British-born Canadian Gary Owens is a self-taught toy maker who looks forward to the Christmas season each year. Owens casual hobby as a toy maker quickly grew into a successful home business, and then into the internationally renowned Tuff Toys store, established in 1987.

Owens recognized the difficulties of making a living as a toy maker from the beginning. When Tuff Toys first opened, Owens did all of the logging, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of his products himself.

“Now I have three jobs and make toys as a hobby,” says Owens.

Despite the hardships of running a handmade toy business, especially with the competition of large toy manufacturers whose products are made in China, Owens says that toy making is a great hobby and that he still delights in making toys.

“It is always a treat to watch the eyes of children when they see my booth. Many small ones remember me from year to year,” says Owens.

Owens has donated thousands of toys to the local food bank during the holiday season over the past ten years on behalf of Salmon Arm Volunteer Fire Department, of which he has been a member for 23 years. He also sent three boxes of small toy cars to a kids club and school in Zimbabwe in 2010.

“It is truly a privilege to know that my toys are all over the world and being enjoyed by children from many different cultures,” says Owens.

Chris Weston is the President of The Hamilton Toy Museum (THTM), and like Owens, he recognizes children’s enchantment with toys and the importance of toys in childhood development. THTM is the only museum in Canada that features the history of toys. Part of its mandate is to preserve the cultural heritage of toys, with a focus on Canadian traditions.

“Toys are important tools for child development. They not only develop gross and fine motor skills, but help children role play and develop empathy skills,” says Weston.

Weston does not believe that handcrafted toys make much difference on the development of a child compared to factory-manufactured toys. However, some modern toys with too many features can stunt the child’s imagination by doing too much, says Weston.

Prof. Egon Schmuck at the University of Erfurt in Germany also believes that toys play an essential role in childhood development, and that they are essential building blocks of culture.

“In history, play has always been a culture-creating activity. All the different areas of culture (language, dance, music, theatre, customs, etc.) developed from play,” says Schmuck.

Schmuck states that toys reflect culture and reality, and open doors for children to connect ideas, build identities and develop personalities. However, Schmuck believes that toys have become merely “bartered goods” between parents and their children, a means of self-occupation and symbols of consumer desires.

Rhonda Pummell, local toy maker and owner of Knotty Toys, believes there is still a magic to handmade toys that overshadows consumerism and keeps her customers coming back. She and her husband, Ray Pummell, started making toys in their garage and gradually expanded their business when they joined Circle Craft Co-operative.

Although her business may not bring in as much profit as large toy corporations, Rhonda feels that it is important for customers to have more options for buying local, quality wooden toys.

“There’s a lot of people concerned with the materials used in toys from a safety aspect, the finish on the toys, the chemicals that are used,” says Rhonda.

The sustainability of her products is a top priority, says Rhonda. Even the toy packaging contains vegetable dyes and recycled material. She says there is a movement towards using more sustainable materials for toys.

Rhonda believes that the reason customers keep coming back to her store is because of a few defining characteristics in handmade toys that set them apart from factory-manufactured toys.

“Each toy has its character. It is not exactly the same as any other one,” says Rhonda.