Stevanne Auerbach

Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D., widely known as “Dr. Toy,” was an internationally recognized author, educator, speaker, and advocate for children’s play, learning, and development. Over a distinguished 50-year career, she authored 16 books on toys, parenting, childcare, and child development, including *Dr. Toy’s Smart Play Smart Toys*, which was published internationally; *Choosing Childcare*, an early guide for parents seeking quality childcare; and the four-volume reference work *Child Care: A Comprehensive Guide*. Her writing also included *The Alphabet Tree*, *My Butterfly Collection: On the Wings of the Butterfly*, and her first novel, *The Contest*. She contributed articles to *The Huffington Post* and numerous other publications and was a frequent guest on television, radio, print, and online media.

Her career extended well beyond writing. She worked in education and government, where she helped establish the first childcare center for federal employees and approved the first grant for the Children’s Television Workshop, which became *Sesame Street*. In San Francisco, she became deeply involved in childcare advocacy, helping with the creation of the Children’s Council and San Francisco Child Abuse Council and producing the first citywide Year of the Young Child Conference.

In 1987, Dr. Auerbach founded and served as director of the San Francisco International Toy Museum at The Cannery in Fisherman’s Wharf. The hands-on museum welcomed more than 50,000 children during its years of operation before closing in December 1990 following financial difficulties compounded by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. She regarded the museum as one of the world’s early interactive toy museums and continued exploring ways to bring that vision back to the Bay Area.

After the museum closed, her dedication to children, play, and thoughtful toy selection continued through the development of Dr. Toy’s Guide and her Dr. Toy Best Products Award programs. She became a pioneering voice in toy reviewing, providing parents, educators, and the toy industry with guidance on educational value, creativity, safety, play value, and child development.

Dr. Auerbach passed away on October 19, 2022, from complications of a stroke. Her final literary legacy, *Amy’s Butterfly Garden*, was written in 1992 and published posthumously in January 2026. It was lovingly finalized and brought to life by her daughter, Amy Beth Auerbach, through her publishing imprint, Heirloom Patchwork Press.