From Bikes, To Trains, To Video Games...

So...the other day the wife and I headed to a Toys R Us to pick up a gift for a friends kid. I was actually pretty excited to check it out, as it has been maybe ten years since I visited my former favorite place in the world. I was in and out of Toys R Us so frequently that the staff new my mom by name. Most of the time we didn't get to buy anything but just being there let my imagination run, much like bookstores and comic shops do nowadays.

So, I convince the wife to let me check out the aisles. Knowing full well what was about to happen, she still said yes. This confirms her position as best wife ever.

My Wife Is A Power Ranger And Can Kick Your Wife's Ass.

Holy shit have toys changed. Things have become so much more intricate, and...mature. Sure there are the toys that are made for the kids with lots of money and minimal imagination, but most of the stuff out there is made to let the imagination run wild. Consider that the point of a toy is to be a tool used by the kid, to interface with an imaginary scene played out right in the living room. Or the toy might even be a representation of the kids themselves, friends and family included. If you add the smallest detail to a toy, it increases the scenes and situations that might be imagined exponentially. So when I say that kids have it soooooo much better, I truly mean it.

Holy Crap Awesome!
This armor never existed in this capacity when  I was little.

While browsing (Kelly wouldn't let me buy anything...everything) I came to a realization. Toys are almost entirely related to TV heroes. This wasn't always the case. Sure there were cheesy action figures back in the 60's and 70's but this phenomenon was truly given life in the 80's. Transformers, the 80's cartoon, was developed solely as a way to sell more toys (the cart before the horse). The Real Ghosbusters (my favorite thing ever) allowed the world of the movies to transcend the screen and age group and enter into the living rooms and minds of America's youth. I would actually say that the cartoons are more important than the movies when considered as a pop culture element.

If you consider both of these shows, they both allowed for kids to create and take part in a world way beyond their own. When you got home from school, you could be the mastermind of technologically advanced aliens, or team up with your favorite paranormal investigator and strap on your highly advanced nuclear device to battle supernatural forces. But to play with these things properly, you really had to use your mind. There is no wonder so many nerds view these shows/toys as such instrumental parts of the culture. These toys allowed our minds to fathom actual science disguised as play time. Sure the foundations of the shows/toys have no bearing in actual science, but they do get the mind thinking scientifically.

Even Cats Need A Sick Ride

Thundercats was my first experience with fantasy role playing, well before I even knew that was a thing. Lion-o used the power of loyalty, bravery, and respect of his ancestors to battle his young emotional mind and stay himself from temptation. He did this by battling Mumra, the undead, cold hearted mastermind of evil. The toys of my youth were simple manifestations of these principles.

Mumra: The Evil Mummy of Suck.

Even the simple toys of our youth have been reinvented in a new capacity. It seems that being heroic is popular again. Thank the Deity of your choosing. This is really really good news. The future of our children lies in teaching life lessons in ways that are entertaining to the kids. Allowing this "Light Side" propaganda to permeate their lives is probably a good idea, unless your family is Sith.

Remember how basic legos were? Not anymore.

Jaba's Palace.

Complete With Sarlaac Pit.

If you consider that all of these things I've shown you are things that we nerds absolutely adore, then you'll soon realize two things 1) Nerd Culture is intensely popular, and 2) If nerds are regarded as the intelligent members of our society, then we are raising intelligent children. If we can keep our kids from the idiotic trappings that they find in high school, we can raise an army of nerds! Wait...what...eh whatever.

In seriousness, these toys represent lessons we teach our children. I say we as a society. So when it becomes anything less than cool or awesome to be interested and fascinated in these things, it signals a rejection or reformatting of these lessons. While this laying aside of childish aims can benefit the child and society, they shouldn't ever be forgotten or shunned, lest the lessons they represent be shunned along with them. Humans rely on representation and symbolism to understand the intricate belief system which society and culture consist of. Batman truly is a symbol (and I am Batman).

And Kelly Said My Car Wouldn't Fit Through The Doors...

The resurgence of these geeky things, be they toys or the randomly placed sticker, among the adults of society, bodes well for the future of mankind.

Found In The Mall Parking Garage.

As always, please become a member of the blog and leave your comments and questions.