Pandemic playthings: A multimodal perspective on toys and toy play in the time of COVID-19
Kate Cowan,
Theo van Leeuwen,
Staffan Selander
Abstract:This article considers ways in which toys have featured in children’s play throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst often dismissed as trivial novelties, toys can be seen as a significant aspect of material culture, both reflecting and constructing ideas of childhood. A multimodal social semiotic perspective is used to examine a selection of toys produced between 2020 and 2022 that respond to the pandemic in various ways. The toys feature representations of the virus, of accessories for enacting pandemic pract… Show more
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