Toycathon 2021: A Step Towards Indigenous Toys

• 06 Jan 2021

• To reduce import of toys (currently India imports 80 per cent of toys) and making the country self-reliant in this sector, Toycathon 2021 has been launched.
• Toycathon is an inter-Ministerial initiative of six Ministries wherein nine themes will be promoted under three tracks for junior level participants, senior level participants and start-ups & professional level.
• This is a special kind of hackathon where students and teachers from schools and colleges, design experts, toy experts and startups will get together to crowd source ideas for developing toys and games that are based on Indian culture and ethos, local folklore and heroes, and Indian value systems.
• The Toycathon is based on nine themes viz. Indian Culture, History, Knowledge of India and Ethos; Learning, Education and Schooling; Social and human values; Occupations & specific fields; Environment; Divyang ; Fitness and sport; Out of the box, creative and logical thinking and Rediscovering/redesigning traditional Indian toys.
• The Toycathon will majorly focus on conceptualizing new and innovative toys using local material which are economical, affordable, safe, and environment friendly.
• There will be two categories for the Toycathon - one is for online toys and another for physical toys.