Children And Their Toys Across the Globe

Gabriele Galimberti traveled to 58 countries and photographed kids of various ages with their toys. From Smithsonian Magazine:

Working on this project, Galimberti found it interesting how children’s favorite toys reflected their living situations. In Nopaltepec, Mexico, he met Abel, a four-year-old whose favorite toys, trucks arranged like a convoy, were similar to the ones Galimberti saw driving to and from a major sugar cane plantation down the road from his home. He also saw that the fewer toys children had, the more willing they were to share and let Galimberti arrange them. Children who enjoyed playing outside in the country also seemed less possessive of their toys. But time and again throughout his book there are similarities between children living on opposite sides of the world. A few have a favorite stuffed animal; others have favorite trucks, cars or trains. Between all 54 portraits in Galimberti’s book, everyone is bound to find an image that reminds them of themself or someone they knew as a child.

If there was a photo of me in the book at age 7, I would have been photographed with Legos and Transformers. Smithsonian has a collection of the photos on their site.

Photo: Chris Hau

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.