Toys are things that have no other purpose than to be played with. Most toys are made for children or pets.

The oldest toys are probably dolls. Many dolls are found in ancient sites.

Toys are made of many different kinds of material. In the ancient past toys had to be made from fabric or wood or clay (ceramic) as nothing else was available. Later, toys began to be made of metal as well. Cast toys, especially using tin and lead, were popular in the 19th century.

After the 1930s toys could be made of plastic, and most modern toys are plastic because it is so much easier to make many copies very quickly, with colour already built inside the material.

Toys used to be moved by hand. Later many were moved by clockwork. Electric toys were developed in the 20th century and many now have small computers inside them, although it is not clear whether that makes them any more attractive than ancient simple toys.