The Koala in a Match Box

A koala is not a bear, it is a marsupial but it is always addressed as the "Koala Bear" because of its teddy-bear look.

My mum used to teach us to make our own toys. We made dolls out of chalks and we put them in match boxes in a row resembling the babbies in the maternity ward. In remembrance of those happy creative days, I put this "Koala Bear" in a Koala Match Box. The koala is made of pottery, the two hands and legs are movable.

Toys serve many purposes. They occupy, teach, amuse and become much-loved treasures. Throughout the ages parents have provided their children with toys and this is unlikely to change, but it was not always possible to purchase toys in shops. What happened if there were no shops or times were tough, or a shop did not have what the child wanted? Perhaps sheer neceeity meant that the parent had to make the toys from scratch using all of his or her ingenuity. (John Verhoeven - "Toy Story" Collectors Corner)