Assignment 1 - Taxonomy: Favourability of Plushies

Introduction

Object chosen

Plushies (a.k.a. "plush toys", "soft toys")

Characteristics

The following is a list of characteristics that I have chosen to analyse the favourability of plushies:

was it given as a gift? who gave the plushie to the recipient? what was the reason for the gift?
was it bought? why was it bought?
general size
cost (approximate)
(physical) condition e.g. tattered and torn, or does it still look new
period of ownership
favourability

Photographs

Below is a selected range of photographs of the plushies from which data was collected.

"Grandma Teddy"	Again, plushies are used to decorate, add life and make a personal statement.	Old, discoloured plushies. The eyes are scratched, some have missing ears.
Plushies can have suction cups attached to their limbs for hanging onto mirrors or glass.	Souvenirs from New Zealand.	Plushies aren't just those that you cuddle. The potential for imagination is extended by this plushie being a puppet.
A group of plush toys that sit on top of my bed.	Plush toys can be as small as this one, which is designed to be a keyring.	Plushies give an insight into the personality of the owner - what they like and dislike. They can be decorative as well as memorable. Here Cartman is used to make a personal statement about its owner as well as add some life to a bookshelf populated with fairly serious textbooks.

Click here to view entire Photobucket album of plushies.

Data collection

Initially a survey to collect information about the plush toys belonging to a number of different people was to be conducted, however several problems with this methodology arose.

To keep the data as objective as possible data on an equal number of randomly selected plushies would need to be collected. It was found that most people chose their most favourable plushies, and therefore the spectrum of variety was restricted.

Subjective characteristics, particularly “favourability” vary significantly amongst people. For example, people who like plushies in general may be more likely to rate favourability higher than a person who doesn’t really have a likeability towards them. Of course this cannot be controlled but, as with the problem aforementioned, the ability to keep the dataset as controlled as possible again becomes an issue.

Understanding the context behind the data may allow for more insightful analyses to be gained. Hence, it was decided that the data would be collected from fifty (50) plushies amongst the range belonging to myself and my brother. Therefore, the data, analysis and insights gained from this research is a reflection of the circumstances, personality, interests and preferences of myself and my brother.

Collected data can be viewed here. The data has been placed into a single spreadsheet for overview purposes/

Visualisations and Analysis of collected data

Chart 1 - Reflection of favourability according to the context of a plushie

Explores the context of plushies and whether or not this has any effect on how favourable it is and how well it is kept. The chart focuses on context referring to how the plushie was acquired – either as a gift or bought.

Results, Conclusion and Discussion

plushies are more likely acquired as gifts rather than bought, the majority of which are given as birthday presents
birthday presents are those most favourable and kept in better condition. (This is seen if the treemap heirarchy is ordered according to: Reason specific I > Reason specific II > Relationship (specifics) > Relationship (class) > Reason (general) > Description > GIFT/BOUGHT)
the majority of those that are bought are not favoured highly yet are kept in very good condition. (This could be due to the fact that they are newer and therefore less likely to be in poorer condition. It could also be because of the fact that they are more appreciated because the owner's own money was spent on the plushie itself. Gifts are sometimes less appreciated because it does not meet the expectations of the recipient. The main motivation behind a purchase is because the item fits the expectations or criteria of the buyer at the time of purchase - this may change over timer, but essentially this forms the justification and subsequent satisfaction of the buyer.)

Chart 2 - Context behind possession of plushie

Similar to the Chart 1, Chart 2 explores the context of plushies. Here however, emphasis is placed more on the reasons behind acquisition:

If it was given as a gift, whom was it from and what were the reason(s) for which it was given?
If it was bought, for what reason(s)?

Results, Conclusion and Discussion

Plushies are a common choice for birthday presents amongst both family and friends
Particular plushies are chosen because they are a favourite cartoon character or type of merchandise. The favourite character or type of merchandise has been a key consideration in the choice of plushie i.e. the representation of a plushie is a factor in determining what type of gift to give someone (particularly a birthday present, which seems to be a popular reason for a plushie being given as a gift). This may be because people want to give gifts that they think the recipient will enjoy and therefore choose to give them plush toy representing the recipient's favoured character.
Two major categories represent the reason for a plushie being given as a gift or bought – memorabilia or to celebrate a special occasion. The latter may be for the reason discussed above. The former however may be because plushies are a tangible object that is kept on the basis of it's sentimental value more than anything else.

Chart 3 - Reflection of favourability and condition as dependent on size and cost

This chart looks at how the size and cost of a plushie affects its favourability and the condition it has been kept in.

Results, Conclusion and Discussion

Cheaper plushies are more likely to be kept in a poorer condition than those that are more expensive
In the majority of cases, plushies that have been kept in excellent or good condition contribute heavily towards a higher favourability
Size and cost do, indeed, increase favourability – larger and more expensive plushies are more likely to be favoured over smaller, cheaper ones. Therefore, favourability and condition is reflected by the size and cost of the plushie.

Chart 4 - Condition dependent on Favourability and Period of Ownership

This charts explores how the favourability and oeriod of ownership affect how well kept a plush toy is.

Results, Conclusion and Discussion

Expected findings – the newer a plushie is the more likely it is well-kept, even if it isn’t really favoured.
Although old (>10 yrs), plushies that are favourable (≥ 7/10) are still kept in reasonable condition (> 5/10)
With the exception of a few outliers, favourability is in influenced by factors like novelty and nostalgia

Chart 5 - Average favourability of plushies categorised by the context of acquisition

Chart 5 looks at the overall favourability of plushies according to how they were acquired and, of those averages calculated, how much is accounted for by those given as gifts and those bought. From this the following can also be deduced:

whether a particular category of plushies is more likely to be made up those given as gifts or bought and,
if plushies of a certain category are favoured more because they were given as a gift/bought

Results, Conclusion and Discussion

the highest averages were plushies that belonged to categories which were solely acquired by means of a gifts. Particularly those given as gifts for special occasions.
more likely to buy plushies as a memorabilia of an event. Favourability of plushies as a memorabilia of an event are more likely to be favoured higher if they were bought rather than if they were given.
plushies acquired as travel destination memorabilia are favoured equally regardless of whether they were a gift or bought.

Chart 6 - Acquisition of plushies (categorised by reason for possession) over time

This chart looks at how plushies are acquired over time and for what reasons.

Results, Conclusion and Discussion

nearly every year a plushie has been given as a birthday present
the bell-curved line in the image below shows the trend of plushie acquisition over time. It seems there was a peak period about 10 years ago (half the lifetime of the two participants), but as the years have gone by this number has begun to dwindle. This is probably due to the growing maturity of the participants
Interestingly there is a lack of older plushies - there are fewer older ones than newer ones. Assuming the above statement there should be more older plushies than newer ones. However, the lack of older plushies could be due to the fact that many of them have been thrown away. Those that are kept however are more likely to be still highly favoured.

Research

Click here to go to del.icio.us account which contains all the links that relate to and support the results and analysis of my findings.

Theory behind plush toy attachment
One of the main factor that contributed to how favourable a plush toy was rated was the reason why it was given. Those that were received as gifts, especially those given to mark special occassions, were amongst the highest rated. Why is this case? According to research plushies are an important part of the developing psychology of a person (particularly children) - attachment represents an essential part of establishing one's sense of self. Plushies that marked special occasions have sentimental value; they are used as a memorabilia of a significant stage in one's life. Below are a list of links that explore this issue:

Disucssion on Winnicott's theory of "transitional objects": http://jbd.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/9/3/383
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=8q4J-phqB3wC&pg=PT63&lp...
An exanimation of the psychoanalytic ideas behind culture:http://www.human-nature.com/mental/chap8.html

Giving the perfect gift
An interesting finding in the anlysis showed that the favoured cartoon character/merchandise was a key consideration in the choice of plushie and therefore choice of gift. The assumption was made that this may be because people want to give gifts that they think the recipient will enjoy/appreciate and therefore choose to give them plush toy representing the recipient's favoured character.

This blog post explores the things that are taken into consideration when trying to give a gift that will hopefully be appreciated: http://www.queercents.com/2007/08/14/are-non-holiday-gifts-better-a...

Favouring plushies that are bought over those that are given
It was found that the the majority of those that are bought are not favoured highly yet are kept in very good condition, and it was assumed that this was due to the fact of a higher appreciation for the plushie because it was bought. A futher look into the psychology of the consumer when purchasing products reveals why people justify their purchase and in turn develop a greater sense of appreciation for what they buy.
http://www.udel.edu/alex/chapt6.html#psychological
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~renglish/370/notes/chapt05/

Fluctuating patterns of favourability over time
When asking the participants to rate the favourability of a particular plush toy a common response was that "it used to be my favourite" and "I don't really like it as much any more". Why? Perhaps it's because it's sentimental value has been lost over time. Another reason, which is supported by the issue of novelty is that we like newer things but as time goes on they lost their novelty and hence lose our interest.

This article from Wikipedia discusses the issue of novelty: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novelty_theory#Precepts_of_novelty_theory

Another common response from the particupant was that they had initially liked the toy, then disliked, liked it and then disliked it. This fluctuating behaviour could be a result of the issue discussed in the paper (see link) below. We may show favouritism towards something that is at first novel but over time it loses favourability as we lose interest in it (as discussed above). But then when we rediscover that same something it then becomes favourable again. Why? Because it's familiarity brings back memories - those associated with fond memories therefore bring familiar feelings at the time it was associated with.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/109629765/ABSTRACT

Judging by appearance
The results of Chart 3 show that favourability was affected by the apprance of the toy. This included the condition that it's in and the size. It comes as no surprise that these results reflect a judgement based on looks. Visual cues form a significant part in how we judge things, particularly on first impressions. The links below explore this notion of judging based on looks:

The higher the cost the more we favour something
As with any product we often assume that the more expensive it is the better, and the results of Chart 3 reflect this notion which is often challenged yet often held true. The following links illustrate this constant dilema and common association that "expensive means better" and therefore more favourable:

The sentimental value of plushies and memory
Memory is created by associations and therefore plush toys are used as the means for association - the sentimental value of plush toys serve as a means for remembering a significant event. For this reason we may highly favour one plush toy over another because of the memories we associate with them:

This link explores the notion of memory and association: http://www.mindtools.com/assimloc.html

Taxonomy

The purpose of my taxonomy is to identify what characteristics of plush toys make one plushy more favourable over another.

From the results of my analysis it seems that all characteristics relate (either directly or indirectly) to the condition of the plush toy i.e. the condition of a plush toys is a direct reflection of its favourability. Of course, in most circumstances the newer a plush toy is the better condition it is in. However, it should be noted that condition does indeed highlight how favourable an old toy is - if an old toy wasn't favoured highly it would not have been kept. The fact that it is old and in poor condition is a consequence of environmental exposure over time. But despite these blemishes these toys are kept. Why? Because of their sentimental value? And it is this characteristic that accounts for the above average favourability scores of older plush toys.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the remarkable memories of my mummy and brother, especially when recalling the person from whom a plush toy was given to us by, when it was given and why. Thank you for their patience, time and wonderful memories that were shared during the (fairly boring and gruelling) process of data collection. A final thanks to all of the people who have given me plush toys. This assignment wouldn't have been as enjoyable as it has been if it weren't for you! ^-^

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Comment by Stephanie Patel on April 13, 2008 at 10:10pm: sorry, didn't realise it was set to private. I just changed it to public then - it should be viewable now =]