Friday, December 16, 2011

Toy Conspiracy

I've been doing a lot of Christmas shopping lately and toys sure are getting cheap! And when I say cheap I don't mean inexpensive; I mean poorly made! I'm only 27, but the toys I remember playing with in the 80's and 90's were so much better quality than a lot of the toys that are around today. A lot of times it's the same toy, but they are made much more cheaply these days and aren't as nice.

Then there are the updated versions of things. Take board games, for example. Sure, you can still buy some of the more classic games like Monopoly, Life, Clue, Candy Land, Mouse Trap, etc. These games are still around and they're basically the same games, but lots of them have updated rules or they look different as the look the game boards/pictures have been modernized. I like things to stay with same! For example, when I bought Guess Who? for one of my nephews last year it was sad to see that many of the classic characters didn't look the same, or they had different names and things like that. I suppose it's good to keep things current and fresh so that today's kids will still enjoy them, but it still sad. Why can't they just leave well enough alone?

Lots of the popular toys in this day and age require batteries since they have screens or sound effects or things like that. These tech-y toys are neat, don't get me wrong, but I just like the classic toys that I played with when I was a kid.

While I don't encourage hoarding, I would suggest that parents hold on to some of their kids toys for when they are adults. My mom has hung on to some of the toys my sisters and I had growing up and they are some of my nieces and nephews favorite toys to play with. (I wish my mom wouldn't have gotten rid of quite so much, or it would be nice to go back in time and "save" some of the things I got rid of as I aged. What can I say, I'm sentimental!

3 comments:

Carol V. said...

Hi Heather, You are so right about the workmanship and quality of the toys. And kids, in general, are so getting so used to being entertained they can be so overwhelmed. I have taught for many years and the kids were always being whisked away for sports, dance, music, etc. I grew up free to roam the neighborhood, and we played a "LOT" of games outdoors that you never hear the kids play today. Of course, it is a sad commentary on our society today that we cannot feel free to let our kids out of our sight. But, just the same, kids will find ways to have fun and create, and will fill their lives with their own special memories.

Unknown said...

Hello Heather, thanks for following me. I have also enjoyed reading your blogs...I totally get this about the toys. EBAY is a great place to look up the great, old toys. remember Dawn Dolls? I ordered a little dress up kit and doll set in a little case. Several years ago, i also ordered my favorite children's book. "Flora McFlimsey's Christmas Eve." I enjoy knowing that I have my own little piece of my childhood years. Have a great weekend. Your family and friends look like such a good group of loving people! Colleen

ionamin-W8FW8 said...

Who remembers when Lincoln Logs were real wood and also came with plastic animals?

Post a Comment

I love getting feedback on my posts, so please leave me a comment!

If you have a question, feel free to email me at heather_i_johnson@yahoo.com so that I can respond to you directly.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...