Guido Pacelli Toy Fixer Rome

Toys are fragile, and often difficult to repair. Children know this well when they notice that one of their toys no longer works: and for some of them, buying a new one is impossible. But fixing toys is not a game. This is the mantra of Guido Pacelli, a Roman pensioner who until ten years ago worked at Alitalia and decided to dedicate his time to bring a smile to the faces of less fortunate childrenTo achieve this he decided to save decapitated dolls or cars without wheels, giving it a second lifeIn this way, every day, despite the arthritis in his hands, he avoids incredible waste, because, as he explains: "Every broken toy is an insult to those who can't afford it." And once they're as good as new, the toys repaired by Guido's skilled hands go to organizations that help families in poverty, hospitals, and shelters for women affected by violence. But they also go to children in countries like Ukraine, Romania, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, and Ethiopia.

Guido the Toy Fixer, as everyone knows him, has been working for several years now to make model airplanes and toy cars fly and run again, and to make dolls and teddy bears talk and walk again. His true calling, pursued year-round, after 37 years as a quality control department manager at Alitalia. Thousands of toys repaired by Guido: sometimes it really takes very little to recover a toy instead of throwing it awaySimply replace a wire or oxidized contacts to get the electrical system working again. Suffice it to say that it can recover over 80% of the latter.

Guido has been collaborating with the association for years Salvamamme, with whom she works to get the toys she repairs to families who can't afford them. A nice gesture. which takes shape especially around Christmas, when approximately 20 toys are distributed to poor children throughout Italy. To collect such a large amount of stuffed animals and dolls, however, Guido needs "helpers," so together with Salvamamme he invites anyone willing to volunteer to "come and pick up as many toys as possible at our headquarters—Via Ramazzini 15, Rome—and bring them back to us after making them beautiful and perfect."

Guido's work is just the latest step in a wonderful chain of solidarity. The toys he repairs arrive in his workshop after being donated and checked by a group of volunteers who have the task of verifying whether they are recoverable. A process that goes on 12 months a year, because for Guido and his assistants “Christmas is every day”.

In this video, produced by Zeta, Guido shares his story and his work, while the president of the Salvamamme association explains how donations have expanded from individuals, usually women, to entire families. Among so much good news, unfortunately, there's also some shameful news: a group of thieves broke into the Salvamamme headquarters on the night of September 13, 2022. They stole cell phones, cash, and items intended for poor families.

In the meantime, there is no need to worry about it. ”