People young and old enjoy playing with toys. They bring us entertainment and bridge the gap between fantasy and reality.

Apart from being our wistful treasures of childhood and reminders of yesteryear's pleasures, toys offer a window on life.

This is why Hong Kong toys have been a theme of the Heritage Museum's permanent exhibition, Assistant Curator Ang Yee says.

Fantasy and reality: Heritage Museum Assistant Curator Ang Yee says toys reflect a city's social, economic, cultural and technological devlopment.  This locally made farm truck from the 1960s and the Japanese Robocon from the 1970s reveal Hong Kong's production techniques and pop culture.

"Toys are part of people's daily lives, and different generations have different toys because toys change with the economic and cultural development of a society," Miss Ang told news.gov.hk.

"So in the museum context, the meaning of toys is more than just for fun. Actually it is a reflection of the change of a society. Besides that, toys were a very important industry in Hong Kong in the 1960s and 70s."

She said the museum's aim is to preserve, introduce and promote Hong Kong's culture, so the theme of Hong Kong toys has been included in the planning stage of the Heritage Museum several years ago.

The museum started collecting exhibits in 1995, and spent years selecting them and conduct research to ensure the toys are Hong Kong ones.

The meaning of Hong Kong toys

Miss Ang said: "The meaning of 'Hong Kong toys' is two-fold. The first refers to toys that were produced in Hong Kong, such as the plastic toys which were very popular in the 1960s and 70s. They were mainly for export and not for the local market.

"The second is those that were once very popular in Hong Kong, but were not manufactured here, such as the toys from the Mainland in the 1960s."

The HK Toy Story exhibition showcases more than 200 toys, some produced as early as the 1890s, stretching to the 1980s.

More than 200 toys on display

Housed in the museum's Children's Discovery Gallery, the exhibition venue is about 200 square metres, with antique toys displayed and categorised into eight themes:

* toy cars;

* toy trains and boats;

* military toys;

* fantasy and character toys;

* robots;

* aviation and space toys;

* dolls, animal dolls, figurines, miniatures and cookery sets; and,

* saving boxes and games.

Viewing the exhibits is just like a treasure hunt, and visitors can find familiar items which were once the prevailing games and toys in their childhood. Among them is Monopoly, an everlasting game that is still going strong today with numerous editions. The one featured in the exhibition is a UK-made version from the 1920s.

Apart from tinplate and plastic toy cars and aeroplanes, locally made Barbie-look plastic dolls, HK Bank's 'Lion Save' saving box, cookery sets, Japanese toys Robocon and Mazinger, as well as models of superstars like John Travolta and Michael Jackson are on display.

Antique toys made in 1900s available

The exhibition also features antique toys sold in Hong Kong, or those made locally that had never been sold here, such as European tinplate warships and train models from the early 1900s to the 1940s.

When asked why many of the toys showcased were products of the 1960s and 70s, Miss Ang said this was the time when Hong Kong's toy industry boomed.

The influx of Mainland immigrants after the post-war period offered Hong Kong an enormous low-wage but efficient labour force. This encouraged overseas toy makers to set up their plants here with the majority of toys made for export.

Toy industry at its peak in the 1960s and 70s

American toys also found their way to local households.

The revival of Hong Kong's toy industry saw the change in packaging from 'Empire Made' to 'Made in the British Colony of Hong Kong'. In the 1970s, Hong Kong became a toy kingdom and the world's top toy producer in terms of volume. Toys carried the 'Made in Hong Kong' mark and many inexpensive toys were supplied to the local market.

"Hong Kong toy manufacturers also produced sophisticated and complicated designs for overseas markets," Miss Ang said.

For example, a plastic farm truck on display was produced in the 1960s. It is of high quality with a complicated design. When the lorry moves, the animals on it move too.

Another example is a talking robot made in Hong Kong in the 1970s. It is regarded as creative as it can speak, shoot rockets, and emit smoke from its mouth.

She said with the advent of the computer age, Hong Kong's toy industry has undergone tremendous changes. Local manufacturers moved their plants to the Mainland in the 1980s. Hong Kong's role has also shifted towards quality control, management, marketing, product design and prototype manufacturing.

New area offers first-hand experience

To let visitors to get a glimpse of the industry's latest developments, the museum has set up a hands-on area where Hong Kong's newest toy items, mainly educational and electronic ones, are available for youngsters to try.

Miss Ang hopes smart toys in the area will serve as a contrast to those antique ones - the former are interactive and educational, while the latter are simple and entertaining.

Situated at 1 Man Lam Road in Sha Tin, the Heritage Museum opens on Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 6pm; Sundays and public holidays from 10am to 7pm. It closes on Tuesdays except public holidays.

A free shuttle bus service to and from the Sha Tin KCR Station is available on weekends and public holidays. For details, click here.