Photography: Images of kids with their most prized possessions by Gabriele Galimberti

Seen this going round the internet of late? Well us too, but if you think this is just another bogus list of “things dogs do when they’re scared” or “cats that are really happy to be alive today” then think again. Gabriele Galimberti’s Toy Stories is a well-researched, totally valid project that explores the plastic glory that children of all ages and from all different backgrounds hold dear. In Toy Stories, she travelled around photographing young kids after asking them to select their most treasured possessions, with rather interesting results.

An interview from The Times on her site reveals how the toys the children chose to showcase were actually a really candid glimpse into their upbringing. “The richest children were more possessive. At the beginning, they wouldn’t want me to touch their toys, and I would need more time before they would let me play with them," said Gabriele. “In poor countries it was much easier – even if they only had two or three toys, they didn’t really care. In Africa, the kids would mostly play with their friends outside.”

Check out the rest of Gabriele’s work over on her site, particularly the fantastic Mirrors and Windows project.