Retired engineer repairs ‘sick’ toys to bring joy to children

ISTANBUL

Retired computer engineer Bülent Uysaler, 57, has been repairing all kinds of broken toys for the past four years.

 Having enjoyed repairing things since childhood, Uysaler was first asked by a friend to fix his children’s toys four years ago. After completing the task with pleasure, he was encouraged by the same friend to continue repairing toys, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his life.

Uysaler first turned a room in his home and later a storage area in the residential complex where he lives into a workshop, where toys sent from different cities and countries have regained their function in his hands.

Repairing dolls, Ferris wheels, carousels, puppets, toy cars and nostalgic toys with collectible value, Uysaler donates valuable toys he cannot repair to children.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Uysaler said he considers broken toys as patients.

“Toys have illnesses, and I try to cure them. Just as a doctor listens to a patient’s back and examines their throat to determine a treatment, we also try to identify where the problem comes from and fix it. In a way, you could call this place a hospital,” he said.

Emphasizing that he takes great pleasure in touching the lives of children, Uysaler said toys arrive for repair from all over Türkiye, including Antalya, Mersin and Hakkari.

He noted that some people have special emotional attachments to their toys. “They can never give them up. Sometimes we do what we call ‘fast service’ and fix the toy together with them. Touching children’s lives makes me happy. At the same time, we also touch the lives of adults,” he said.

Uysaler added that some adults bring toys inherited from their fathers or grandfathers, noting that he is currently repairing a 30-year-old toy that someone plans to give as a surprise to their older brother.

Uysaler said he previously sent repaired toys as gifts to children in earthquake-hit areas.

“Some toys cannot be fully repaired and people don’t want them back. We collect them, clean them and fix what we can. They may not function perfectly, but they still work. We packaged them as gifts and sent them to children in Hatay through an aid organization. My second goal is to send these toys to children living in state care institutions,” he said.

Noting that there are only four or five people in Türkiye working on toy repair, Uysaler said, “Some focus on different types of repairs. I thought there was a gap in this field. I wanted to turn this hobby into an art, and I chose this path to be useful to others.”