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Click here to view a slideshow of all the iconic playthings featured in the issue, plus more!
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TOY STORIES The brief was simple and open-ended: Offer an emotional design critique of an iconic toy. Most of the designers, creative directors, authors, educators, curators, and entrepreneurs we enlisted chose objects from their childhood, articulating the smart design thinking behind these timeless playthings while also recalling what their treasured toys meant to them personally. The result is a survey of approaches to designing for play that provides insights into how childhood fun informs adult design practice.

Illustrations by MAAYAN PEARL