ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY TOYS IN A GLOBALIZING CITY: CONTEMPORARY PRODUCTION NETWORKS AND DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS OF TOYS IN ISTANBUL Ph.D. THESIS Avşar GÜRPINAR (502082906) Department of Industrial Product Design Industrial Product Design Programme Thesis Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem TİMUR ÖĞÜT Co-Advisor: Dr. Artemis YAGOU JANUARY 2014 İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ FEN BİLİMLERİ ENSTİTÜSÜ KÜRESELLEŞEN KENTTE OYUNCAKLAR: İSTANBUL’DA GÜNÜMÜZ OYUNCAKLARININ ÜRETİM AĞLARI VE TASARIM KARAKTERİSTİKLERİ DOKTORA TEZİ Avşar GÜRPINAR (502082906) Endüstri Ürünleri Tasarımı Anabilim Dalı Endüstri Ürünleri Tasarımı Programı Tez Danışmanı: Doç. Dr. Şebnem TİMUR ÖĞÜT Eş Danışman: Dr. Artemis YAGOU OCAK 2014 Avşar Gürpınar, a Ph.D. student of ITU Graduate School of Science Engineering and Technology student ID 502082906, successfully defended the dissertation entitled “TOYS IN A GLOBALIZING CITY: CONTEMPORARY PRODUCTION NETWORKS AND DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS OF TOYS IN ISTANBUL”, which he/she prepared after fulfilling the requirements specified in the associated legislations, before the jury whose signatures are below. Thesis Advisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem TİMUR ÖĞÜT.............................. Istanbul Technical University Co-advisor : Dr. Artemis YAGOU .............................. MHMK Macromedia University for Media and Communication Jury Members : Assoc. Prof. Dr. İpek AKPINAR ............................. İstanbul Technical University Prof. Dr. Ali ERGUR .............................. Galatasaray University Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hümanur BAĞLI .............................. Istanbul Technical University Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülname TURAN .............................. Istanbul Technical University Asst. Prof. Dr. Aren Emre KURTGÖZÜ ….......................... Kadir Has University Date of Submission: 4 November 2013 Date of Defence: 17 January 2014 v vi To Feyza and the children of the world, vii viii FOREWORD This long and winding road would be impossible to cross with the help and understanding of following people: Feyza Gürpınar, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Timur Öğüt, Dr. Artemis Yagou, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İpek Akpınar, Prof. Ali Ergur, Burcu Kaya Kızılöz and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aslı Atamer Akdaş. I would like to thank them all and give them my most sincere gratitude. I intend to keep them in my life, hoping that they have nothing against it. January 2014 Avşar GÜRPINAR ix x TABLE OF CONTENTS Page FOREWORD ........................................................................................................ ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... xi ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................. xiii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................... xv LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................... xvii SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... xxiii ÖZET .................................................................................................................. xxv 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Literature Review: Studying Toys in Global Context ....................................... 2 1.1.1 Globalization and processes of adaptation .................................................. 2 1.1.2 Toys in global culture ................................................................................. 7 1.1.3 Toys in Turkish culture ............................................................................. 12 1.2 Research Question, Aim and Scope ................................................................. 16 1.3 Approach and Methodology ............................................................................. 19 1.3.1 Background: Visualizing the past of toys in Istanbul ............................... 20 1.3.2 Research into contemporary practices ...................................................... 23 2. FROM WOODEN CRADLES TO TIN CARS: DEVELOPMENT OF TOYS AND TOY INDUSTRY IN ISTANBUL .............................................................. 29 2.1 Phases of Toy Production in Istanbul .............................................................. 30 2.2 Toys as Craft Products in Pre-Industrial Phase ................................................ 33 2.3 The Phase of Modernization and Industrialization of Toys ............................. 41 2.3.1 The Transition: From home to industrial production ................................ 42 2.3.2 Industrialization of toy production in Istanbul .......................................... 45 2.4 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 54 3. CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES OF TOY PRODUCTION IN ISTANBUL .............................................................................................................................. 55 3.1 Spatialization of Design and Modes of Production ......................................... 56 3.2 Company Characteristics ................................................................................. 64 3.3 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 72 4. TYPOLOGY AND TACTICS: DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS OF TOYS IN ISTANBUL........................................................................................................... 75 4.1 Typology: Classification and Analysis ............................................................ 76 4.2 Tactics: Instances of Cultural Adaptation ........................................................ 86 4.2.1 Translation................................................................................................. 88 4.2.2 Transliteration ........................................................................................... 90 4.2.3 Hybridization............................................................................................. 92 4.2.4 Reproduction ............................................................................................. 94 5. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 99 5.1 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 99 5.2 Shortcomings ................................................................................................. 103 5.3 Further Studies ............................................................................................... 104 REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 107 APPENDICES.........................................................................................................117 APPENDIX A: Visual Glossary of Toys in Istanbul ............................................... 118 APPENDIX B: Database of Sales and Production Nodes of Toys in Istanbul (Industrial Phase), ca. 1910 – 1980 ......................................................................................... 175 APPENDIX C: Database of Sales and Production Nodes of Toys in Istanbul (Contemporary Phase) ........................................................................................... 193 APPENDIX D: Maps of Material Acquisition, Production and Sales in Istanbul in Different Phases (Pre-Industrial, Industrial, Contemporary) ................................. 221 APPENDIX E: Interviews With Toy Companies .................................................... 225 APPENDIX F: Timelines ......................................................................................... 241 CURRICULUM VITAE .................................................................................... 247 xii ABBREVIATIONS ISTKA : İstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı İSTOÇ : İstanbul Toptancılar Çarşısı İTO : İstanbul Ticaret Odası ITU : Istanbul Technical University KİT : Kamu İktisadi Teşebbüsleri NPD : New Product Development OYDER : Oyuncak Üreticileri Derneği PRD : Pearl River Delta R&D : Research and Development SME : Small and medium enterprises UFO : Unidentified Flying Object USD : United States dollar WWII : Second World War xiii xiv LIST OF TABLES Page Table 2.1 : Categorization of traditional Anatolian toys (Onur, 2011). .................... 37 Table 2.2 : Categorization of Eyüp toys. ................................................................... 38 Table 2.3 : Distribution of toy companies in Istanbul, ca. 1930-1980. ..................... 48 Table 3.1 : Distribution of toy companies in Istanbul. ............................................. 65 Table 3.2 : Distribution of Turkey’s toy export based on countries (UN Comtrade, 2012). ...................................................................................................... 67 Table 4.1 : A technological categorization of toys (Ak, 2006). ................................ 76 Table 4.2 : Categorization of toys (NPD Group, 2010). ........................................... 77 Table 4.3 : Design characteristics for an evaluation of toys. .................................... 80 Table B.1 : Database of Sales and Production Nodes of Toys in Istanbul (Industrial Phase), ca. 1910 – 1980. .......................................................................