Victorian parents thought that toys should teach as well as being fun to play with. At school, girls were taught home-making skills because it was thought that girls should know how to be good housewives and mothers. Older girls learned cookery and how to shop for food at Cookery Centres built in the grounds of some schools. These skills were also useful for girls going into service. Many of the girls would have ended up working as maids in wealthy households. Boys were taught technical drawing as it was considered a useful skill for future careers.

This toy whisk made from tin gave girls the chance to familiarise themselves through play with domestic equipment that they would use in later adult life. It is an exactly scaled down copy of its full size original. Other examples of miniature utensils that were produced included rolling pins as well as dresses for practising needlework.

When the handle is turned, the metal paddles turn in the opposite direction.