Photography is all about perception, what we see and how we see it. Toys are an interesting subject because there are perhaps few objects in this world that are better examples of how when we look at the world, so much of what we see is actually coming from inside of us, rather than the outside. 

There is nothing inherently useful in a toy. They do not help us perform any pressing task, and in the basic reality of hard facts, they are nothing more than oddly shaped objects. Yet throw any toy into a children’s classroom, and toys can take on intense emotional value. When a child sees a toy, they see in each one its own personality, its own life, and, as with their friends, children can be very selective, hating some and loving others even more than their own classmates. All of that love and feeling is born inside of each child, yet its cause for being is something as simple as the smile on a teddy bear, the wings on a plastic dragon, or the dress of a doll. Aesthetic can be a powerful thing. 

What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?