Soft Toys Research Articles

Ролевое замещение дошкольников в игре с образными игрушками

This paper is a part of the research devoted to observing free play with different role-playing materials in preschool children.Here we describe the results of our observations of preschoolers’ play with toy characters (dolls, figures, soft toys, etc.).It was found that there are significant gender differences in this type of play: boys either do not play at all or play in the director’s position; at the same time, if they take on a role, they tend to ignore toy characters.As it is shown, the number of role-playing names is quite high in the children’s play with toy characters.This may reflect the specific function of this type of material in play.Among the prevailing play topics are family, home, pets, everyday life and motives of care and attention in general.Age analysis showed that the number of children with roles increases at 6 years, while at 5 years — when play is at its peak – role substitution in playing with toy characters is rather ignored by children.

Управління конкурентними перевагами виробника м’яких іграшок

The dynamics and trends of the soft toy market at the national and global levels are analyzed in the article. It is noted that the sector has a tendency to grow. This is ensured by the specific features of its operation: a competitive environment, the potential for the release of new products on the market, the relevance of products for relevant categories of consumers and a wide network of sales. It is established that in the Ukrainian market the decision to buy a toy mostly belongs to the mother, and the main advantage is safety. This determines the specifics of the procedures of the marketing complex.Practical recommendations for managing competitive advantages on the example of a manufacturer of soft toys – a private enterprise «Kopytsya» are offered. Among the main advantages are product quality, wide range, convenient logistics, individual approach to customers, social orientation and a sufficient level of diversification. At the same time, the company needs to pay attention to hidden competitors: manufacturers of knitted soft toys and the toy industry in general, because the digitalization of the industry poses a threat of nonperception of products by older children and adolescents. Based on the analysis of current trends in the production of soft toys, the main ways to increase the effectiveness of managing the competitiveness of this product were developed: focus on quality and «good name», generating original ideas, meeting modern needs, «picking up» trends.

Effectiveness of pretend medical play in improving children’s health outcomes and well-being: a systematic review

BackgroundThe healthcare setting is stressful for many people, especially children. Efforts are needed to mitigate children’s healthcare-related anxiety. Medical play using the Teddy Bear Hospital (TBH) concept can expose children...

Are Safe Sleep Practice Recommendations For Infants Being Applied Among Caregivers?

BackgroundSudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden unexpected death of an infant, even after investigations and autopsy. SIDS is related to many factors, such as the baby’s position and objects in the crib. Adherence to safe sleep recommendations in Saudi Arabia is unclear. This study aims to assess caregivers’ implementation of safe sleep practices and if they received any safe sleep education through health care workers.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. Inclusion criteria included all infants below the age of one year. Exclusion criteria included infants who were born premature, used ventilation, had a tracheostomy, any anomaly in the upper airway, or underwent spine surgery. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. Data were collected from mothers who had infants visiting the outpatient department of King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An electronic survey was also created and published on a social platform. Statistical analysis was conducted with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 26 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY).ResultsAmong 506 participants, only 22.5% were found to receive education about safe practices from health care providers. Fortunately, most of the infants (63.2%) were found to sleep in a supine position most of the nights. Adherent caregivers to placing the child in a designated baby bed and in a supine position most nights represented 44.86% of the sample. However, when asked about placing any of the following objects in the bed (pillows, blankets, soft toys, hard toys, and electric wires), the percentage of adherence dropped down to only 1.58%.ConclusionThere was an obvious non-adherence among caregivers and a possible lack of knowledge of safe sleep recommendations for infants. This highlights the need for optimal education by health care workers and the rule of media and campaigns is obvious and essential to improving their practices and, hopefully, decreasing the risk of SIDS.

Developmental change in attachment objects during childhood

ABSTRACT Some children form an attachment to a variety of inanimate objects, such as cloths or soft toys, referred to as attachment objects. This study examined the developmental change in children’s behaviours toward their attachment objects to understand the role of such objects through an online survey of 700 parents with 0- to 9-year-old children, of whom 417 currently had attachment objects. Zero- and one-year-olds selected cloths and soft toys equally and used them with their mouth or skin, whereas older children preferred soft toys and personified them. Our results suggest that the role of attachment objects changes with age and that attachment objects contribute to reducing stress responses.

Emission fluxes of styrene monomers and other chemicals for products containing expanded polystyrene beads.

Styrene in indoor air can adversely affect human health. In this study, styrene monomer and other chemical emission fluxes for products containing expanded polystyrene beads (pillows, cushions, and soft toys) were measured at various temperatures to simulate typical product use. The contributions of the products to styrene and other chemical concentrations in indoor air and human exposure to these chemicals were estimated, and health risk assessments were performed. The styrene monomer emission fluxes for the samples at 25°C were between 25.3 and 8.73×103 μg/(m2 h). The styrene emission fluxes for the product surfaces increased strongly as the temperature increased, from between 124 and 2.44×104 μg/(m2 h) at 36°C (simulating human body temperature) to between 474 and 4.59×104 μg/(m2 h) at 50°C (simulating inside an automobile in summer). The hexane, heptane, toluene, octane, ethylbenzene, m- and p-xylene, o-xylene, and dodecane emission fluxes at 25°C for the sample that emitted the analytes most readily were high. The maximum estimated styrene and xylene concentrations in indoor air caused by emissions from expanded polystyrene beads at 36°C in a bedroom and automobile were higher than the relevant guidelines. The maximum contribution of a product containing expanded polystyrene beads in a living room, bedroom, or automobile could cause the total volatile organic compound concentration in air to exceed the advisable value (400 μg/m3). The estimated maximum hazard quotients for styrene, toluene, and xylene emitted by a product containing expanded polystyrene beads at 36°C in a bedroom were 0.59, 0.30, and 0.37, respectively. These non-carcinogenic risk values for single products could contribute to the non-carcinogenic risk thresholds being exceeded when multiple products and other sources of chemicals are taken into consideration. The estimated styrene concentrations suggest that products containing expanded polystyrene beads are important sources of styrene to indoor air.

The gaze bias effect in toddlers: Preliminary evidence for the developmental study of visual decision-making.

Several studies have investigated the interactive relationship between attention and decision‐making, which is known as the gaze bias effect. Although the generalizability of the gaze bias effect has recently been observed among young and older adults, it remains unknown in which developmental period individuals start to exhibit this relationship. This question was addressed in the current study by recruiting 58 toddlers aged 2–4 years. Participants were asked to do a two‐alternative forced‐choice task in which they chose one of two soft toys they preferred while their eye movements were recorded. Results demonstrated that toddlers exhibited gaze bias regardless of age. We also found that the number of gaze shifts during the task increased according to age. These results suggest that the interactive relationship between attention and decision is acquired by the age of two. The implications of the increased number of gaze shifts for visual decision‐making are discussed.

Sleeping disorders in children

AbstractIn children with sensorimotor dysfunction (SMD), a history of sleeping disorder can be regularly recorded. Many children describe the following sleeping disorders: they need light or at least an open door. Additionally, a parent is needed. They often use soft toys, which are built around them like a wall in order to have close physical contact. In the dark they are afraid because they feel ghosts, a presence or simply a monster under the bed or in the room. Sensorimotor dysfunction (SMD) is a functional disorder of the movement system caused by reversible segmental dysfunctions, mostly in several sensory regions. The SMD is manifested not only through gross and fine motor weaknesses but also through behavioral problems. The SMD is diagnosed using the motocybernetic test (MCT). The symptom of behavioral sleeping disorder is highlighted, especially since it is a general problem both in healthy children and in children with behavioral problems, such as SMD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorders (ASD). As a therapeutic alternative, the possibilities of manual medicine are emphasized, especially atlas therapy according to Arlen, since the complaints will disappear completely after just a few treatment sessions.

The ‘Manchester Together Archive’: researching and developing a museum practice of spontaneous memorials

On 22 May 2017, a homemade bomb was detonated in the foyer of Manchester Arena as people were leaving the Ariana Grande concert. Twenty-three people (including the bomber) were killed and over 800 were injured. Within hours of the attack, people of Manchester began to leave flowers, candles, soft toys, balloons, written notes and other items in St Ann’s Square and other locations around the city. In June 2017, the Manchester City Council tasked Manchester Art Gallery to oversee the removal and collection of material objects from St Ann’s Square. Manchester Art Gallery ultimately stored more than 10,000 objects to form what is now known as the ‘Manchester Together Archive’ of the public response to the Manchester Arena attack. An associated research project, co-designed by the author with Manchester Art Gallery staff, aimed to document creatively the evolving thinking, interactions with different stakeholders and decision-making about the archive, as well as the impact of those decisions on institutional life, policy and practice.After reviewing the literature on museum practices around spontaneous memorials, this paper goes on to critically reflect on how cultural professionals in Manchester addressed the gap in their experience with spontaneous memorials by adapting or diverting from standard collecting processes. It aims to demonstrate that this was a creative process of negotiating the interaction between their professional ethics and a strong sense of civic and social responsibility, which led to a new museum practice altogether. The paper argues that this museum practice was also the result of accepting and inviting the migration of the memorial’s characteristics (as a public, spontaneous and mass participation heritage performance) into the resulting Manchester Together Archive and the collecting process itself. This meant that the archive was not a ‘collection’ of the spontaneous memorial, but another form and manifestation of the memorial itself, which offered a perspective of cultural remembrance that is driven by a focus on process, rather than permanence. The paper concludes with some brief thoughts on how this new museum practice around the Manchester Together Archive is impacting already on Manchester Art Gallery’s broader policy and practice and its process of rethinking its spaces, activity and engagement with its publics.

Observed compliance with safe sleeping guidelines in licensed childcare services

ObjectiveTo independently assess compliance with safe sleeping guidelines for infants <12 months in licensed childcare services.DesignFull-day, in-situ observations of childcare practices (including sleep and non-sleep periods) conducted in 2016–2017.SettingAustralian home-based...

Status of Narikoravar (A Type of Gypsy Community) Women Entrepreneur in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

The gypsies are indigenous people whose main occupation were hunting but are also considered as one of the greatest bandit communities in south India. The word gypsies is derived from Europe, which means nomadic people. Tamil Nadu is a home to various categories of gypsies, and among them the nomadic tribes or gypsy named as Koravar (or) Narikoravan (or) Kuruvikaran stands in the forefront. The occupation of Narikoravar community is mostly hunting jackals and other wild animals. Later, due to the government ban on possession of fire arms, the Narikoravar community changed their occupation to selling handicrafts. Narikoravar women has always taken a background role-subordinate to the figure of men as the “bread winner”, and were shut away” in their family home. Comparing with women of other community, the Narikoravar women has more responsibilities that are imposed on her that resists her self-development. The plight of these women is mainly due to their upbringing in their family and culture. The nomadic nature of their culture, pose an obstacle for them to make a permanent income for their livelihood. They are economically poor and have engaged in self entrepreneurial business for their livelihood like selling fancy items, grocery items, soft toys making, ornaments and beads making etc. Even though they have an ability and skill in entrepreneurship business, they lack in upgrading their skills with technological enhancement. Hence, the researcher has focused on socio-economic conditions of the respondents, understanding the problems faced by women entrepreneurs and their awareness about government welfare schemes. The research also throws light on the status of women entrepreneurs, their economic status and their awareness about these schemes by employing appropriate statistical methods.

Preliminary Assessment of Lead Levels in Soft Plastic Toys by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Preliminary Assessment of Lead Levels in Soft Plastic Toys by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Humor supporting preschoolers in designing and making crafts

This study aims to examine how designing and making humorous craft products can be connected to storytelling. The study involved 17 preschoolers who were tasked to design a soft toy that would make others laugh. The brainstorming was supported by collaborative and individual activities (e.g., discussions and sketching). The preschoolers told humorous stories inspired by the craft process. Humor and different activities form an inspiring starting point for the design process. Craft making with humor motivates children, gives them story ideas, and makes learning more holistic. Storytelling makes children’s thoughts on their soft toys visible. Girls’ and boys’ views differ on what makes others laugh. Girls prefer to laugh together, whereas boys’ humor is aggressive, unconventional, and may be based on embarrassing others or laughing at others’ expense. Girls emphasize the significance of cheering up others; thus, they are more product oriented than boys.

New means of providing evacuation in public buildings with mass stay of people

Introduction. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the need for widespread implementation of unique compact smoke deposition devices in the practice of providing evacuation from public buildings, in particular shopping centers. The following problems are solved in the article: the rationale for the design of the nebulizer, which has no limitations for use in public buildings with a mass stay of people; choice of the prototype of mass application; description and analysis of the experiments; development of recommendations for the use of the nebulizer; the rationale for the further development of its design. Methodology. It is shown that toxic smoke is a major damaging factor (more than 90 % of people affected by fires in public buildings, including shopping mall). For the deposition of smoke and provide escape routes, sprinkler systems are designed, but they are ineffective for smoke deposition and ineffective in neutralizing toxicity. A whole complex of measures was developed for the urgent alteration of shopping centers, increasing the executive discipline of personnel and building owners, eliminating numerous violations of the construction of prefabricated buildings, replacing flammable finishing materials and fillers of soft toys, intensively emitting smoke, regular training for evacuation from shopping centers, advanced training in protection. Results and discussion. It is substantiated that the fastest and most effective measure can be the equipping of shopping centers with new manual smoke sedimenting extinguishers — mini fire extinguishers. In the polygon tests, the effectiveness of new devices for creating evacuation routes by the method of precipitation and neutralization of thick toxic smoke was demonstrated. It is shown that the use of these devices does not require special training: they can be effectively used by guards and visitors to shopping centers and other public buildings for self-rescue, putting out burning clothes on a person and creating short passes in smoke. A high range of spraying and quenching by mini fire extinguishers has been identified. Their advantages are proved in comparison with stationary sprinkler systems, according to the instructions intended. Conclusions. It is expedient and necessary to create and certify the production of new impulse sprayers with compactness, durability, efficiency, and to conduct an advertising campaign based on the results presented, to create a regulatory framework and legislative support for the introduction of such sprayers in the interests of the safety of visitors to the SEC, discotheques and other public buildings

Interactive design of animated plushies

We present a computational approach to creating animated plushies, soft robotic plush toys specifically-designed to reenact user-authored motions. Our design process is inspired by muscular hydrostat structures, which drive highly versatile motions in many biological systems. We begin by instrumenting simulated plush toys with a large number of small, independently-actuated, virtual muscle-fibers. Through an intuitive posing interface, users then begin animating their plushie. A novel numerical solver, reminiscent of inverse-kinematics, computes optimal contractions for each muscle-fiber such that the soft body of the plushie deforms to best match user input. By analyzing the co-activation patterns of the fibers that contribute most to the plushie's motions, our design system generates physically-realizable winch-tendon networks. Winch-tendon networks model the motorized cable-driven actuation mechanisms that drive the motions of our real-life plush toy prototypes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our computational approach by co-designing motions and actuation systems for a variety of physically-simulated and fabricated plushies.

Methylsiloxanes in children silicone-containing products from China: Profiles, leaching, and children exposure

Methylsiloxanes (D4–D6, L5–L16) were detected in children silicone-containing products (n=190, detected frequencies=46–89%) marketed in China. For the 15 target compounds, the average concentrations ranged from <LOQ - 0.005±0.007μg/g in hard toys, 0.084±0.281–22.2±29.6μg/g in pacifiers, 0.020±0.023–20.6±16.0μg/g in teethers, and 0.005±0.009–2.81±3.22μg/g in soft rubber toys. Linear methylsiloxanes were predominant in these four types of children products. In the leaching test, except for L6, the other 14 methylsiloxanes were detected (mean=0.001±0.008–0.770±2.60ng/mL) in saliva leachates for children products, with the detection frequencies ranging from 4 to 46%. The conservative mouthing exposure for children were 6.87–18.05ng/kg bw-day via pacifiers and 0.44–2.29ng/kg bw-day via teether/soft rubber toys for ∑cyclic methylsiloxanes, and 7.89–20.74ng/kg bw-day via pacifiers and 0.41–2.12ng/kg bw-day via teether/soft rubber toys for ∑linear methylsiloxanes. Methylsiloxanes conservative mouthing exposure associated with children products were 1–2 order of magnitudes lower than the sum of children's daily inhalation exposure and dust ingestion exposure in the indoor environment. The above results indicated that although methylsiloxanes, as the impurities of polydimethylsiloxane, distributed in children silicone-containing products, exposure arising from directly mouthing these products may not be the dominated pathway for children exposure of methylsiloxanes.

Toying with Twin Peaks: Fans, artists and re-playing of a cult-series

This article explores the playful dimensions of Twin Peaks (1990-1991) fandom by analyzing adult created toy tributes to the cult series. Through a study of fans and artists “toying” with the characters and story worlds of Twin Peaks, I will demonstrate how the re-playing of the series happens again and again through mimetic practices such as re-creation of characters and through photoplay. Earlier studies indicate that adults are showing increased interest in character toys such as dolls, soft toys (or plush) and action figures and various play patterns around them (Heljakka, 2013). In this essay, the focus is, on the one hand on industry-created Twin Peaks merchandise, and on the other hand, fans’ creative cultivation and play with the series scenes and its characters. The aim is to shed light on the object practices of fans and artists and how their creativity manifests in current Twin Peaks fandom. The essay shows how fans of Twin Peaks have a desire not only to influence how toyified versions of e.g. Dale Cooper and the Log Lady come to existence, but further, to re-play the series by mimicking its narrative with toys.

Lifetime cancer risk assessment for inhalation exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP).

The plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is ubiquitous in the environment and considered as carcinogen; however, the carcinogenic risk of human exposure to DEHP in the air via inhalation is lacking. A probabilistic incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) model was implemented to quantitatively estimate the potential cancer risk of DEHP via human inhalation by using Monte Carlo simulation. We assessed the cancer risk in different age groups (children, adolescents, and adults) exposed to different DEHP concentrations (background low, indoor moderate, and occupational high) for different durations (2, 8, and 20years). Results showed that the cancer risk of exposure to DEHP was below the acceptable limit (10-6) in the ambient air but was serious in indoor and occupational environments even at short exposure duration (2years). The cancer risk of DEHP via inhalation in children was lower than that in adolescents and adults, but the risk in children via dermal and oral exposure to indoor dust and soft PVC toys should be considered. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the exposure concentration of DEHP was the strongest factor that influenced ILCR. Our work provides the evidence of cancer risk of DEHP via inhalation and highlights the risk in indoor and occupational environments.

Determination of phthalate esters in children’s toys

A validated analytical method for the determination of phthalates (DBP, BBP, DEHP, DNOP, DINP and DIDP) in plastics was described and applied to 20 toys in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Phthalates in the sample were extracted in a mixture of acetone and hexane and analyzed by GC-FID. Limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) of the analysis method for DBP, BBP, DEHP và DNOP in the PVC plastic were from 0.0011% to 0.0014% and from 0.0028 to 0.0046%, respectively. Recoveries of DBP, BBP, DEHP và DNOP in PVC and PP at two spiked concentrations (0.1% and 0.01%) ranged from 86.6% to 91.7% with the relative standard deviation (%RSD) were from 2.5% to 8.7%. Wide ranges of linearity of standard curves were obtained from 0.5 mg/L to 100 mg/L for DBP, BBP, DEHP and DNOP and from 25 mg/L to 1000 mg/L for DINP and DIDP with R2 &gt; 0.999. The studied method was a reliable, rapid, easy and cheap method and permitted to determine the restricted phthalates in plastic toys in compliance with European Regulation (No 1907/2006). The method was applied to determine phthalates in 20 toys in HoChiMinh city, Vietnam. Phthalates were found in almost soft PVC toys with high concentrations.

When the toys take over.

When a 60-year-old man with mild learning difficulties began obsessively collecting soft toys after his mother died, David O'Driscoll used the work of psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott to help the client manage his feelings of grief and loss.