Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

For the love of cuddly toys

Horton, J. (2018) For the love of cuddly toys. Children's Geographies. 16(4), pp. 446-454. 1473-3285.

Item Type: Article
Abstract: This essay reflects upon a particular moment at the end of Chris Philo’s Children’s Geographies lecture (see Philo 2016), when discussion turned to cuddly toys. I recall a particular mood constituted in and by this moment: of apparent bashfulness, hesitancy, things-left-unsaid, and disinclination to discuss cuddly toys within the space of an academic conference. I suggest that this incident might be understood as indicative of three sets of silences which, still, characterise a great deal of work within the fantastically vibrant subdisciplines of Children’s Geographies and Cultural Geographies. This argument is accompanied by photographic portraits of three particular toys: Angus, Arnold and the B.B.D. I hope that the presence of these portraits helps bring to the surface something of the often-silenced geographies – of memories, affects, intimacies and vulnerabilities, of play, fun and care, and of material and popular cultures – upon which my argument is focused.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Children’s geographies, Philo, cuddly toys, memories, play, popular culture
Creators: Horton, John
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: Faculties > Faculty of Education & Humanities > Education, Children and Young People
Research Centres > Centre for Psychology and Social Sciences
Date: 4 July 2018
Date Type: Publication
Page Range: pp. 446-454
Journal or Publication Title: Children's Geographies
Volume: 16
Number: 4
Number of Pages: 9
Language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2018.1457735
ISSN: 1473-3285
Status: Published / Disseminated
Refereed: Yes
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/10810

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