Stevanne Auerbach (Dr. Toy)
From Wikimarcellus
Stevanne Auerbach (born September 22, 1938), also known as Dr. Toy, is an American educator, child development expert, writer and toyologist. She is known for being a consummate gadfly of the toy industry. After more than forty years in the field of toys, she was named a Wonder Woman of Toys by Playthings Magazine [1]. She is a frequent guest speaker on toys and play for all ages at industry, professional, and public meetings. 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 to refer to both a personality trait of individuals and a characteristic of toys, games and other playthings. Her theory is propounded in her book, Dr. Toy's Smart Play –Smart Toys: How to Raise a Child with a High PQ (Play Quotient), first published in 1998.
PQ
PQ is somewhat analogous to the notion of IQ - Intelligence Quotient. PQ is a number given to a toy, game, or other product based on its relative worth as a product for play. From a comprehensive set of "play value" attributes, each of which is weighted for its particular value, Dr. Toy selects those attributes that are characteristic of the product being assessed. The sum of the values of the attributes associated with the product is its PQ. For example, if a product possessed 10 attributes, each with an average weight of 7.5, its play value would be 75. As with IQ, the higher the PQ the better.
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 high PQ. While Auerbach does not specifically develop this role of a feedback loop between playing with objects that have a high PQ and developmentally leading to one having 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 and psychology at Queens College (1960), and also attended the University of Maryland between 1961-62 for courses in child study, guidance and counseling. She received her MA in special education at George Washington University (1965), and was awarded a Ph.D. in child development from Union Institute (1973).[2]
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. At the Department of Education 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 employees of the Agency. This center became a widely copied model in other government agency offices throughout the country. The original center remains in operation.[3]
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 in 1973. It was the first book of its kind, by Parents and Child Care Resources, then E.P. Dutton, and later was reprinted by Barrons Educational Series. The book has been revised and is in print.
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 were able to play with and test out new toys and other products. Unfortunately, it was forced to close due to lack of funding following the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.
Articles and Books
During her career which has spanned more than four decades she has produced scores of articles for a wide variety of publications and given innumerable interviews for radio and television journalists and for print publications and online web sites. She is often interviewed around the holiday season for her opinion on the best toys by various media outlets, local, national and international. She has also written more than a dozen books.
Awards Program
Auerbach is widely known in the toy industry for her annual award programs which include:
- Best Smart Toys
- Best Classic Toys
- Best 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, grandparents and teachers for guidance in choosing toys. The awards have been awarded annually since the early 1990s.
Web Site
Her website, Dr. Toy's Guide www.drtoy.com is the oldest site on the Internet focusing exclusively on the evaluation of toys and resources for consumers. All of her awards and more can be found on it.
Recent activities
In recent years she has worked to make changes in the toy industry by producing with a committee a code of ethics. She has emphasized that products should not be copied by others, because doing so undermines the creativity and originality of others. She has also promoted ethics and standards in the toy industry and that it is essential for toys to meet safety standards and to be properly packaged. She also has tried to encourage the toy industry to do more to support play in stores and in the community.
She was awarded the Wonder Woman Entrepreneur award in 2007 by Women in Toys and Playthings Magazine.
