After the breakup of one of New Zealand's earliest punk bands The Enemy in January 1979, remaining members Chris Knox, Alex Bathgate & Mike Dooley formed a new band called Toy Love. The members were Chris Knox (vocals), Alex Bathgate (guitar), Mike Dooley (drums), Jane Walker (keyboards) & Paul Kean (bass). After moving to Australia in 1980, they returned to NZ later that year and split. They released just one album, which was self-titled Toy Love. The band members were apparently appalled by the mixing of the tracks, which took the edge off the band's deliberately raw sound.
In 2012, Toy Love was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame and given the Legacy Award at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.