Tuesday, August 01, 2006

games and Toys

Describe a childhood game you used to play. Who did you play with? Any special (ie. made-up) rules?

I honestly can't think of a particular game we would play, other than Barbie's or dolls. So what I am going to blog about today is my rant on today's toys and games for kids. I dislike most of the toys on the market, I hate the commercialization of *everything* and I hate the lack of imagination most toys need these days. You should see me walk throught Toys R Us. I mutter madly to myself about all of the recylced garbage that fills the shelves.

Most toys later are overpriced pieces of junk that took no imagination to create, and no imagination to use. For example, a few years ago, when the Hulk movie came out, green hulk hands were all over the commercials and on the store shelves. All you could really do with these is put them on, and hear them make noise when you hit something with them. Great idea! Sounds like loads of appropriate fun! *saracsm*

Then the next year's movie was Fantastic Four. New toy on the market-- come look!! It is a set of hands that make noise when you hit something. But instead of green hulk-y looking ones, they are orange and red, like the Fire/Flame/Whatever guy from the movie. So this company literally recylcles the idea, changes just the color of the hands, and all of the kids who already lost interest in the Hulk hands they have, now want to have the Fire-Guy hands.

I think that these hands were priced at around $25, and I will bet any amount of money that the majority of kids lost interest in them within a week.

So there is my rant. I could go on about how so many kids are lacking in imagination because not the toys do all the work- all you have to do is press a button and the toy tells you what it wants to do or how you need to respond.

What ever happened to the games and toys where you had to think about how to play, you had to use your own voice to make it sing or talk? Or even better, what ever happened to the big box that could be colored and made into a rocket, a pirate ship, a tent, and a cave all on the same day?

8 comments:

debra said...

looking around my house and the amount of this stuff that just sits in the toy box -- I totally agree with you! Waste of money totally... mine would rather be out on the swing or taking a walk and exploring the neighborhood :)

Unknown said...

I have to agree with you on that (as I sit here and look at the toys scattered across the living room). Yet as I stare, I see Barbie dolls, baby dolls, stuffed dolls, cars that have to be pushed, and loads of art supplies. The only thing here that makes noise and gets used constantly is the Darth Vader helmet and light saber.

loonyhiker said...

I'm 100% with you! Boy, now I'm glad I wrote what I did in my blog after reading yours. Also, don't leave out all the Shrek stuff also! I was seeing so much green I thought it was St. Patrick's Day in the fall.

Gabby Faye said...

I couldn't agree more! My Son-in-law's brother's son had those blinking green hands and what was he hopposed to hit with them except his sister and cousins?

ComfyMom~Stacey said...

there is so much crap out there. I have a rule about no noisy flashing toys for the kids, unless it is the object of the toy - say a drum or a flashlight. But truck that plays hip hip & flashes it lights is not allowed. My boys mostly play with plain old trucks

Meg said...

Yay!! I agree with you!! I don't buy any of that junk! I actually recycle our toys...whenever I see a toy that hasn't been played with in a while, I box it up for at least 6 months. Then, when we open up that box, there's a bunch of "new" toys for the kids! They love it!!

I love your rant, keep it up!

heather said...

So true, so true.. it's amazing how much fun my boys have had with a piece of rope hanging from the carport. (and sticks from the trees, they love them and so cheap!!)

Bonnie said...

well said. I still think plain old lego blocks, or wooden blocks are the best. My kids play for hours building all kinds of things with their blocks, that takes imagination and skill and teaches them coridanation and develops good motor skills too. I hate the toys around today too, as you say, probably cost nothing to make and yet are so expensive. We make our own toys too by cutting up boxes. My son just last night used a piece of polystirene from the new screen my hubby bought me(came in the box) and got a cockie and drew buttons on to resemble a keyboard and now he comes to me every 10 min to ask me how to spell a word and then "types" it in! I love it!Imagination!