Toy Story, a project led by Researcher Isabel Tissot from the DF, was awarded a prize in the first edition of the Ignition Grants competition for Interdisciplinary Research at NOVA, supported by the Santander Portugal Foundation.

Ignition Grants replace the previous Santander-NOVA Collaborative Research Award and introduce two major changes: the competition is now open to all areas of knowledge and there has been a significant increase in the amount of funding per proposal. The initiative aims to promote new collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific ideas geared towards solving complex scientific and social challenges.

The Toy Story project, with Isabel Tissot (NOVA FCT) as principal investigator, proposes to investigate tinplate toys produced in Portugal between 1920 and 1960, analysing them as cultural and material artefacts. These toys reflect the industrial, technological and social dynamics of the time, including gender roles and educational methods. Despite the relevance of Portuguese industry — marked by the creative reuse of materials and adaptation of international techniques — its history has been little explored. This interdisciplinary project involves Maria Fernanda Rollo (NOVA FCSH) as co-principal investigator, as well as Marta Manso, Paula Urze and Tiago Silva (NOVA FCT), combining conservation, history, sociology, physics and engineering in four areas: preservation, industrial context, sociocultural impact and sustainable innovation. By articulating materials, manufacturing, aesthetics and social context, Toy Story promises to reveal the potential of toys to inspire sustainable practices, foster creativity and value material culture.