The Toys have come to town

It’s a fair bet that most of us have used the phrase ‘nee-naw, nee-naw’ at some point in our lives. Usually it comes in childhood, while playing with toy fire engines or police cars (although some of us never grow out of it).

Imitating the sirens of emergency vehicles does seem to be a compulsory part of most childhoods, and it’s not surprising. Sirens- together with flashing blue lights- mean that emergency vehicles are among the first that children start to recognise as being ‘special’. After that, it isn’t long before they want their own toy versions to play with.

Toys have always been a big part of the emergency services story. Indeed, toys are often the way that children first start to learn about what the services actually do. This summer at NESM we are celebrating all things ‘nee-naw’ related by showcasing some of the toys from our own collection throughout the museum and in our craft space. And there is a lot to explore...

The history of toys and the emergency services is rich and deep-rooted. Almost as soon as the services started using vehicles- back in the days of the horse-drawn carriage- toy models started to appear. In the case of fire engines, American companies began making cast-iron models of steam pump engines as early as the 1870s, complete with trotting horses. When police cars came into existence in the early 20th Century, toy makers also noticed their potential. Diecast replicas have been made of every iconic model you can think of, from the Morris Minor to the Wolseley. They are extremely collectable these days, especially among ‘big kids’.

But why is it that children become so fascinated by emergency vehicles? It’s not the toys that first attract. At NESM we see first-hand how excited kids are to climb into the real thing: we have fire engines, an armored police vehicle, and ambulances open for everyone to explore. Kids (and parents) also love to try the dress-up uniforms that are dotted around the museum. It’s definitely not the vehicles by themselves that create the interest, it’s the people who use the vehicles, the emergency workers and the stories of what they do every day. In fact, you can argue that the popularity of emergency service toys (whether costumes, toy cars, toy truncheons or medical bags) actually reflects peoples’ admiration for the services and people they represent.  

For example, children are attracted to police cars and uniforms for the same reason adults like to watch police shows on TV. They allow them to imagine the incredible stories, and to explore dramatic- and what in reality could be very frightening- events in a safe environment. They also help us imagine doing the sorts of heroic things that emergency workers do every day, giving us an ideal to strive towards.

Psychologists have long been aware of the effect toys have on children’s development. They aren’t just for entertainment. Children are educated as they play, exploring the world they live in, and role-playing different situations. In addition, toys help physical development, encourage creativity and imagination, and help foster concentration. When children play with toys, they imagine them to be more than they really are. In the child’s mind, a toy fire engine becomes the real thing, part of a dramatic story the child is imagining in their head. Toys are an important part of human history, and more than merit their place in our summer activities.

In our craft room this month, there are plenty of toy engines to spend some time yelling 'nee-naw' at. We also have some of NESM’s toy collection on display. There is just a small flavour of this, a fraction of what appears on the shelves and shelves of models in our stores. In the galleries you can also follow our toy trail, and try to spot some of the terrific toys lurking in the display cabinets. Maybe the trail can inspire some fun and games on the theme of the emergency services; who doesn’t enjoy a game of ‘cops and robbers’ after all?