New exhibition brings disability and toys together

A first-of-its-kind exhibition celebrating the role of toys in shining a light on disabilities is the brainchild of a Black Country campaigner.

The Disability and the Home: Toys & Games Exhibition is being held at the Museum of the Home in London, but is a home-grown project by Digital Disability in Wolverhampton, a group helping disabled people across the city.

Funded with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the exhibition is the first of its kind looking at disability toys, led by Wolverhampton-based artist and campaigner Dr Paul Darke.

An Ironside board game. Ironside featured in USA NBC TV Series 1967–1975 and starred Raymond Burr

He said: "For disabled children, seeing themselves reflected in the toys that they and their friends play with can help combat isolation and build self-esteem.

"Since the early 1900s, toys have been used to explain medical procedures to children with disabilities.

"In the 1960s, toy production began to reflect changing attitudes towards disability and toys designed purely for play became available.

Various Preiser Models can be found in wheelchairs

"We at Digital Disability hope that the new Barbie movie, the summer blockbuster of 2023, will include disabled characters as in their collection."

The Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre has loaned its Hobcar from its collection: a hand propelled ‘pedal’ car for Disabled children designed and built by engineer students in Wolverhampton made at WH Hobson Ltd. Precision Engineers Apprentices Association 1969.

David Smith on his prototype Hobcar with the Minister of Health, Mark Carlisle, on a production version made at the Young Offenders Institute at Stoke Heath in Shropshire.

Heritage Centre curator Alec Brew said: "'We have always been delighted to have the Hobcar on display, it's such a wonderful story, both for the Hobson apprentices building it, and then the Borstal boys making production versions.

"We were very happy to loan it to Paul Darke for the Exhibition at the Museum of the Home"

A copy of Stephen Hawking, as featured in The Simpsons

The exhibition also focuses on disabled characters from film and TV : Ironside, Commander Shaw from Stingray through to Dr Loveless. Rocky and Professor X.

There are also Playmobile, Lego, Doctor Who, and Game of Throne characters, Racing Grannies, Barbies and Paralympic Becky, Joe Swanson, Stephen Hawking and many more.

One of the toys is a Pop! Head King Bran the Broken from Game of Thrones

The exhibition runs until March 26 and can be seen by going to Museum of the Home on Kingsland Road in London.