As any parent knows, children will play with anything at hand – rocks, sticks, cardboard boxes, paper bags, dead insects, etc. But civilized children play with civilized toys – dolls, blocks, small soldiers, wooden weapons, carved animals, etc – all, according to psychologists, to prepare them for adult life. Setting aside the notion of adult toys, playthings have been found in tombs dating back to the Indus Valley civilization (c. 3010 BC) and Mesopotamian city-states. With the Enlightenment, and the notion that children should “enjoy” childhood, “play” became a major industry … and more than one innovator has made a fortune catering to children’s whims.