Stevanne Auerbach (Dr. Toy)
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Stevanne Auerbach
Stevanne Auerbach (1938, Bronx, New York) (Dr. Toy) is an American educator, child development expert, writer and toyologist. She is a consummate gadfly of the toy industry, and after more than forty years experience in the field of toys is on a first name basis with many industry leaders. She is a frequent guest speaker at toy industry functions. She makes several public appearances each year to promote her causes which include building greater awareness in parents of their essential role as play tutors of their children and to encourage the enhancement of "play value" in toys within the toy industry.
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Theory
Auerbach is perhaps best known for her hypothesis regarding "Play Quotient" or PQ. She uses the term both to refer to a personality trait of individuals as well as for a characteristic of toys, games and other play things. Her theory is propounded in her book, Dr. Toy's Smart Play - Smart Toys, first published in 1998.
PQ
PQ is somewhat analogous to the notion of intelligence quotient (IQ). It is a number that can be given to a toy, game, or other product that indicates the relative worth of the product for play. It is accomplished by computing a relative weight for play value for a comprehensive set of attributes of the product and constructing a weighted average. This number is then multiplied by 100 resulting in the product's "play quotient" or simply, PQ. Interestingly both products and people can have PQs, so there is at least the implication of a feedback loop wherein people who play with objects that have a high play value are more likely to have a higher PQ.
While Auerbach does not specifically develop this role of a feedback loop between playing with objects have have a high PQ developmentally leading to a higher PQ, some implied causality seems inescapable. Also, it appears probable that in the individual, additional feedback loops may exist between having high PQ and other desirable personality traits such as intelligence and creativity.
Education
She completed her undergraduate work in education at Queens College (1960), a MA in special education at George Washington University (1965) and a Ph.D. in child development from Union Institute (1973).
Early Background
Her early professional background included teaching in New York City, Maryland and the District of Columbia. In the late 1960s she became a staff member of the U.S. Department of Education and later the Office of Economic Opportunity. There she evaluated Title I programs, and was responsible for approving the first grant to Sesame Street.
As a mother herself of a young daughter, Auerbach organized the first in-house child care center in the headquarters of the Department of Education for the children of the employees of the Agency. This center became a widely copied model in other government agency offices throughout the country. The original center is still in operation today.
Her interest in child care led to her participation in several conferences and research programs in the early 1970s. This pursuit culminated in the mid-1970s in the publication of a major work, Choosing Child Care, first published by E.P. Dutton.
Toy Museum
Auerbach was also founder and director of the San Francisco International Toy Museum which she operated from 1986 to 1990 at the historic Cannery overlooking San Francisco's waterfront. It was a hands-on, children's museum where children could learn about the history of toys and play with and test out new toys and other products. Unfortunately, it was completely destroyed by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.
During her career which has spanned more than four decades she has produced scores of article for a wide variety of publications and given innumerable interviews for radio and television journalists. She is often interviewed around the holiday season for her opinion on the best toys by various media outlets, both local and national. She has also written more than a dozen books including her most recent, Dr. Toys Smart Play/ Smart Toys: How To Raise A child with A High PQ (Play Quotient) first published by St. Martins Press.
Awards Program
Auerbach is widely known in the toy industry for her annual award programs which include:
- 100 Smart Toys
- 100 Vacation Toys
- 100 Best Toys
These Dr. Toy awards are widely accepted in the toy industry as a badge of special recognition, and are looked to by parents and grandparents for guidance in choosing toys. These awards have been awarded annually since the early 1990s.
Web Site
Her website www.drtoy.com is the oldest web site on the Internet focusing exclusively on the evaluation of toys. All of her awards for several years back can be found on it.
Recent activities
In recent years Auerbach has worked to make changes in the toy industry code of ethics. She has emphasized that new products should not be copied by others, because to do so undermines the creativity and originality of others. She has also promoted ethics in the toy industry and that it is essential for toys to meet safety standards. She also has tried to encourage the toy industry to do more to support play in stores and in the community.
