By Katriina Heljakka
University of Turku
In the age of the ludic turn, as proposed by renowned toy and play scholar Brian Sutton-Smith, playing has expanded from material playgrounds to digital realms. Even physical toys, such as dolls, action figures and soft toys are more and more used in both photographic (photoplay), animated and thus, documented play.
In this paper I ask how player-created and creative content shared on YouTube derives, distributes and distorts meanings of the original toy stories as developed by their original storytellers, toy designers and toy companies. Preliminary outcomes of my research focusing on videos (created with contemporary toys such as Uglydoll characters) demonstrate that traces of transgenerational media play can be found in animated toy play: It is not only children who function as narrative architects of this fan fiction. Furthermore, toys are increasingly being animated and filmed for various reasons and purposes, ranging from utilizing them in autotelic, open-ended play to playing in more serious and competitive fashion (allotelic and game-like play)
This working paper continues my research on toy stories as shared on social media services. See e.g. the following publications:
Heljakka, K. (2013) Lelutarinointia tuubissa. Leikkijä ja liikkuvat Uglydoll-kuvat. Wider Screen, 2/3, 2013.
Heljakka, K. (2013) Principles of adult play(fulness) in contemporary toy cultures. From Wow to Flow to Glow. (doctoral dissertation for Aalto University)
BIO
Toy researcher and toying artist Katriina Heljakka’s (D.A. in visual culture, M.Sc. art history and economics) doctoral thesis Principles of adult play(fulness) in contempo
Contact: kati.heljakka@tactic.net
www.katiheljakka.com
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