Curriculum The Business of Toys and Games
The Business of Toys and Games
The serious economics of play: the global toy business, China's toy factories, India's toy turnaround, Channapatna's wooden toys, LEGO's comeback, toy crazes, collectibles as investments, the board game revival, gendered toy marketing, Indian game studios and toy safety.
- The Global Toy Business How big the global toy industry is, who the major companies are, and why toy sales are seasonal and hit-driven. 📄 Read-aloud
- How China Became the World's Toy Factory Why most of the world's toys are made in China, especially in Guangdong, and how rising costs and trade tensions are shifting production. 📄 Read-aloud
- India's Toy Turnaround How India cut toy imports and boosted exports through higher duties and mandatory quality standards, and the debate over protectionism. 📄 Read-aloud
- Channapatna's Wooden Toys How the Karnataka town of Channapatna has made lacquered wooden toys for centuries, how it nearly declined, and how design and GI status helped it revive. 📄 Read-aloud
- LEGO: From Near Bankruptcy to Toy Giant How LEGO nearly went bankrupt in the early 2000s by over-expanding, and how refocusing on its core brick and partnerships made it the world's biggest toy company. 📄 Read-aloud
- Toy Crazes and Fads How toys like fidget spinners, Beanie Babies and Labubu suddenly become crazes and then crash, and what fads teach about demand, scarcity and bubbles. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Business of Toys and Games: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on the toy business, China, India's toy policy, Channapatna and LEGO. 5 questions
- Trading Cards and Collectibles as Investments How rare trading cards, comics and toys sell for huge sums, what drives their value, and the risks of treating collectibles as investments. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Board Game Revival How board games made a comeback in the digital age, the role of crowdfunding and board game cafés, and India's own traditional games. 📄 Read-aloud
- Pink Aisles and Blue Aisles: Gendered Toy Marketing Why toys have been marketed separately to girls and boys, how market segmentation drives it, and why some stores and countries moved towards gender-neutral toys. 📄 Read-aloud
- Making Games in India How India's game development industry grew from outsourcing to original games, its large player base, and the challenges of monetisation. 📄 Read-aloud
- Toy Safety and Regulation Why toys are regulated for safety, from lead paint to choking hazards, and how standards balance protection with costs. 📄 Read-aloud
- Play, Learning and the Toy Economy: Recap Why play matters for child development and the economy, and a summary of the module. 📄 Read-aloud