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  The pet rock was a novelty item that gained immense popularity in 1975. It was the brainchild of Gary Dahl, an advertising executive from California. Dahl came up with the idea as a lighthearted joke and decided to package and sell rocks as pets. The pet rock came in a cardboard box, resembling a pet carrier, complete with air holes, a bed of straw, and a humorous instruction manual. Each box contained a smooth river stone, which was meant to serve as the pet rock. The concept behind the pet rock was that it required minimal care and offered the appeal of a low-maintenance "pet." Since rocks do not need feeding, grooming, or attention, it was a humorous and unconventional twist on the idea of pet ownership. Despite its simplicity, the pet rock became a cultural phenomenon and enjoyed massive success. It captured the public's imagination and tapped into the humor and satire of the time. The pet rock's popularity was attributed to its novelty and the clever marketing ...

At Toyday we have always been passionate about wooden toys but now more than ever have we seen the importance of making the switch. The shocking images on the recent series of Blue Planet II should be enough to convert anyone. I hate putting loads of black bags out but while sorting out our Children's bedrooms that's where their old broken plastic toys seem to end up. The wooden toys however, still look great and will be packed up into the loft for future generations. I'm going to try not to rant too much but we do seem to do it with everything these days. Buy cheap, buy lots and then throw it away when it's done. This is equally true of the toy market as it is of the supermarket and the clothing industry and any other industry. Buying wooden toys doesn't have to be expensive. For example you could start them off with a small railway set and then gradually create a bigger set by collecting all the add on pieces with expansion packs and tunnels. Most parents wo...

When I had my first child, a baby boy, I used to think that his boyish traits were just inbuilt. He wanted to bash things, chase balls and was generally a bit grrr. You draw your opinions from your own experiences and from my experiences, coupled with what other people told me, led me to believe boys and girls are just different right from birth. Now, after having two boys, I have a little girl and people say things like 'I bet that's a different for you' and 'girls are so different' but in truth I have found her to be pretty similar. She is just as 'grrr' and loves doing all the same things. In fact if my eldest son was the same age as her and you dressed them the same you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. What if we're judging children based on their gender rather than their Character? Most mums I know are open minded in their child's choice of toys. There are boys who want to play with dolls and girls who want to play with trucks. M...

Royal Mail launched their latest stamp collection yesterday (22nd August 2017), which celebrate  classic and traditional toys from the last century, and all made in Britain . Spacehopper Originally designed to be an exercise device rather than a toy, the classic space hopper has become a firm British favourite. This nostalgic stamp collection feature childhood favourites such as the classic Sindy Doll, and Action Man figures, retro toys such as the Space Hopper and Fuzzy Felt, and of course no traditional toy list would be complete without Meccano or a Hornby Train Set. Sindy Pedigree Toys Ltd launched the Sindy Doll in 1963 designed by Foale and Tuffin. Sindy’s look, fashion and style has gained her millions of fans across the world who regard themselves as true ‘Sindy Girls’. Action Man Three years after the Sindy Doll, Hasbro invented the Action Man. A tough, rugged macho doll targeted at boys. Just like Sindy, Action Man's clothes could be cha...

It's that time of year when you want to get get this years family holiday booked. Money is always a huge factor in deciding where to go but if money was no object where would you go? There are places I've been to that I know my children would love and places that I would love them to experience. Here is my dream holiday destinations to take my kids: Lapland Top of the list just has to be Lapland. Christmas is such an exciting time for children and where could be better to meet Santa than the snowy Christmas wonderland that is Lapland. Not to mention the northern lights! Disney Land This one will come as no surprise. Just a magical experience for children to see all their favourite characters come to life. Plus adrenaline filled days going on rides and roller coasters. Phillip Island This was one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen; hundreds of cute little fairy penguins coming in from the sea to go to their homes as the sun goes down. I'd lo...

Hornby’s chief executive Richard Ames, has quit the ailing British firm, following a 3rd profit warning in just 5 months. Will this be the end for one of Britain’s best loved manufacturers? Hornby, which also makes Corgi cars, Airfix kits and Scalextric, have produced children’s toys since the early part of the 20th century. They produced most of their product lines in the UK until 1999 but subsequently moved all of their manufacturing to China. Despite attempts to move some production back to the UK in 2012, it could be the unreliability of their Chinese manufactures that is set to toll the death knell for Hornby. The irony of this will be in the event that Hornby does go under, I would be willing to bet that it will be the Chinese that buy it! Hornby have struggled to consistently get there train sets out of China and into European stores for the last few years, despite going to the length of changing Chinese factories in 2014. Stories of businesses struggling to get stock ou...