The overground-underground virtual museum grew out of my chance encounter with the small soft toy, Wellington, given away free with a £1.99 McDonald's Happy Meal. My curiosity about its construction led me to wonder how and where it had been produced, and how it had been transported from the other side of the world. I also wanted to know what working conditions were like in the factory where he had been made. What exactly was Wellington's story?
In the future, I plan to expand the website to include an interactive educational resource where children can explore how toys are made and discuss the wider issues of fair trade and globalisation. I hope that it will spark creative work, and that many more people will be inspired to upload images and stories to the website.
I am also exploring the idea of a logo based on the overground-underground symbol which could appear on soft toys which meet agreed fair trade criteria.
What are your thoughts?
Does the questionnaire in the Project Room ask the right questions?
Did it make you think differently about the toy you examined?
Symbols indicating fair conditions of production for foodstuffs have been in use for some time now, but there is still no way of knowing if a soft toy such as Wellington has been humanely produced. Isn't it time to introduce a fair trade symbol for toys?
This is not a finished piece. It is a museum in development and like any museum, it needs visitors and new exhibits if it is to reach its vision. Do you have something to contribute?
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