Thursday, December 11, 2008

Toys Worth Talking About

At our Tribe (weekly Bible study at our house) the other night, the question was asked: If it were common for adults to play with children’s toys, what toy would you most like to play with? I quickly had to point out that video games were not legit answers to this question since at least 50% of the people (eh-hem, guys) in the room still unashamedly play them. Anyway, we talked about Barbies, Lincoln Logs, Big Wheels, Creepy Crawlers, pogo sticks and other fun childhood toys from the '80s. It got me thinking...remember when toys weren't so complicated and corrupt. Let me make a couple of comparisons knowing that I am going to sound like an uber-conservative mom (or just a snob):

Barbie vs. Bratz
-C'mon...these new Bratz dolls are far from the new trendy, modern Barbie. I think they are just Barbie's ghetto cousins who show up at Christmas dressed like they are going to a bar at the age of 10. They wear way too much make-up, and although Barbie isn't necessarily proportional, what girl's lips and eyes are that big in relation to her face?! Oh, and don't get me started on their clothes and fashion accessories. Something about them reminds me of the trashy girl Halloween costumes. Not really what I want my little girl to be playing with. When I was a little girl, I used to pretend I was the Barbie and we would make up stories and play pretend. What are the girls who play with Bratz dolls pretending to be?? By the way, if any of you know girls who play with Bratz dolls and they like them, I apologize. Feel free to comment and tell me about the redeeming qualities of the Bratz doll I am overlooking.

Super Mario Brothers 3 vs. Grand Theft Auto
-The names really say it all. Have you ever played GTA? It was made for children to get a thrill out of killing, robbing and stealing from others. Oh, and don't forget about the way the women are dressed in this video game for children. They must have been Bratz when they were growing up! :) I get the whole playing with guns and shooting the bad guy thing that little boys play. But, this game is the opposite. It teaches kids to be horrible people, and that if you commit crimes you will have a lot of money and power. Oh wait, that's sort of like the real world. No, but seriously, what happened to some good ole Mario. The scariest thing about that game was the fire pit level. I totally beat that game several times by the way!

The point is that I am not sure what kind of toys I will buy my children one day, but said toys will not promote dressing like a street hooker or killing people and stealing their money. That's all really.

2 comments:

jjones

That's why you should check out "specialty" toys at TDmonthly.com. :) By the way, Bratz may not be around much longer ... or they'll become Barbie's sister! In a big Mattel vs. MGA Entertainment (maker of Bratz) lawsuit, a judge just ruled that MGA can no longer make or sell Bratz come February. They'll appeal, of course, so we'll see!

coolmzn
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