Soft Toys - Yadgiri, Karnataka
Children have always played with toys, whether 2,000 years ago or now. Hence they were a part of human life for ages. In the olden days, they were made of things collected from nature, but gradually, they went through innovations with time. Toys play an important role in a child’s life, as it contributes a lot to their social as well as language skills. If exposed to the right kind of toys, it serves multiple purposes like entertainment, education, and skill development. They also help to boost the child’s creativity and impart the right behavior. Physical and mental wellbeing is a basic necessity of a human being, toys can help prepare the children for their latter part of life to a large extent. For Babies, toys with bright colours, unusual textures, and interesting sounds are good things to look for. It is often used to encourage the child to eat and mimic appropriate behavior at mealtime or bedtime.
Soft Toys making is one of the easily executed activities with the least investment. The perks being its employability and skill development scopes, as most of the units are run by women. These toys made of fur cloth are always in great demand in the market. The toys in various colours, designs, and sizes are more popular in the shape of animals. One among them being teddy bears and cartoon characters. With their constant upward demand, companies from all over the world eyes India as a potential customer in the international market. Concurrently, India is also emerging as a great player in the market.
In India, several artisans unfold their passion for stitching and earn a living through toy making. Likewise, an artisan named Mrs. Geetha, belonging to the Yadgir district of Karnataka is into the craft for a decade. She has provided training and employment to several women from local area at Tirumala Garments Training Center, making them self-standing to earn a living. Artisans here do the soft toy craft and are also involved in some other craftworks like hand embroidery.
