Bank of Valletta has produced its third calendar in a series that captures times past... and judging by interest shown in these calendars, nostalgia is a powerful magnet.

BOV launched the nostalgia series two years ago when it focussed on old trades, many of which are dying out. It followed it up last year with a look at the musicians who used to play in Strait Street’s mecca of bars, taking them back to the old Splendid Guest House to recapture the glorious past.

This year’s calendar, brainchild of the team at the Bank’s Marketing who worked in collaboration with JP Advertising and photographer Joe P. Smith takes a look at the the toys and games that formed part of childhood many years ago.

This simple concept plunged the team into a complex project, involving research into the subject matter, a large number of extras including elderly people from one of the residential homes, props from a toy museum, and of course, historical accuracy. Some of the toys came from private collections or from people who had been treasuring these toys since their childhood days.

BOV commissoned well-known historian Guido Lanfranco to provide details of the toys and games.

“The toys were very simple – pieces of rope, wooden slats, stones and beads – but there is a lot more to toys than just the item itself. For example, hopscotch represents the nine months of pregnancy,” Guido Lanfranco explained.

“In spite of the simplicity of the toys, we could not find everything we needed and had to improvise in some cases.. For example, children used to blow bubbles through a length of macaroni but you don’t get long pasta tubes, so we used rolled up copybooks,” Mr Lanfranco added.

The calendar cleverly juxtaposes young children with elderly people who would have had first-hand memories of the toys. Photographer Joe P. Smith also staged the photos in locations that could easily have come out of post-war Malta – whether unspoiled alleys in village cores, or open air fields, all of which capture the times when children could play outdoors without the fear of traffic and without the distractions of computers.

“The photos were taken in September, that wonderful month when children are still enjoying the summer holidays, when friendships are forged for life, and the long days are filled with freedom and fun.

“For me, the look on the face of the elderly people we used for the photos say so much about the memories they had of those times...” Mr Smith said.

BOV has made two videos about the making of the calendar and brief information about each game narrated by Guido Lanfranco, which are both available on the bank’s YouTube channel, accessible via its website www.bov.com, or via its BOV Club Facebook page.