Barbie Dolls squeeze traditional puppies out of Ukrainian homes

A conference called Will Domestic Toys Develop? has been held in the capital recently. The issue has become a high-profile one in the wake of both mass closures of Ukrainian toy plants (only five or six of the total of thirty have survived, working at low capacity), and the large-scale inflow of foreign toys on our markets.

Incidentally, experts argue and express doubts as to the safety and value of foreign toys for our children. The issue of the impact toys produce upon children’s nascent psychology is debated broadly, considering the domination of such aggressive toys as police kits with handcuffs and guns which fire bullets no one would want to be hit with, as well as the popularity of action figures armed to the teeth with plastic but still combat-looking weapons. According to psychologist Natalia Maksymova, play is the basic activity of a child at the initial stage of his/her life. Our children’s vision of the world and their role in it depends on what kind of toys little Ukrainians have play with. Hence, the choice of toys is a serious matter.

Among participants in the conference there were printers Ukrmistsevprom and Paket Ltd. which produce educational plays for children, as well as all kinds of bricks and puzzles. The printers complained about lack of cooperation from the Interagency Artistic and Technical Board, which includes teachers, sculptors, artists, medical doctors and approves or rejects new toy designs. Without the board’s approval, no plant can start production and sales of new toy models. As the conference participants stressed, it was the existence of this structure with its bureaucratic approaches to new designs that has caused the domination of foreign- made toys on Ukrainian markets and clipped the wings of domestic products. In the opinion of Paket Director Anatoly Kozak, the board is a brake on the introduction of new models and introducing their mass production. As a result, domestic toy producers are unable to compete with foreign ones. In fact, managers of surviving toy plants confirmed that the board is necessary. Peremoha Toy Factory Director Volodymyr Bokan said the Artistic Board has rejected more than once new models developed by his company. He agrees, however, that although designers originally disagree with the board’s recommendations, they become convinced that, once implemented, these recommendations finally lead to the appearance of better toys.

According to the Artistic Board’s methodologist Tetiana Przhehodska, rejecting new toy models by the board and consequently stopping its production is not due to approval procedures, which designers claim is outmoded and involves Soviet-type heavy-handed censorship. One of the major reasons why the board rejects new toys is a large number of stylistic blunders in the texts, due to the poor language proficiency of authors and violation of standards (lack of marking or essential information on producers). In some cases, Ms. Przhehodska continues, the texts do not correspond to the pictures they represent. Learning the ABCs is a child’s first important job in life and a picture on a brick must exactly conform to lettering. Very often designers of soft toys submit prototypes for board approval that clearly show a lack of aesthetic taste or are done in absolutely mismatching colors, as producers apparently believe that the wilder the colors the more appeal the toy will have.

Meanwhile, experts say that tykes should be helped to learn to perceive the meaning of colors. Thus such shoddy designs will never teach color associations to children, and this is why so many new toy models are sent back by the Artistic Board for improving. One can be happy to know that there are people who not only want to make money but also to promote Ukrainian toys. We should not forget, however, that toys are primarily an educational product, which directly influences the development of children. In the past, every toy factory had its own design bureau which analyzed the aesthetic and educational aspects of toys prior to their mass production. At present, judging by what Przhehodska says, one gets the impression that many of the private firms involved in toy production formerly made pneumatic hammers. This explains the almost total withdrawal of domestically made toys under pressure from foreign- made ones (selling at prices which common Ukrainians with their meager pay cannot afford) is not related to the existence of the supposedly bureaucratic Artistic Council. What, then, is it connected with? According to the Dytynstvo Production and Trade Corporation’s Director for Commercial Service Serhiy Pletenets, a major problem is lack of Ukrainian components. His corporation has to buy furs for soft toys from Belarus or Poland via intermediaries, at high prices, of course. In Ukraine, there is a fur plant in Zhovti Vody but, according to Mr. Pletenets, its products are not certified which means that domestic toy producers cannot use them.

With dolls, the problems are critical. Last year, Peremoha leaders came upon the idea to create a Ukrainian Barbie which would understandably be several times cheaper than its American counterpart. This would have gone well with our choosy Ukrainian girls which are dying to get this by far the least affordable doll and would have done less financial damage to their parents. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian prototype of this Western beauty had died before it was born, because highly sophisticated equipment, including rotation, blowing, and sewing machines and precision molds, is needed to start production. Prior to launching a new model, a plaster cast mold is to be made by a sculptor and subjected to super-sophisticated engraving, obviously, at toy companies’ cost. Apparently, both state-run and private toy plants that manage to keep afloat have no funds for this. For this reason, Ukrainian producers can afford to turn out only soft and plastic toys (in small batches), and printed toys (bricks, various puzzles, and educational games), while Ukrainian customers can forego thinking about inexpensive domestically- made dolls. Incidentally, as sales expert from the Darnytsia Department Store Olena Pletenets says, even this small assortment of toys (a sideline sales item there) are in demand, as most customers find their low prices within their reach. Puzzles made by the Kyiv-based Novy Druk Company showing Ukrainian football and pop stars are selling like hot cakes, despite customers complaints about poor exterior design of most of the toys. Evidently, some producers seem unaware of the fact that, in order to stay competitive, they have to see to it that the packing looks good, instead of going on selling toys in boxes bearing Soviet period markings.

With toy production being so precise and important a job, the rebirth of the Ukrainian toy industry should be started by training professional experts — artists and designers. At the moment, there is a definite lack of them, as no one Ukrainian college or university offers programs in this area, Przhehodska maintains. On the other hand, all foreign toy producers must be put on a par with domestic ones and face the same stringent control by the Artistic Board. This could somewhat curb the inflow of low quality and unsafe toys on our markets. In addition, the state is to see to the needs of domestic producers and give them assistance. In Soviet times, toy factories received state subsidies, Peremoha director Volodymyr Bokan continues. “For example, toy factories bought fur at prices four times lower than real ones because the government realized that toys were needed as badly as bread.”

Meanwhile, Ukrainian toy makers are bogged down in a host of unsolved problems, trying to find out who is to blame for the slump, while foreign-made toys continue to dominate our markets. Our stores are crammed full of Chinese puppies costing between 50 and 360 hryvnias, Italian trinkets costing between 70 and 160 hryvnias, children kitchen kits for 70 hryvnias, Polish construction sets for about 180 hryvnias, and, most importantly, of large quantities of dolls of despicable beauty: Nadiushas and Veronikas from Belarus, Milas, Romans, Natashas, and Yuliyas from Russia, and Giselles and Rosalindas from far- off Italy. To buy this utmost pleasure and icon of beauty as a present to one’s precious offspring, mothers have to find from 60 to 574 hryvnias. Yet, the dolls sell well, perhaps because mothers have lost all hope of ever buying an affordable Marichka in the foreseeable future.