I really like this toy truck made by a kid in Uganda. It's a wonderful design. Note the steering wheel that also serves as a push stick. I like the airy wire cage -- a cool way to make a big truck with little material. Less is more, as Buckminster Fuller would say. This picture was taken by Bob Jones, a high school teacher in England who was on a learning trip to Uganda. The trip was, he says, "an investigatory project exploring the ideas of Citizenship and development in Uganda."
Paul Merrill, who is stationed in Nairobi, Kenya sent in another fine example of a homemade toy truck. This one uses sticks. He notes that he didn't have time to inspect the wheels to see what they are made from.
I find these trucks to be more than just toys. They are models as well. Or perhaps miniatures. They represent that mirror world that toy trains, dolls, video games, and board games represent. A parallel word, but a smaller one that a child can control. I think too, they also represent aspirations. They hope someday to have a truck, drive a train, have a baby, or command an army. Having one now, like a bit of "cargo" may help the real thing appear later.
I really find these homemade toys and trucks to be lovely. Yet, I know every kid with one of these boy-built toys would trade it in a second for a mass-produced plastic truck. This example comes from the Solomon Islands. I found the picture on the UNICEF Childrenssite.
Throughout the world kids have always made their own toys. Toy trucks are popular. These you push with a stick to make them go over rough roads. Being a truck driver is what a lot of kids would like to grow up to do. Note the cool cargo.
This picture of boys in Mozambique came from Travel Images.
This one is from Southing, a blog of two Danish travelers, Helle Gammelgaard and Mario Travaini.
