Inny Ja. O zabawkach jako bohaterach utworów literackich dla dzieci
Different Me. About Toys as Characters in Literary Works for Children

Summary/Abstract: The article refers to the subject of a toy-character in literary works for children in Poland. The author begins with the theory of children’s literature as “great fun” by Jerzy Cieślikowski, then she tries to show various types of toy characters, starting from everyday objects and ending with anthropoidal creatures. She refers to both Polish and foreign literature characters important for a child-reader such as: Nutcracker, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh, Brave Teddy Bear, “Kichuś”, “Plastuś”, “Miś Uszatek”, etc. The author points to Pichard Schechner’s concept, as well as Roland Barthes’s contemplation, to outline the specific role of a toy character in the process of children identifying themselves with a literary character. As a result of subconscious identification with the character’s adventures, the phenomenon named “Different Me” occurs. According to the author, “Different Me” appears in the process of transferring the child recipient’s identity during the reception of a literary work. The concept, although it does not contain data from empirical research, is a part of the research on the reception of literary works by children.

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