“FIVE MILLION CHILDREN ARE WAITING FOR NEW TOYS ...”. ABOUT THE DESIGN OF TOYS AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE TOY INDUSTRY IN POLAND IN THE 1950S AND 1960S

Abstract

In the first years after World War II, the task of setting up a toy industry was undertaken
in Poland. According to the declarations from the Polish People’s Republic authorities
about providing all children with a carefree childhood, access to education and
help in developing individual interests, a well-designed and carefully made toy was to
reach the hands of 5 million children. It was also supposed to be aesthetic and accessible
to the impoverished society after the war. Therefore, toys were mainly produced
from waste materials, such as wood, leather, felt, fabrics, provided by state-owned industrial
plants or production cooperatives. Toys made in artists’ studios and in the
BNEP Toy Factory under the direction of Jan Kurzątkowski met these criteria.
A turning point in the history of the organization of the post-war toy industry
was the establishment of The Office for Toy Industry Studies and Projects, a facility
included in the structures of Cepelia and unique not only on the national, but also on
the Europe scale. The office was established on 5 December 1950 by order of the president
of the Central Office of Fine Manufacturing. The specialists employed in this
institution (artists, educators, psychologists and material scientists) ensured that children
received a good educational toy – carefully made, appropriate for their age, safe
and nice at the same time. The designs developed under their professional supervision
were handed over to Cepelia’s cooperatives for implementation, while providing appropriate
instructions on the material and decorations used. One of the Office’s first
initiatives was to produce a specific type of wooden and fabric doll, which was exported
to Western Europe and the USA and created what was termed the “Polish Doll”.
The office only existed for 4 years. Pursuant to the resolution of the Presidium of
the Government dated on 18 December 1954, it was transferred to the Board of the
Toy Industry at the Central Union of Work Cooperatives. In practice, this meant its
liquidation and the cessation of research and development of new toy designs. This
decision resulted in a rapid constriction in the development of Poland’s toy industry.
The idea of such a holistic, comprehensive approach to the issue of toys has never
been returned to, not only from the point of view of aesthetics, but also toys’ role in
children’s upbringing and education. This was changed neither by the Central Design
Office of the Toy Industry established in 1956 at the Ministry of Education, nor “Plastuś”,
a competition for the best toy for children available on the market, launched in
1961.