The traditional look of many toys and characters from the past are now often viewed as creepy and some have even entered in to our modern popular culture as figures of horror. Clowns, jack in boxes, porcelain dolls, puppets, ventriloquist dummies and even animals such as tambourine monkeys, teddy bears and rocking horses all lack ‘cuteness’ at best or seem terrifying at worst. Were they ever viewed as cute and lovable by children, or have our sensibilities changed?