Why is it that toys in film have so often been faintly terrifying? Think of that horrible grinning clown in Poltergeistor the hideously scarred doll that slices up unsuspecting nosy-parkers in Child's Play. Consider Laurel and Hardy launching an army of savage wooden soldiers against the Bogeymen in 1934's Babes in Toyland. One begins to suspect a conspiracy aimed at diverting children from juvenile pursuits towards schoolwork and household chores.
The Laurel and Hardy picture (under its 1948 reissue title, March of the Wooden Soldiers) is just one of several playing at the Irish Film Institute, Dublin this weekend as part of the Toys on Film season. Though the event, which coincides with an exhibition celebrating playthings in The Ark next door, is designed with both children and adults in mind, the organisers have wisely decided not to include any films featuring murderous dolls or possessed teddy bears.
Eva Saks, an American film-maker who has worked on Sesame Street, will be on hand to present a series of her favourite short films and to talk about the experience of collaborating with such admirable figures as Elmo and Big Bird.
Irish artist Steve Woodswill present a workshop that seeks to teach children about early toys and to encourage them to animate their own stories using flick-books and zoetropes. Will the festival be screening Toy Story and Toy Story 2 ? You can bet on it.
While the kids are having fun, adults can furrow their brows during a public discussion aimed at discerning whether the malign influence of corporate marketingcampaigns is - not the organisers' words, you understand - driving the young ones to hell in a handbasket. The panel of five boffins (which includes writer Eric Clark and Sheila Greene, director of the Children's Research Centre at TCD) will also ponder the supposed dangers of social networkingwebsites and the cultural influence of video games. Expect mention to be made of the Transformersphenomenon.
If all that sounds too mentally taxing, the Toys!exhibition in The Arkoffers punters the chance to gawp at, and in some cases handle, a collection of toys from every age. Individual exhibits have such intriguing titles as Jigsaw Genius and Mechanical Superheroes & Heroines. Curated with significant ambition and imagination, the exhibition shows The Ark, a delightful venue intended specifically for children, to its very best advantage. Seek it out and improve the minds of both yourself and your young ones.
Toys on Film runs at the Irish Film Institute on Saturday and Sunday. www.irishfilm.ie. Toys! runs at The Ark until August 18th. www.ark.ie
