Plastics have been used for toys since the beginnings of the plastics' industry. The acceptable cost for volume production of realistic looking and functional and interactive products was the driving force of the toy industry. Easy moldability of plastics into complex shapes contributed to the both cost and realism. Many toy manufacturers have learned to utilize the wide range of plastics to produce quality toys. In addition to plastic's use for conventional toys such as dolls, games, and instruments, an important factor is their use in educational processes. The principal plastics used in toys are high density polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, and poly(vinyl chloride). A wide variety of processing techniques can be used with these plastics; injection molding, blow molding, rotational molding, and thermoforming. The toy industry is not without controversy. Safety and recalls of toys have been of recent concern. Economics and safety are discussed here. New developments are mentioned including a new bio‐resin based on plants used to make Green Toys.