Contents // Introduction 9 // The Náprstek Museum Toy Collection 13 // Founders of the Museum and the Early Formation of the Collections 15 // Friends of Vojta Náprstek and His Wife 20 // Increments in between the 1920s and 1980s 27 // The Newest Increments - 1990s 40 // The Current State of the Collection 42 // Toy Production Background 45 // Japanese Traditions as the Basis of Toys 46 Folk Craft - Mingei - Yanagi 53 // From Social Vitality to Overall Vitality - The Power of Toys in Connection to Henri Bergson’s Laughter Applied to Intercultural Toy Context 55 Toys as Talismans and Amulets in the Náprstek Museum 64 // Toy Categories 79 // Dolls for Display during Children’s Festivals 80 Dolls and Other Toys Meant for Actual Play 89 Wooden Toys 93 Paper Toys 114 // Porcelain and Earthenware Toys 127 Textile Toys 131 Musical Toys 135 // Examples of Legendary and Religious Characters in Toys 138 // Resumé 147 Acknowledgements 150 // Selected Literature 151 Index 156