Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A plea to toy makers:

PLEASE start making toys that don't frustrate my kids to the point of insanity.  Or me, for that matter.

For example, if a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is supposed to be a skateboarding reptile, PLEASE make sure the skateboard can stay on the ninja's feet for at least 30 seconds at a time.  PLEASE?!?!?

If I hear "MOOOOOOMMM, the skaaaateboard won't stay oooonnnn!!!!" one more time today...

Edited to add: So I just googled it and apparently a turtle is a reptile?  Who knew?  Huh.  I always thought they were amphibians.

7 comments:

Ashley said...

Uh.....DUH!! Haha. Just kidding. I had no idea either.

Anonymous said...

I would just quit buying them, but that's who I am. The toymakers are not going to quit making toys that don't do magic things as advertised because our kids watch the commercials and we buy the non magical toys. big money in false advertising.

Anonymous said...

The beauty of not having television is that my son doesn't even know what those crappy toys are and is FAR more interested in his homemade pretend banjo (a food strainer with strategically placed rubber bands) and a basket full of matchbox cars than any commercialized crap made in China that breaks before the kid can actually use it.

My advise, kill your television!

Yea, yea... you've heard my advise a few times. I'm considered crazy by most American's standards. And I love it. A political pollster called Gar last night and was DUMBFOUNDED by most of his answers (totally opposite of most Southern Californians). She was blown away when told that he said that we don't have television!

Ashley said...

Correction, TT. You have a TV. You just don't have any channels. My 2 cents: It's not the television that does the harm, it's the people who CHOOSE not to use their brains and instead believe everything they see/hear/read.

Ashley said...

Also, the media takes advantage of those people who are unable or unwilling to use their brains, but still...TV can definitely be used wisely and I find it quite educational most of the time.

*Brianna* said...

For the record: The Ninja Turtle was a birthday gift. The last toy I bought was a wooden handled jump rope, and that was like 2 months ago. I'll let my kids have toys they get as gifts, but I'm not a "toy person". I'd prefer as little stuff as possible.

And about TV...I think there is great value in entertainment. I think we have a lot on our plates and need a chance to relax and turn our brains off. I mean, Desperate Housewives certainly does not engage my brain. But I don't think that is a bad thing! If I can take an hour to stop worrying about finances, work, behavior problems and my busy schedule- that is amazing. For some people, that hour would consist of gardening, for some it consists of reading political debates online, and for me it involves sitting on my butt watching mind numbing TV.

The problem comes when people forget that TV is not the be-all-end-all, and that you still have a responsibility to think for yourself, even if so-and-so told you what to believe on a talk show. As long as people remember that the TV (and media in general) is not the be all, end all...I think it is ok.

OH, and Skyler is under strict orders not to ask for toys he sees on commercials. If he does, the TV goes off. I've found it to be pretty effective. Mean? Yeah, maybe. But hopefully it will slow the demand for all the cr*p toys streaming in to our country at an alarming rate!

And Alex is only allowed to watch PBS and DVD that are mom-approved. And the Wii, which is much more popular than cartoons.

Anonymous said...

So nice to see family members having an intelligent conversation about a topic of importance. Each adds an important element to the subject. I'm so proud of you women that you can think for yourselves, can write, communicate and contribute positively.