Bujdosné Pap Györgyi - Császi Irén (szerk.): Agria 48. (Az egri Dobó István Vármúzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2013)

Györgyi Erzsébet: A nemzetközi gyermekévtől a hazai játékmúzeumokig

collections came to being in the capital, toy exhibitions were open, however an independent toy museum has not been opened up to this day.

In 1987 the Aron Kiss Hungarian Toy Society (Kiss Aron Magyar Játék Társaság) was established, which colligated toy and toy-lover professionals working in different fields, and they were also happy to be involved in the preparation of this conference. The society publishes a quarterly magazine, titled Forgó since 2000, and has a website: www.kamjt.hu. It co-operates with the efforts serving toy culture, the organisers of artistic and historical dolls exhibitions, advocates the making of artistic dolls. It also assisted the most valuable private toy collection of Hungary, the Moskovszky collection to be museum bestowed in Székes- fehérvár, and it promoted the increase of fame and rank of the exhibition by annually organised conferences. Presently, it deals with popularising toy exhibitions, its regular newsletters inspire more to come into existence. Henceforward it counts its task to be the advancement of connection between toy collections and public collections capable of housing them, the transfer of toy collections into public collections, making them a public asset. Nowadays, organising toy exhibitions is ‘in fashion’, several museums undertake to do that.

Nowadays toy culture is significantly changing. It is extremely important, for the toy museum to regularly show the ‘ever topical’ toys, which have already served generations and which shall serve and give experience to further generations. Traditional toys help children to socialise into the real world, as opposed to several toys directing them towards virtual reality. They show the ancient richness of toy culture that is important historically and as an example - for present day toymakers too! They show meticulous, rich and exacting civilian toy culture. At the same time they introduce us into traditional civil culture that they demonstrate. The toys of peasant children are examples with their inexhaustible wit of the resourcefulness, that anything could be a toy, the rich fantasy compensates the wide choice of possibilities. The value of past toy culture will be exploited only in the future. The opportunities hidden in them could yet balance the restrictive impact of today’s too perfect toys.

Toy exhibitions make children like museums, attract the less interested parent into the museum only for the children’s sake. It enhances the experience if children can react to looking around in the exhibitions, and can elaborate it through practical activity, that is a routine in our days. Toy exhibitions are often placed into an exhibition environment showing the whole of the childhood culture. Exhibiting the historical process of childhood is especially important in these days, when the comprehension about childhood is dramatically changing.

The role of toys in the life of pupils and students arise seriously next to the massive school work and the self-imposed courses, clubs and trainings, which - though all enrich a child’s life - but do not substitute toys and games. In the

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