A theory of object recognition requires a theory of shape. Despite considerable empirical and theoretical research, however, a definition of object shape has proved elusive. In this talk, I provide new evidence showing that childen’s object recognition changes dramatically during the same period that they learn names for object categories. First, during the period between 18- and 24- months, children develop the ability to recognize stylized 3-dimensional caricatures of known novel objects. This ability is linked to the number of object names in children’s vocabularies, suggesting that category learning may be a driving force behind the developmental changes. This ability to recognize 3-dimensional caricatures of object shape appears related to children’s symbolic play. Second, how children act on objects changes their perception of shape and the range of shapes taken to be instances of the same category. Both sets of results suggest that perceived shape is a product early category learning. These results and conclusions are discussed in the context of Biederman’s RBC account and Edelman’s prototype account of object recognition.