Box of Toys

Box of Toys were a short-lived British new wave band, consisting of members Brian Atherton (lead vocals and keyboards), Andy Redhead (drums and guitar), Phil Martin (sax, keyboards and vocals), and Roy Campbell (bass and vocals). They released two singles, "I'm Thinking Of You Now" in 1983, and "Precious Is The Pearl" in 1984.

History

Box of Toys were formed around the breakup of A Select Committee (active from 1981–83), a powerpop band consisting of members Brian Jones, Tim Lees, Steve Downey, Phil Martin and Andy Redhead. Two members from that band, Redhead and Martin, then teamed up with Roy Campbell and Brian Atherton to form Box of Toys. Before releasing any material, the quartet recorded a session with John Peel in April 1983. The band then released two singles, "I'm Thinking Of You Now" (b/w "Old Man Rome") in August 1983, and "Precious Is The Pearl" (b/w "It Goes Without Saying" and "When Daylight Is Over") in 1984. The band ultimately split in late 1984, and its members went their separate ways. Andy Redhead formed the band 3D, with Johnny 'Riff' Reynolds and Brian Rawlins. Brian Atherton went on to form The Light.

Action figure

An action figure is a poseable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed toward boys and adult collectors.

It has been argued that action figures which represent traditional masculine traits and are closely associated with the public sphere are particularly popular with boys. While most commonly marketed as a children's toy, the action figure has gained wide acceptance as an adult collector item. In such a case, the item may be produced and designed on the assumption it will be bought solely for display.

History

1960s–1970s

The term "action figure" was first coined by Hasbro in 1964, to market their G.I. Joe figure to boys who would not play with dolls. (A similar toy named Johnny Hero was introduced by Rosko Industries for Sears in 1965, but was known as a "Boy's Doll" since the term action figure had not gained widespread usage at that point). G.I. Joe was initially a military-themed 11.5-inch figure proposed by marketing and toy idea-man Stan Weston. It featured changeable clothes with various uniforms to suit different purposes.

Toy

A toy is an item that can be used for play. Toys are generally played with by children and pets. Playing with toys is an enjoyable means of training young children for life in society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable to all ages. Many items are designed to serve as toys, but goods produced for other purposes can also be used. For instance, a small child may pick up a household item and "fly" it through the air as to pretend that it is an airplane. Another consideration is interactive digital entertainment. Some toys are produced primarily as collector's items and are intended for display only.

The origin of toys is prehistoric; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults are readily found at archaeological sites. The origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the 14th century. Toys are mainly made for children.

Playing with toys is important when it comes to growing up and learning about the world around us. Younger children use toys to discover their identity, help their bodies grow strong, learn cause and effect, explore relationships, and practice skills they will need as adults. Adults use toys to form and strengthen social bonds, teach, remember and reinforce lessons from their youth, discover their identity, exercise their minds and bodies, explore relationships, practice skills, and decorate their living spaces.

Box

Box (plural boxes) describes a variety of containers and receptacles for permanent use as storage, or for temporary use, often for transporting contents.

Boxes may be made of durable materials such as wood or metal, or of corrugated fiberboard, paperboard, or other non-durable materials. The size may vary from very small (e.g., a matchbox) to the size of a large appliance. A corrugated box is a very common shipping container. When no specific shape is described, a box of rectangular cross-section with all sides flat may be expected, but a box may have a horizontal cross section that is square, elongated, round or oval; sloped or domed top surfaces, or non-vertical sides.

A decorative or storage box may be opened by raising, pulling, sliding or removing the lid, which may be hinged and/or fastened by a catch, clasp, or lock.

Packaging box

Several types of boxes are used in packaging and storage.

Police duty belt

A police duty belt (sometimes referred to as a gun belt, "duty rig" and/or kit belt) is a belt, typically constructed of nylon or leather used by police and security officers to carry equipment easily, in a readily-accessible manner, while leaving the hands free to interact.

History

Many police forces in the United Kingdom began with a uniform consisting of a swallow-tail coat and top hat. A pillbox or kepi hat along with a frock coat were introduced in the 1860s, along with helmets designed especially for protection against attack and the weather.Truncheons themselves had been introduced as early as 1764, however it was not until 1994 that police forces in the UK started to nationally standardise their uniform prompting the introduction of the duty belt to contain such equipment, instead of previously having their staff carry equipment in their handbags or adapted pockets. In the case of the earliest equipment carrying, a cutlass or firearm was usually clipped to the belt of the frock coat. In fact pockets themselves were not introduced until the early 1900s in some cases.