Irfana Hashmi Ph.D.

Irfana Hashmi, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in History and Middle Eastern Studies from NYU, specializing in Ottoman history. She is the co-founder of My Toy Wagon, a Los Angeles-based independent toy shop specializing in natural, open-ended wooden toys from small European and Asian workshops. Trained to think in centuries, she brings that same long view to what she puts on the shelf: selecting pieces on safety, sustainability, and lasting play value over disposable trends. She also runs an educator program supplying early childhood classrooms across the US with play-based learning materials. She speaks to toy safety, sustainable sourcing, screen-free childhood, the history of play and material culture, Ottoman and Middle Eastern history, and what actually holds a child's attention for longe...