which is shell in shape. This toy came into the market in 2001 and was developed by a Swiss Designer Alex Hochstrasser who made this toy after consultations with experts in child development. According to experts in child development this shell shaped toy can help the children in developing motor skills and a sense of balance.