You play with toys, take a shower and drive a truck around. Well I'm here to tell you these things have more in common than you think.
I went shopping recently and came across a toy shop. As I looked around at all the incredible furry friends, books and learning toys, it got me thinking. Where do the toys even come from? And I don't just mean from the shop I was standing in. I'm talking about how they even got there.
What was used to build them from scratch? Who's hands and hearts were behind designing them. Creating them. Sending them your way. behind designing them. Creating them. Sending them your way.
I'm not talking about the materials, I'm talking about love. The love and care behind bringing the toys to life with magic and joy. When you see that sparkle in your kid's eye as they find that one particular toy. The toy they want to sleep with, live with and take everywhere. That's the moment. The moment when you ask yourself, what is the journey behind the toy.
The Bright Green Truck
The first time I spotted the bright green truck was in a little girl's hands. She walked over to our team at a Toy Swap to find it a new home. Walking with her mother, I asked her what the story behind the truck was...
"I bought my daughter a truck from my hometown. I was born in South America, in a small town in Peru. We visited their when my daughter was 2"
As the green truck was placed amongst the other toys, I realised it was beginning its preloved journey to find a new home. Later in the afternoon, I looked over to find it in another family's pram. All the way from Peru to a new family in Marrickville. The green truck had a new home.
Toy trucks and cars
"My boys just donated lots of toys, mainly cars and trucks. I said they could take one toy home each, so they found a new car to play with" - the mother laughed.
The Shower
I was standing with our mascot Erica, manning the 'front desk'. As we greeted people coming to join our cause, she looked over to see a toy she had donated in other girls hands. Erica, in fact, donated quite a lot of toys in order to learn the art of giving and receiving. After all, she was the inspiration behind creating Joy of Giving.
Spending many hours over the years playing with the shower, she was ready to give her preloved toy a new home. All excited, she ran over to the new girl to share the stories behind the shower bath and share in the toys joy.
The journey, the love they carry, and the joy they provide.
That is the magic behind preloved toys!